Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale premiered in theaters on Friday, Sept. 12, to wide acclaim. Fans of the long-running Downton Abbey series were granted one last look into the lives of the Crawley family before closing the chapter for good.
The original television series ran for six seasons on ITV and PBS and eventually spun into three film sequels (Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey: A New Era, and Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale). The saga is a British historical drama that chronicles the lives of the Crawleys, an aristocratic family living in the fictional Downton Abbey in the post-Edwardian era. The stories focus on the family members and their staff, which often leads to discussions of class divisions, politics, love, and social progress.
The final Downton Abbey film, directed by Simon Curtis, depicts Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) facing social disgrace following her public divorce. At the same time, Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) and Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern) struggle to find the funds to keep Downton Abbey in the family. Many familiar faces return to the film, including Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), Charles (Jim Carter) and Elsie Carson (Phyllis Logan), John (Brendan Coyle) and Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt), Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier), and many more.
However, even though the Downton Abbey saga has come to a close, fans of British historical drama don’t need to despair. We have some film suggestions to fill the significant space in your heart that the Crawleys occupied.
Atonement (2007)
Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) tumbles into a passionate affair with the housekeeper's son, Robbie Turner (James McAvoy). The scandalous relationship is revealed after Cecilia’s sister, Briony (Saoirse Ronan), spies on their romantic encounter and makes an accusation based on her misunderstanding of what she saw. The accusation changes all of their lives forever, forcing the young lovers apart and leading to devastating consequences.
Atonement, adapted from Ian McEwan’s novel, is particularly interested in reflecting on the past and how small actions can significantly alter the future. It also takes on class disparities and the devastating impact of war, which are familiar themes in Downton Abbey and are further solidified in the final film installment. Plus, if you feel nostalgic for the passion and tragedy of Lady Sibyl and Tom Branson’s love story, then Atonement’s lush filmmaking and emotionally resonant story are perfect for Downton Abbey fans.
Belle (2014)
While it is a distinctly different time period, Belle still has the lavish feel and socially conscious story of Downton Abbey. Based on a true story, Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of a British admiral. Belle is entrusted to her relatives (Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson) at her father's insistence and raised as a proper lady with her cousin (Sarah Gadon). As an adult, she finds herself embroiled with a passionate lawyer (Sam Reid) and becomes involved in the abolitionist movement to fight against the slave trade.
At its heart, Downton Abbey is about social progress and fighting against injustice, even if it takes some characters longer than others to get on board. Belle is a smart, compassionate, romantic film that takes on a lesser-known historical moment. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is all about ushering in a new era, and Belle matches that energy by portraying one of England’s major steps toward a better future.
Far From the Madding Crowd (2015)
Thomas Hardy’s novel about a young woman navigating freedom and love is brought to life in this gorgeous adaptation. Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) first catches the eye of farmer Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts) when she moves in with her aunt in Dorset. Although she declines his marriage proposal then, they continue to weave in and out of one another’s lives as Bathsheba inherits her uncle’s estate and grapples with two other suitors (Tom Sturridge and Michael Sheen).
In many ways, Bathsheba’s story and Mary Crawley’s in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale are quite similar. The start of the most recent Downton Abbey film sees Mary in a precarious position, struggling in love and reputation, after many years of hard work to accomplish herself in both areas. Far From the Madding Crowd matches Downton Abbey’s lush, romantic storytelling while also demonstrating the precariousness of a woman like Bathsheba or Mary’s position in the world.
Gosford Park (2001)
Gosford Park is kind of what you might expect if the Crawleys decided to play a game of Clue. In 1930s England, a group of pretentious ladies and gentlemen convene for a weekend at a hunting resort at the invitation of Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon). However, the party is cut short when one of their own is murdered. They are all suspects and must race to find the killer before it is too late.
To be honest, while this film has many parallels to Downton Abbey, it was mostly added to the list because it stars Maggie Smith. She plays another Dowager Countess, though she is quite different from her role of Violet Crowley. So, if you missed seeing her in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, this film may help fill the void. Plus, Gosford Park delightfully pokes fun at the class system, focusing on the tense relationship between the downstairs staff and upstairs guests, similarly to classic Downton Abbey episodes.
Howards End (1992)
If you are captivated by the inner workings of the Crawley family, then the adaptation of E.M. Forster’s Howards End should be on your list. The film follows three families: the Wilcoxes (Victorian capitalists), the Schlegels (bourgeois), and the Basts (working class). When Margaret (Emma Thompson) falls for Henry Wilcox (Anthony Hopkins), a tangled web of deception and familial backstabbing ensues. Meanwhile, her sister, Helen (Helena Bonham Carter), devotes herself to assisting the Basts, complicating the matter further.
Howards End revolves around the familial home it is named after, much like Downton Abbey. The significance of the house plays into the drama surrounding it, for better or worse. In addition, fans of Downton Abbey will likely see shades of the same conflicts the Crawley family faced in the plight of the Wilcoxes and the Schlegels. Howards End similarly tackles issues of class and whether high society can change its ways.
Maurice (1987)
It turns out that Downton Abbey fans can’t go wrong with a Forster adaptation, and Maurice is no exception. Maurice (James Wilby), a young Cambridge student, surprises himself by falling in love with his exceptionally wealthy classmate, Clive (Hugh Grant). Their tumultuous relationship is made all the more difficult by the strict laws of their time, forcing them to consider caving to social pressures. Maurice struggles with giving in to his heart or repressing his emotions for his own safety.
One of Downton Abbey’s most complicated, eventually beloved, characters is Thomas Barrow, the former under-butler to the Crawley family. His story is not so different from Maurice’s as he struggles to accept his attraction to men and the dangerous position those feelings put him in. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale sees Thomas' return, with a (hopefully happy) update on how his life has turned out since his traumatic experiences in the past. If you want to see similar stories to Thomas’s, then Maurice is a classic film that delves deeper into England’s history of repression and how some managed to overcome it.
The Remains of the Day (1993)
For a close inspection of the inner lives of servants to high society families, this adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel is a great option. James Stevens (Anthony Hopkins), a proper English butler, reflects on his service to Lord Darlington (James Fox) in the 1930s. Stevens devotes his life to professionalism and tries to ignore his employer’s growing involvement in antisemitism and the Nazi Party. However, it is his close relationship to Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson), the head housekeeper, that most threatens to break through his life of repression.
Downton Abbey focuses just as much on the staff as the Crawley family, and The Remains of the Day also dives deep into the downfalls of police society. We see some similarities between Stevens and Downton Abbey’s butler, Mr. Carson, who waged his own battle with his staunch sense of duty and romance with Mrs. Hughes, the head housekeeper. While Mr. Carson may not have grown to regret his service or felt he had to deny his feelings for Mrs. Hughes, The Remains of the Day offers a counter perspective while still providing a deeply romantic story.