“Sometimes I feel the past is a more comfortable place than the future.”
I think for anything to have a grand finale, it has to have been grand to begin with. And I don’t think one could argue that Downton Abbey hasn’t been grand, at least at some points in its life. Downton Abbey spent six years on television and has amassed 52 episodes. In that relatively short run, the series has also managed to collect over 200 award nominations and several Golden Globes along with other prestigious awards. Let’s not forget a rather loyal fan-base that has watched each episode with anticipation of the next sharp barb or character revelation and will insist on franchise authenticity. In one of its years it was the number-one binged series in the world. That’s a lot of power, and it’s little wonder that all of these ingredients were expected to create a little box office gold. But film franchises from television shows rarely go on to such golden heights. There are some notable exceptions, to be sure. But even here, expectations and changing caretakers often lead to both high points and flops. The Star Trek franchise is a perfect example of those kinds of ups and downs. Mission Impossible is an example of shows that have to be completely retooled to hit the high numbers. Now that the expected last film has been released, where will Downton Abbey fit in this equation? The fans have been vocal and strong enough that a new film franchise had been anticipated to fill the void left by the series almost at once, and those fans weren’t disappointed. But how will they feel now that it has all come to an end?
As a finale, I think the film checks off a lot of boxes, but there is one area that there was no chance the film could satisfy. There are so many characters here, and each the favorite of one group of fans or another. Each of them come to this film expecting their character to get the sendoff he or she deserves. But with only about two hours to do the job, even this fine cast and crew just couldn’t do that job. I guess you could say that Downton Abbey, now out on UHD Blu-ray in 4K from Warner Brothers, was more of a “mission impossible” after all. And there isn’t anything anyone could do about it. Some of you will be disappointed and heartbroken. If, however, you take the film has a goodbye to the franchise as a whole and not to your favorite character, you might find the grandness in the finale after all.
The film as is the habit of the franchise jumps ahead nearly a decade, and it’s now 1930. It’s the beginning of the British social season, and our family is enjoying themselves at a royal ball. But that bliss is about to be shattered. News is just then breaking that Lady Mary (Dockery) has filed for divorce, and in 1930’s British high society that’s such a taboo that mid-ball Mary is rushed from the party so that royalty does not find themselves in the same room with her. It’s an extreme position, but consistent with these times and culture. A bit hypocritical for a British royalty that once started their own church in the face of the Roman Catholic Church over … you guessed it … the King’s inability to get the Pope to sign off on yet another divorce. But here we are, and the state of affairs gives the film a rather fresh opening as the family must deal with such shame and scandal.
It’s really a rather changing of the guard amid the scandal. Carson (Carter) is about to retire once again. You might recall he was retired as the first of the three movies opened, and he was pressed back into service. With no new movies anticipated, I suspect we can believe his retirement will last this time. He’s proud to be turning over his duties to Andy (Fox). But they aren’t the only ones going through a changing of the guard, as it were. Daisy (McShera) is about to become head cook, as Mrs. Patmore (Nicol) is also about to retire. All of this is surrounding their big dinner that everyone has now canceled because of Lady Mary’s situation. So Noel Coward (Froushan) happens to be in town and is friends with actor Guy Dexter, played by Dominic West, whose career took an upturn in the last film thanks to Lady Mary saving the day on a film production using the Abbey as its location.
Maybe everyone is not retiring, but they all face life-changing moments in the film. Robert (Bonneville) and Cora (McGovern) Grantham must leave the high-life of Downton Abbey to Mary and live in a much more modest home. I found the most moving change related to reality in a way no one could have earlier foreseen. Isobel Merton (Lady Grantham), played by Penelope Wilton, has lost her sparring partner with the passing of Maggie Smith. Their barb-trading was a highlight of the franchise and was very much missed. Reality has a way of writing these things, and there’s no way around that. She does get a quick cameo with footage from earlier and a dedication on the film. I suspect she was as much missed on the set as by the audience.
To wrap up the plot a bit, Paul Giamatti joins the cast as Cora’s brother Harold. Their parents are now gone, and Harold has lost his share of the family fortune to con artist Gus Sambrook, played by Alessandro Nivola. Gus also manages to add to Lady Mary’s shame, and this was a pretty good story, but it’s solved quickly and without fuss. That’s the real glaring issue here. No story can truly get played out properly because we have so many folks to say goodbye to, and there just isn’t time to tell a fully developed story on top of it all. You will have to settle for the touching moments you get and forget you ever came here for a story … because you didn’t, did you? You came here to say goodbye, and on that level, the film is everything you hoped for.
Video
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The ultra-high-definition 2160p image is arrived at by an HEVC codec with an average bitrate of 85 mbps. There are times we peak at over 100. The ultra high definition gets most of its grandeur from the castle itself. There are some wonderful shots of the estate throughout. They remind me at times of the fly-bys of the Enterprise in the first Star Trek film. The HDR offers such perfect texture, scale, and yes … grandness to the environments. Outside things are green and lush, while interiors deliver the detail necessary to deliver such items that aren’t really set design. This is a real place, and a lot of these pieces are historic items that are priceless in value, and they just give the image presentation such authenticity and atmosphere. Black levels are solid if seldom in play here. You’ll be transported if not in time, certainly in place.
Audio
The Dolby Atmos audio presentation defaults to 7.1. There’s nothing too aggressive here. The surrounds mostly offer atmosphere in places like the horse races with so much going on around the image. The same is true of the gatherings that treat space rather authentically. The room acoustic are spot-on. Dialog always cuts through, and the theme music has plenty of breathing room and will deliver more than a few of the emotional beats here.
Special Features
The extras are found one on each disc.
Changing Times: (11:33) Cast and crew reflect about the evolution of the show and give us wonderful point of view insights to their characters in this particular moment in time.
Society Season: (13:25) We get a look at the locations of the high society gatherings from London to Ascot and the races that are an important part of English culture.
Authentic To The Core: (7:13) Focus here is on the use of Noel Coward in the film and then switches to the taboo of divorce for this particular time and place.
A Farewell To Fans: (6:08) The cast offer some words of appreciation to the show’s fans.
Downton Abbey Celebrates The Grand Finale: (42:06) This is a comprehensive look at the franchise from the first season through the final film.
Final Thoughts:
I will admit to being always a bit skeptical when I hear words like “last film” and the like. I’m a music fan who has attended concerts in three different Elton John Farewell tours over the decades. One should never say never. I rather believe them here, and suspect it is done. If nothing else, the loss of Maggie Smith would have put the period on the statement. Of course, these characters are still out there in time and space as we imagine they are living out their lives. A good story or a fat enough paycheck can change things down the road. One thing I think I can say for sure. Even if there is something else, I don’t believe it will include the entire cast. There might be a spinoff, more intimate story out there. But for right now, and as far as any of us know, for the characters of Downton Abbey: “This is how the world ends.”
