Did the world need a third Downton Abbey movie? The first movie was pointless except, I suppose, to prove they could make the TV show look just as posh on the big screen. Not all that difficult, checked the box. But the story was silly (the king and queen visit, non-threatening hijinx ensue). The second movie seemed even more pointless — and the two lines of plot really were, one that lead half the cast to the French Riviera, the other that recreated Singin’ in the Rain inside the Abbey — but at least the movie ended with what seemed, at the time, like a suitable finale. The Dowager Countess died, and thus the torch passed. And the actual death of Maggie Smith further felt like putting a lid on things. But you can’t keep profitable IP down these days, TV and movies are business, and they gotta squeeze one more out!
Thus we have Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025), and folks, I saw it in the theater and can report that this has all the hallmarks of a legit finale, along with the Return of the Kings-style 500 farewells and goodbyes packed in, including through the credits. If another movie is made, Julian Fellowes et. al. have fairly well boxed themselves out of using a good chunk of this cast. Which is fine with me — I’m far more interested in the long-speculated story of how young Violet becomes the Countess of Grantham (including rabid hallucinations that she’ll show up on The Gilded Age). Plus I’ve harbored my own mental fan-fic about a World War II story where young George Crawley becomes an RAF pilot, Sybbie Branson follows in her mother’s footsteps as a war nurse, and Marigold Crawley is either a secret Fascist or Communist (alas, Fellowes doesn’t want to write WWII stuff). But I digress!
This third Downton movie packed more of an emotional wallop than the first two, although the plot was again laden with the same old “how will we afford running the estate?” trope that has ever been thus for this franchise. The big non-surprise from the trailer is Lady Mary’s divorce, which is underlined early in the movie by that red dress. It does look fantastic, but it’s also quite the visual cliché. Costume designer Anna Mary Scott Robbins (who worked on both movies and the last two seasons of the TV show) told the New York Times:
“I had a very clear idea about the general shape — the neckline, the color and the proportion — and I wanted to have two dress clips on the front neckline of the dress.” Working with antique jewelry store Bentley & Skinner, she found a brooch, saying: “the idea formed to drop the back a little further and place [the brooch] at the center back in a kind of unusual twist. Sometimes you go knowing exactly what you want, but quite often you find something you didn’t know you wanted, and that becomes a lovely feature.”
The diamonds (which are better shown in the film than this promo pic, sorry) do elevate the look from just another “red hussy / scarlet woman” dress.
Also, the eveningwear leans hard into the bias-cut gowns for Mary and Edith, emphasizing that it’s finally 1930. Even Cora wears bias-cut vintage silk velvet, just a bit more covered up since she’s their mom.
On Instagram, Anna Mary Scott Robbins shares her period inspiration for Cora’s blue gown, plus some making-of shots:
As always, the problem with reviewing films currently in theaters is that we have very few images to reference. Only a couple promo pix have been released, but a slew of promo posters for the characters were published. These posters are HIDEOUSLY disfigured by AI computer-generated bullshit on the faces of everyone! It’s especially noticeable on the older actors, to which I say a loud and hearty FUCK YOU HOLLYWOOD and your ageist beauty standards, but even Michelle Dockery‘s face is rendered into an uncanny valley of hyper-fake cartoony smoothness. Gross and unnecessary, but unfortunately these are sometimes the only images showing costumes. I’m using them here under duress.
Specifically there’s some great daywear (Downton Abbey has always done sharp daytime frocks as much as fancy evening garb), so I have to use the Ascot-themed posters to show any detail. Edith steals the show at Ascot, wearing this wonderful peach lace dress in a scene that had people clapping in the theater. This movie gave Laura Carmichael something to do as the Marchioness of Hexham, and the ridiculously posh accent she uses in that Ascot scene is over-the-top funny and biting. She also got the biggest laugh in at the theater during a conversation with Mary.
Kind of a mumsy dress for Mary, but she’s also suffering socially at this point in the flick. Interesting that she wears purple twice here, and I can’t recall her wearing it much before.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Michelle Dockery talked about her character’s situation:
“As a modern woman, I couldn’t believe the attitudes that people had towards divorced women at that time. It’s baffling how women were ostracized by society and thrown out of social events the way Mary is — particularly for someone like her, in the position that she was in. This was something we really took seriously when we were filming this.”
The downstairs characters get a decent amount of screentime, and everyone’s stories get tied up in neat bows. Anna is pregnant again, I think because Joanne Froggatt actually was. She gets a two non-lady’s-maid-black dresses that show pleasing ’30s maternity wear. Oh and Bates has a lovely scene with Robert Crawley at the end of the movie, bringing things full circle.
Love Baxter’s “day off” outfit! But Molesley is yet again made the butt of many jokes, plus some of his lines are clearly Julian Fellowes tooting his own horn. Painful to watch.
Dominic West returns from the last movie as British actor Guy Dexter, who “hired” Downton butler Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier), as personal assistant back in the states, but really they’re lovers.
