The consensus is that traditional social protocol among British aristocracy is as cold, rigid and musty as the castles and abbeys that litter the English countryside. There’s nothing like a good scandal to turn it all on its ear. And that’s exactly what you get in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, now playing at Robinson Film Center.

The film closes out the long-running television series. It opens with Lady Mary Talbot’s divorce becoming public knowledge. She quickly becomes a pariah in the social set.

That would be enough for most families in that situation. But when they also discover they are facing financial ruin, it’s enough to bring the walls of the abbey itself down around them.

Instead, that’s when the family puts down the old fashioneds and champagne flutes and makes some changes. They acknowledge that “the past is a more comfortable place than the future,” but that they have to keep moving to survive.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is beautifully shot and well conceived. It’s delightfully prim and proper, with just enough “Great Gatsby” thrown in for good measure. Best of all, it stands alone, to be enjoyed even if you aren’t a follower of the show.

- Scott “Scooter” Anderson, Scooter Anderson Communications