The Duchess Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
There were three people in her marriage
Based On The Incredible True Story
The scandal that shocked a nation. The courage that defined a woman.
A chronicle of the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life.
| Keira Knightley | Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire |
| Ralph Fiennes | Duke of Devonshire |
| Charlotte Rampling | Lady Spencer |
| Dominic Cooper | Charles Grey |
| Hayley Atwell | Bess Foster |
| Simon McBurney | Charles Fox |
| Aidan McArdle | Richard Brinsley Sheridan |
| John Shrapnel | General Grey |
| Alistair Petrie | Heaton |
| Patrick Godfrey | Dr. Neville |
| Michael Medwin | Speechmaker |
| Justin Edwards | Macaroni |
| Richard McCabe | Sir James Hare |
| Calvin Dean | Devonshire House Servant |
| Hannah Stokely | Devonshire House Maid |
| Saul Dibb |
7.20 out of 10 (3430 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Bow deeply to The Duchess, for this beautiful film is a celebration of the true life story of a beautiful and remarkable woman
posted on 28 Aug 2009Georgiana Spencer (Keira Knightly) is of marriageable age in olde England. Her parents, especially her mother (Charlotte Rampling) are delighted that she has caught the eye of the extremely wealthy Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes) and she is under consideration to become his wife. Basically, the Duke has two requirements for his future partner, that is, she must be attractive and she must be very fertile. Providing an heir to his fortune is of utmost importance to this man. After assurances of family genetics, the match is made. "G" is astonished and happy to become the Duke's wife, for she has high hopes for a loving marriage. Alas, the Duke proves to be a cold fish who is more interested in his dogs than in his wife, and, apart from an occasional trip to the bedroom, he ignores his young and beautiful spouse. Then, too, although Georgiana proves herself capable of bearing children, two young daughters survive while two sons are stillborn. This is a bitter pill for the Duke to swallow and he brings a mistress into the house, Bess (Hayley Atwell) and expects G to accept the situation. Meanwhile, all of society loves the young Duchess, for few can resist her beauty, charm and wit. No one realizes the unhappiness of her life away from society until she meets an old friend, Charles Grey. In him, Georgiana sees a man who could bring her true love and affection. But, even though the Duke is permitted his dalliances, will he allow his young wife to do likewise? Hardly! This is a beautiful film which celebrates the true life story of the beautiful and remarkable Duchess of Devonshire. In her era, women were the ultimate "trophy" wives and were expected to aid their husbands in society but remain strictly under their thumbs at the same time. If sacrifices were required, the women were asked to make any and all of them, even ones that seemed impossible. Naturally, this was a tall order for intelligent and sensitive women like Georgiana, and sometimes sorrow was the result. As the young royal, Knightly is wonderful, exhibiting a totally new performance that shows the great depth and breadth of her acting abilities. Fiennes, too, in a completely unforgiving role, brings such a vast amount of complexity to his part that viewers can not dismiss him as merely a thoroughly loathsome individual. The other actors, including Atwell and Rampling, are all very fine as well. The scenery in London and the English countryside is most inviting and the costumes are astonishingly opulent and of award winning caliber. The direction and script are marvelous, too, and indeed the whole production breathes class and refinement. If you are a fan of historical fare, don't miss this one. You will be enchanted. But, even if you are not a normal admirer of the "bodice drama", you will be so enthralled with the Duchess that you will bow to its ultimate power and beauty.
Not a bad movie
posted on 22 Aug 2009Kind of an overdrawn costume drama.The problem with most historical films or books is that they impose a modern sensibility to the character's plight. In our modern, post-feminist world, the plight of Georgina, Duchess of Devonshire, seems quite absurd. Her husband can have a mistress, openly display her in front of all to see, but if she takes a lover in secret, it is a great scandal for which she is severely penalized. To us, this seems quite unreasonable, but at the time, people dealt with it.This takes place in the period of revolution in America and France, but it seems (much like Sophia Coppola's "Marie Antonnete", history is something that happens to other people. These folks are too busy with their own soap operas.The costumes and sets are very nice, and BBC productions have come a long way in production values since the 1970's, where shows like "I Claudius" or "The Wives of Henry the Eigth" were clearly shot on sound stages on the cheap. It's not the "British Broadcasting Charity" anymore.
