From the sinking of Titanic through World War One, the Spanish Flu, the Irish War of Independence, and the Roaring Twenties, we have been following
From the sinking of Titanic through World War One, the Spanish Flu, the Irish War of Independence, and the Roaring Twenties, we have been following the lives of Downton Abbey‘s Crawley family through stout and skinny for over 15 years now — on screens both huge and compact. But after six seasons, 52 episodes, and a brace of cinematic outings, Julian Fellowes’ upstairs-downstairs saga is set to reach its emotional climax with Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale this summer. And, if the first official teaser trailer for the movie is anything to go by, then Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Brendan Coyle, Jim Carter, and the rest of the Grantham Estate gang’s huge farewell will be one for the ages. Check out the trailer for the bougiest bash of the summer below;
Sure, this first proper look at The Grand Finale is pretty much all teaser, very little trailer, but what a rousing tease for ostensibly bougie period Avengers: Endgame. There’s John Lunn’s sonorous, sweeping main theme (which gets a lovely meta “What a melody!” from Dominic West’s Guy Dexter); Lord and Lady Grantham dolled up to the nines for a day at the races; a glimpse of Paul Giamatti’s return as Harold Levinson; and a tender shot of Lord Robert laying a hand on his family’s home as the dawn of a novel decade looks set to send the Crawleys off to pastures novel.
Plotwise, all we really know is what the movie’s brief logline tells us, which is that The Grand Finale picks up after the events of A New Era and “follows the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s. As the beloved cast of characters navigates how to lead Downton Abbey into the future, they must embrace change and welcome a new chapter.” Helping guide that journey will be all your faves from the show and last two movies (sans noticeable absentee Matthew Goode and the slow, great Dame Maggie Smith), as well as Downton newcomers Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale, and Arty Froushan.
Questions abound as we await Downton Abbey‘s final chapter, like “Why is Carson crying?”, and “What do the press want with papping Lady Mary?”, and “How fickle are we for excusing rampant classism in the name of escapist bourgeois entertainment?” But the answers to those can wait. For now, we’re off to get fitted for a cummerbund and a top hat to wear to the cinema when Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale hits multiplexes on 12 September. Hankies at the ready, folks…
COMMENTS