Downton Abbey 3rd Movie: The Grand Finale

[HeavensWhatASnappyCharriot]

Thoughts please…
I’m a huge Downton fan and I’ve just watched the final film. I’m not entirely sure how I feel as I really built it up in my head and the film was so… different. It did feel a bit warm and fuzzy in places but also quite disappointing. What did you think?

As far as I know he couldn't get a divorce in the UK because of the laws at the time (his wife was in an asylum so presumably couldn't consent).
The German laws were different so he could divorce her there.

Yes I had a relative who couldn't divorce his wife due to the same reason.

This was in the 60s I think.

I suppose I was wondering how you could divorce other than in the country you married.

I don’t think they had evidence he was killed? He went to Germany and seemingly disappeared but his body was never found? I remember fans speculating when Edith was preparing to marry Bertie that he would turn up at the church and ruin everything.

Finally got to see this

I don't often go to the cinema and apart from mostly peace,some guy had his phone ring twice and he answered it. And talked! I managed to restrain myself - didn't shout at him because obviously that wasn't going to improve anything.

Anyway

1. no theme tune? Half the joy is that comforting theme tune at the beginning

2. quite the mismash of storylines. Didn't really need all of them. could have explored what was there a bit more?

3. wasn't clear whether Mrs Patmore was already living with Mr Mason as a wife - did they get married? haven't they already had that conversation?

4. also wasn't 100% sure why Lord and Lady Grantham wanted to leave the house and how Mary would feel about being the only adult living in Downton

5. I have completely lost the plot as to where Tom Branson is living

6. I thought it looked fantastic. I did think that they had deliberately tried to age everyone. It seemed particularly odd on Andy. He wouldn't have aged that much in five years?

7. how can Cora ever forgive her brother?

8. I did think that having asked Thomas Barrow up to the drawing room for a drink, Mary would have approached him and talked to him.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I was a bit distracted because I've got a lot going on at the moment none of it good so I will actually enjoy watching it again I think.

I did really like the scene with all the memories. I think Penelope Wilton did well but I thought that show and committee perhaps wasn't the best storyline or use of her skills. I don't know maybe it's just me.

When they started at the theatre, I have wondered if Lady Mary was going to be on the stage!

There were a few things I picked up that I thought were discrepancies but I may not be remembering things clearly.

To a large extent, I think they were just trying to give us another film with lots of references to the old show. Which I'm fine with. At least they didn't sell the house! That would've finished me.

I too really missed the theme tune @EmeraldRoulette was waiting for it to kick in and... nothing! 😭

Anna's lip fillers - just WHY? Thankfully she didn't have too much screen time as I find them so jarring in period pieces.

Wasn't expecting to see Barrow. Was pleasantly surprised! The chap playing Noel Coward was brilliant.

The new house staff were just extras! Speed them in the kitchen scene. In the tv series they'd have been major players.

I didn't like how they all kept hammering home how everything is changing and how it simply MUST. I think this is what put me off the film the most.

The kiss with Matthew at the end, finished me off. I wasn't expecting that. I'm welling up now at the memory of it. I loved him 🥺 and just think how different Mary's life would have been had he lived.

I wonder how the actress who played Sybil feels about not being in it all these years later when she very probably would have been had she chosen to stay. I wonder what her feelings are about Sybil's legacy.

I haven't seen the documentary yet but I will.

Nothing compared to the first few series imo. The films are nice but they were never going to match up.

@musicalfrog I kept thinking the theme tune would kick in!

I remember being at the cinema for the first two, and it was like a blanket of calm settling over everyone... so nice

I was hoping Rob James Collier would be in it more. I met him couple of times and he was so fun. As well as being totally gorgeous.

I also wonder what Jessica Brown Findlay thought of that. she asked to be written out didn't she. And also Dan Stevens.

Anna and Bates didn't really need to be in it though it was good to see Lord Grantham acknowledging what Bates did for him in the war. Was it the Boer war? I can't remember.

What's the documentary, please?

Ooh @EmeraldRoulette you lucky thing meeting RJC! He's actually the main reason I first tuned into Downton, I absolutely loved him in Corrie!

The documentary is on itv player, I've seen it mentioned on this thread.

I saw it yesterday. I was a weird one. I liked it but didn’t. As others have said, it felt like making a movie for the sake of it. The fashion was fabulous. Mary in the red dress especially. Loved Edith at the races talking to Gus. Not sure about the village show story, it just seemed a bit odd but I do get them trying to involve Daisy. The ending was lovely. Just Mary in the hall with the memories. I loved seeing Barrow happy but where was Tom’s wife. Some of the finer detail was missing. I’d like to have heard that Anna’s baby arrived safely even though she moved to the Dowager House with the Granthams.

@cosyblankethome they did show Anna with her baby in the end, they showed all the families and couples in their various settled lives/ homes.