One of the best period dramas in ages.
posted on 22 Aug 2009A brilliant ensemble highlights this period drama about one of history's most interesting members of royalty. Director Saul Dibb does an excellent job of creating this extensive, intricate universe and the cinematography and score are the best of the year, but it's really Keira Knightley's performance that drives the film to the level of greatness it has achieved. She is absolutely phenomenal. She's never had a performance with this much fury, both external and internal, and she nails the delicacies of this without a second of hesitation. She knows exactly when to bottle up the pain and express it through her eyes and when to let all of the pent-up aggression out without ever going over the top. A shatteringly emotional performance that remains impressive all the way to the end. I'm tempted to call it her best performance, but I can't manage to say it's better than her work in Pride & Prejudice. Still, it's a close number two in her career. Of course she's not the only member of the cast, and the rest of the ensemble all does a great job of supporting her. The most impressive of that supporting cast would be Ralph Fiennes, whose piercing eyes shook me to the core whenever he came on screen. Two perfect performances in the best period film about royalty in quite some time.
Good story. Interesting and mostly believable in presentation.
posted on 18 Aug 2009The Duchess - Set at the end of the eighteenth century, The Duchess is based on the life of Georgiana Cavendish (Kiera Knightley), Duchess of Devonshire. The film delves into Georgiana's passionate and doomed affair with Earl Grey, the future Prime Minister, and the complex love triangle with her husband (Ralph Fiennes) and Georgiana's best friend, Lady Bess Foster (Hayley Atwell).Kiera Knightley again does a period piece and again looks mostly out of place. She's British alright, but a few stone away from looking like she belongs in 1770's Britain. It's augmented by the fact that her character, based on a real woman, was supposed to have gone through about 6 pregnancies, 4 of them successful. Knightley's emaciated form is just wrong. What is right though, is her performance. As a mother, as a chasismatic political presence and a woman desperate for a happy life she nails it absolutely.I could have seen a little less focus on the love triangle and a little more on the "hows" and "whys" of this woman becoming such an important and popular cultural icon in British society. The film glosses over how this came to be, and asks us to take it as a fact after one brief scene showing the Duchess's political shrewdness. It's another case of Hollywood ignoring what's different about a film, preferring the safety of delivering what people have seen before.Fiennes gives such a quiet performance right from the start but it grows and fills the area. It's often a mesmerizing performance because of his rigid adherence to societies expectations and rules at the cost of all else. Fiennes occupies the screen whenever he's in a scene. When he and the Duchess argue, she's like water smashing up against the unyielding cliff. Ralph Fiennes is aw-inspiringly scary in one scene without seeming in anyway over the top or demonizing of what his character represents. Ultimately his character is human and believable; purely a man of his times. His character is so down to earth and in the end simple. All he wanted from his marriage was a son and to be left alone to play with his dogs.A mesmerizing turn from Fiennes in a likable, if familiar film, The Duchess gets a B+
Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz
posted on 12 Aug 2009Greetings again from the darkness. The film fascination with Royalty continues thanks to the coolness of costumes and the grand scale of palaces. Of course, a thread-thin relation to Princess Diana doesn't hurt at all either.Somehow the man's world of the Duke of Devonshire, played by Ralph Fiennes, allowed for multiple affairs even to the extreme of having one's favorite side dish just move right on in to the main house ... including meals with the Royal couple!! It would be quite funny, if not so sad.Keira Knightley plays the Duchess with fortitude and the proper amount of reservation. She has become quite adept at the period piece. Fiennes, on the other hand, plays the Duke as if he has a constant stomach ache and is in need of Alka-Seltzer. He totally lacks charisma or even many human traits, save lust for those other than his wife. The third wheel who is promoted to second is played well by Hayley Atwell, a desperate and alternatingly cold and warm mother and friend. Rounding out the cast are Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia) who plays future Prime Minister Charles Grey, and the true love of The Duchess' life; and Charlotte Rampling as the too proud mother to Knightley, who dispenses very weak advice with a stiff upper lip.The film is well done and the similarities to Princess Diana's marriage are inescapable, but there is just not quite enough substance here. Easy enough to watch, but lacking in historical details ... more of a soap opera approach.
