By Mark Fields
British Upstairs/ Downstairs Drama Gives Characters, Fans a Big Send-off
Downton Abbey, first launched on public television in 2010, became an instant classic with its glossy, soapy depiction of the upstairs/downstairs adventures of a British noble family and its servants. After the show ended in 2015, there remained sufficient fan interest in the story to prompt three movie continuations of the drama, culminating in the newest and last, Downtown Abbey: The Grand Finale. And indeed, a finale is what this film represents, the wrapping up of the multitudinous plotlines to reward the characters and the fans in the most crowd-pleasing ways.
The focus of this final film is the long-awaited assumption of leadership at the Abbey for the eldest daughter of the Crawley family, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), which is, of course, complicated by her recent divorce, still a scandalous act in 1930s British society. Written by the original show’s creator (and driving creative force) Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is chock-full of narrative pay-offs and inside jokes intended to delight long-time followers of the saga. In truth, anyone else will be hopelessly in the dark. There is still an opportunity to introduce celebrated playwriter/songwriter Noel Coward into the mix…it is England in the ‘30s, after all.
After 15 years, the huge cast – stand-outs including Dockery, Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith), Elizabeth McGovern (Lady Grantham). Hugh Bonneville (Lord Granham), Paul Giamatti (Harold Levinson), Jim Carter (Mr. Carson), and Joanne Froggatt (Anna) – don’t so much act these characters but embody them. Most of them get a moment to shine, but there is a rushed feeling to this film as Fellowes and director Simon Curtis scurry to wrap up as many stories as possible.
The Downton story has never really worked as well on the cinema screen as it did on television. It retains the rhythms and scale of a posh British TV serial, and the efforts made to make it larger for the movies often feels forced. Nevertheless, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is beautifully costumed and designed, and exquisitely photographed. The images of opulent period life in rural albeit domesticated England and of London simply shimmer.
I have never quite understood why this show and these movies have continued to appeal to me. I have always found its manners and class mores to be antiquated and uncomfortable. The characters, noble and servant alike, spend a lot of time bemoaning the passing of an era, while I personally cheer on the societal changes depicted here. I have come to understand the appeal for me is not a wistful nostalgia for a more elegant and divided time, but rather as a quaint relic of the past. And of course, the series and films are all a master class in British screen acting, even without the much-missed Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is a well-done and rewarding conclusion to this media phenomenon.
Official Trailer