Did no one else immediately think of Bowie in extras when he sings funny little fat man about Ricky Gervais when Noel sings that made up song about Mary? 😁

I thought it was v bitty and was sure there were scenes not quite in the right order, and that the time scales of some bit was a bit rushed/ odd. Def plotholes but enjoyable nonetheless

I think the absence of the theme tune is sort of explained in the reunion documentary - that part only plays when they are at Downton, and the film starts in London hence its absence.

Did they? Was it during the credits? I have completely missed it. I left as the Granthams were walking over the grass away from the house with the dog holding hands.

@cosyblankethome it must have been. Did you miss Mary sitting in the couch reading to her two children?

I keep seeing the thread title and feeling it should have been called “The Damp Squib” rather than grand finale.

I hated all the rehashing of themes that were well handled and allegedly closed in the precious film ergo Lord Grantham’s reluctance to handover to Lady Mary, Mrs Patmore and Carson relinquishing their positions, discussing having sex in a late stage marriage .

There was a lot they could have done with it, but chose not to. Felt like very lazy script writing.

having just started a rewatch I think you're misremembering - when Bates is first hired, he asks about his leg and Bates tells him "it's just the old wound" (i.e. one Robert already knew about) and then goes into detail about how it got worse (reference to shrapnel moving around).

So if the actual 'saved him from a bullet' has never been mentioned before, it hasn't been contradicted either.

In terms of bullets and shrapnel, I'm fairly sure this can do double duty as a term

so shrapnel refers to the pieces of bombs or shells, or also as I understand it, anything left over from a bullet. I think in those days they would've had some bullets that were like lead balls and they were packed out with other stuff - so bullet does actually make sense

And shrapnel shells used to carry multiple bullets, didn't they? And then they would explode and effectively pepper people with bullets

Gosh, what a depressing thought. I think I'll stop that now.

Re the theme tune, I was half expecting it to start when they arrived back at Downton from London. But doing us out of it altogether was not right.

now I've had time to think it over, I'm not sure if it was lazy script writing or just they wanted to put something together and tried to pack in too much.

I enjoyed it-it was what I call a Sunday night film which was what I expected. Thought Edith looked fabulous in it-she got the best outfits and outshone Lady Mary at all turns which was a nice ending for her!

I had to watch it through work as I did the last film. I've not got into Downton always thought it was too promoted and in your face.
I thought the film was awful.

I watched it last night - I was one of three people in the cinema and we all snort laughed our way through the film.

I love how ridiculous DA is.

Good old Noel Coward saving the day, definitely a recycle from Julian fellowes' Gosford Park (which is one of my favourite films).

And Lady Mary being asked if her one night stand was Turkish (poor Mr Pamuk).

And then Mary and her parents hiding under the stairs from a Princess.

Oh the sheer joy and idiocy of Downton. The children who all seem to have aged at different rates, I forgot about Sibby (who only spoke her Aunts' names and nothing else) and George was very old looking for a 9 year old. Was he 9? I lose track of the years. Edith's daughter also looked older than I expected. And I forgot there was another girl too.

ANYWAY. Wasn't it nice the Granthams could all shuffle about to accommodate their servants wishes. The food was beautiful, as were the dresses.

73 storylines, everything resolved and there was a lovely dog in it too.

Wonderful.

Loving this thread…To echo previous posters, I have a huge sentimental attachment to Downtown Abbey as our DS was born in 2010, so we had lots of cosy evenings in watching this & I have re-watched the series & films several times.

Have watched the new film twice already, I laughed at bits & cried at the ending, with the loss/remembering of family members reflecting real life.

I’m glad Lady Edith was happy and confident. Lady Mary faced up to the scandal of her divorce, which highlighted the unfair attitudes to women in society very well, although IMO she dismissed the more compatible potential husbands Tony Gillingham & Charles Blake on the basis of “not getting it wrong” to then rush into marrying Henry!

I missed Aunt Rosamund, Lucy Branson & Granny/The Dowager and the theme tune but still enjoyed the film very much, particularly the progression of Daisy and Andy. I liked Daisy with Lady Merton, and Thomas Barrow with Guy and Noel.

There was a poignancy with the themes of retirement, characters moving on and out of the Abbey but I’m glad it was kept within the family and not sold. It looked stunning and I know it’s a film I’ll return to again.

I just saw this today and I haven’t RTFT but I’m sure Edith said that Mary had slept with the conman in London but it happened in the Abbey? Anyone else notice that?

It was at the London house. It was Pamuk at Downton.

Thank @OrsolaRossobut didn’t Cora say they were going back to Yorkshire because her brother was arriving. I’m very confused!

Cora and Robert return to Downtown Abbey, but Mary stays in London to receive her uncle at Grantham House. He arrives there with the suave conman in tow.

Though I can't remember why it happened that way.

I obviously had some kind of brain blip