Brilliant costume drama!!
posted on 10 Aug 2009I went to this film at the cinema with my friends with not very high expectations of the film, mainly because I very rarely watch these genre of films. However, about fifteen minutes into the movie, I found myself completely astounded with the fantastic storyline and the terrific performances from the actors.For me, there was nothing that was unsatisfactory about the movie itself, however, I think many of the passionate love scenes were unnecessary but still, that is just my personal opinion.Generally, I thought the film was riveting and would recommend anyone to see this film even if you don't think 'it's your sort of film'.Keira Knightley has never really been a favourite actress of mine, but her performance as 'the duchess' was phenomenal and she made the part her own and acted it so well.In conclusion, this was a 10/10 movie, loved it!!
A great period piece, Kiera pulls in a fantastic performance
posted on 08 Aug 2009I couldn't wait for The Duchess, I am just a huge fan of period pieces and Kiera Knightly is becoming a fantastic actress in this genre. I was looking forward to this film mainly because I studied Georgina a little bit in college for my history class and I always thought she was such an elegant and strong woman that stood out from the others. She was like the Madonna of her day, she had a great sense of style, self, and strength. While the movie is not completely accurate, it still was a fine movie to watch. Kiera truly held her own as Georgina and was absolutely stunning. One of the underlining stories that I appreciate in this film is the battle of the sexes. Ralph Fiennes who plays the Duke of Devonshire does a fantastic job as well and he plays this anti-villain, shows the true side of the pain and pressure men felt but how they looked at women as nothing but property. This story truly touches you and makes you grateful for our present day.Georgina is born into a high class family of royalty who is about to be married off to the Duke of Devonshire and everything seems great, G is going to live the high life of class, culture, and being a lady of the people. She comes across the price though: her husband's affairs that are practically rubbed in her face, her life is constantly watched and judged by people, she must be perfect at all times to keep up her reputation as a joyful lady, she is forced to be the mother of the duke's child from an affair he had, as well as she cannot birth a son for the Duke and he will find every opportunity to rub it in her face. All this and Georgina has found another love who she cannot give her heart to fully for the love of her children and people.The Duchess is a fine film that I truly enjoyed. I wouldn't be surprised if Kiera was nominated for best actress during the academy season. I would highly recommend this movie, especially for the period piece lovers. Like I said, this film makes you appreciate what we have today in our modern society and truly makes you feel for the pressures both men and women had to face in that day. Georgina is a figure that I think is very looked over in history when she is one of the strongest presences in England's history. The Duchess, even though not entirely accurate, does a very good job of telling her story and was a pleasure to watch.8/10
Fantastically gripping, non-period, period film...
posted on 04 Aug 2009This film really, really surprised me.Yes, it's from the director of Bullet Boy - but I'd only ever seen Saul Dibb's Line Of Beauty so I was expecting a pretty standard period piece with Keira Knightely - who I have never rated much as a credible acting talent.Boy does she impress here - she is fantastic. The Duchess of Devonshire is the perfect character for her to play, and it's obvious Keira immersed herself in the role, and completely understood every single motivation of her character.I recommend everyone to go and see this film!
Family and politics in early 19th century England.
posted on 29 Jul 2009After I saw this movie I did a bit of research to find that the characters are real historical figures and the story told is apparently very accurate.Keira Knightley stars as Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire. She gained that title when at 17 she married the Duke of Devonshire. At first I thought maybe Knightley was not the best choice for the role, as she is very attractive, but the original Georgiana apparently was a beauty in her own right. In light of all that it may be harder to understand why her husband was so indifferent to her. Veteran Ralph Fiennes is amazingly good as her husband, Duke of Devonshire. It become clear from the beginning that he only wants two things from her, loyalty and a son as an heir. He seems to have no interest in her, no passion for her, except for what she might provide for him. When she has several miscarriages and then 2 daughters he becomes very impatient.Charlotte Rampling is good as Georgiana's mother Lady Spencer. And, if that name sounds familiar, that is the same Spencer family that are ancestors of Lady Diana Spencer who became Princess of Wales when she married Prince Charles, and who died in the unfortunate accident in France in 1997.A key character is Dominic Cooper as Charles Grey, who went into politics at a young age and eventually became Prime Minister in 1830. His role here is important in that he and Georgiana had an affair and a love child after her own marriage crumbled when her husband took up with her good friend Bess Foster. All in all a very good period piece, and a real slice of English history. It is interesting to see the family and political dynamics and how powerful the wealthy were. Probably still are.