Their return is also an excuse to bring in Noël Coward as a character. This isn’t quite as gimmicky as it could be — I found that Coward was used well to tie some themes together. And Arty Froushan was enjoyable to watch bringing the playwright, singer, and famous wit to life. Several characters attend the Coward musical Bitter Sweet, then Coward mentions he’s working on Cavalcade, and he sings “Poor Little Rich Girl,” all of which are appropriate to the period and the story.
How about some more evening gowns though? Because while I loved one particular cream-and-white stripe knit outfit on Edith, it’s not in the trailers or promos so I gotta stick with what I can scrape together pix for. The costume designer’s Instagram shows how she turned a lovely vintage green textile into a halter-style gown for Edith:
The brooch Edith wears is a vintage Art Deco piece weighing almost 80 carats. Robbins told the New York Times: “It jumped out straight away because the color just connected so beautifully with that dress, and I decided to style the rest of the look around it.”
I mentioned Mary wearing purple twice. This isn’t a spectacular gown, but the color is noticeable especially with the matchy gloves.
That one and this next black and silver gown (seen in a trailer) are among the more transitional late ’20s/early ’30s styles she wears. Which I appreciate because it shows how even rich, fashionable people don’t throw out their entire wardrobes and wear only exactly what’s in the latest fashion plate each year. With Isobel standing nearby (in the above photo), this also makes a line between the older generation who often wear earlier 1920s styles.
Obviously we focus on the main characters, but Robbins gives a well-deserved shout-out to the team who dresses all the extras to help immerse viewers in the 1930s world.
Finally, a nitpick — it wouldn’t be Frock Flicks without one! Because the Dowager Countess is dead, her portrait hangs in the Abbey and is referred to and passed by often. Would it have killed the production team to spend a little less on the jewelry and spring for a better painting?
Yeah, that’s a bad screenshot from the trailer, but trust me, it’s not a lot better on the big screen! The painting looks dark, clunky, and amateurish. Is this supposed to show how the estate is running out of money? Nah, it’s just another shitty historical portrait! There’s a little bit of a closer view in this promo pic, and it’s not just because the portrait’s in the background that it looks so blurry.
The bad portrait was obviously made from this promo pic for the first Downton movie, so let’s just remember Maggie Smith this way.
Will you be seeing Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale?
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I actually thought the third was the best of the movies! And I loved watching the beautiful clothes lol
I still haven’t seen the other two movies! I can wait until it’s streamed.
You think they’d make a portrait of Dowager Countess in violet! Maggie Smith is rolling her eyes in heaven!
I saw it and enjoyed it. There were a few people in tears as I left the theater.
I admit I got misty eyed at Mary’s last scene ;)
I’m also writing a sequel Fanfic, I’m thinking Marigold would get involved in the Spanish Civil War/SOE, in some compacity! Sybbie would face challenges on the Home Front, and George would join the RAF, while involved with a Jewish refugee? We have to keep things interesting, after all!
Yes, Marigold definitely has to do something odd & rebellious, I like where you’re going with that! And a refugee love interest for George, excellent! C’mon Julian, let someone else write this in a few years. You’ll still make the $$$ & you don’t have to work at it.
I wonder if they put Mary in purple/violet because she is stepping into Grandmama Violet’s shoes?
Interesting idea, if so, subtly done!
Booo to using AI in promo shots 🤬 but, Trystan, thank you for sharing the Instagram photos, they show to costumes a lot better IMO.
At least the Dowager Countess doesn’t look like a werewolf in her portrait. :)
I can’t wait to see this (currently watching Miss Bunting pitch a fit at dinner in my rewatch lol), but I don’t understand why they didn’t take a glance back at “Gosford Park” for inspiration/a refresher. Maybe that’s just the Robert Altman touch though.
I’ve been wanting to see it, but it’s been hectic at work. May try for a pre-work matinee. I’m sorry to see it end 15 years later, as it’s one of my cozy comfort watch selections. Purple, aside from being half mourning, also has the association with royalty. Plus it’s also the blend of red and blue; the costume designers used to put Sybil in blue as she was the youngest. Of course Mary got red/scarlet early on (poor Mr Pamuk!), and she did get to wear blue when she was in her softer era, but they’ve had her in saturated colors for awhile. As a pale brunette, Michelle Dockery can carry it off, as can Elizabeth McGovern. I don’t know why new characters have to be inserted in place of Rose and Atticus (or are they and baby too happy), what happened to Branson’s new wife and baby, and why couldn’t they just pay Matthew Goode decent money instead of retreading Mary’s scarlet woman routine? Oh well. I’m going for the eye candy, and that’s it…
I watched the series but balked at the movies. Like so many others I recognize some of the beautiful costumes, but am over this drawn-out story that never seems to end. I’ll pass until it comes to streaming. Glad for those who love the Crawley’s and their world. Hope you enjoy it all.
I have nothing to say about DA, but I didn’t know where else to ask if any of you have seen the trailer for the upcoming Wuthering Heights. I am hoping you’ll have something to say about it. One of the worst moments is when Cathy is laced into a corset that doesn’t fit her, over bare skin!! I can’t believe they allowed this to happen to Margo Robbie, who must have been torn up afterwards. It appears we have a travesty on more levels than the usual awful adaptation.
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I have the book “The Costumes of Downton Abbey”…it’s a really well done look at everything worn in the show.