Depressing stuff
posted on 25 Jul 2009Sense requiem for a dream I haven't had this sensation of "what the F… just happened?", but after seeing this movie I couldn't help this feeling of despair to get the best of me.The thing is, you will keep watching this movie with great attention, for reasons such as good acting and compelling plot, but when it comes to it and the credits will pop you won't be able to understand, or at least I didn't, what was the big deal.For some reason I feel like I should apologize, and therefore I say: "I'm sorry, but to me it was just another depressed woman with a depressing story, pretty dresses and Keira knightly's nipple".
A Duchess's progress
posted on 23 Jul 2009Just another bodice-ripping costume drama...? Well, perhaps, but this latest entrant into a historically crowded field has such a strong narrative (based on a true story, so the legend has it), that taking into account the customary high production values this type of film usually engenders, the final result is a quality movie, with contemporary resonance as issues of child access, infidelity, class division, male-dominated relationship issues and a little bit of celebrity populism and more are presented for our delectation.The high-society-at-play opening on the lawns of England is merely the entrée to the more serious sport of class politics as aspirant mother Charlotte Rampling thrusts her innocently ambitious 17 year old daughter Keira Knightley into an arranged marriage with the older, colder Duke of Devonshire, old dour-face Ralph Fiennes, rich beyond belief and a major power in contemporary Whig politics whose sole expectation of his new bride is to sire a son to prolong his family line.Knightley's and to a lesser extent Fiennes' characters' stormy progress from this starting point to a sort of understood peace at the end is effectively the story in a nutshell, taking in, as it does, the affairs of subsidiary characters who cross their paths, like the Duchess's soul-mate, Lady Bess who will go to any lengths, including the bedroom, to win the Duke's influence in getting her infant sons returned to her from her in-possession separated husband and aspirant young politician, later Prime Minister, Charles Gray, the Duchess's ardent admirer from her youth who remains her passion in adulthood plus other contemporary historical figures like Whig Prime Minister Fox and Restoration playwright Sheridan, always making appearances at some grand ball or somesuch. The point where Knightley's character realises she must make the same sacrifice for her children's welfare that she decried her friend earlier in the piece is the nexus of the film.Knightley is very good as the young ingénue who learns the hard way, despite a native intelligence, just how little prepared she is for her deep-end entry into the man's world of Regency England. Fiennes' journey of self-exploration is shorter, but hints at the later concessions society would make to legitimate feminine demands in marriage as well as society as a whole. Interior and exterior shots are beautifully set and lit. Many shots are well-composed including variations on the almost clichéd long-table shot of breakfasting husband and wife not communicating with each other. Ditto the costumes and particularly the extravagant hair-do's of the women of the day! I did however find the background music not always redolent of the era and so all-embracing that you often got the impression that a string quartet was playing just off-camera in almost every scene. Too much of a good thing.A bitter-sweet tale then of female/motherly sacrifice which ends, rightly, on the side of the angels.
Come for Princess Di, stay for Georgiana
posted on 21 Jul 2009Java Man Reviews "The Duchess" (Rated PG-13). Directed by Saul Dibb. Written by Jeffrey Hatcher, Anders Thomas Jensen and Dibb, based on the book by Amanda Foreman. Starring Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell, Simon McBurney and Aiden McArdle. Originally appeared in LakewoodBuzz.com November, 2008.OVERVIEW:As the movie opens, 17-year-old Georgiana Spenser (Knightley) is playfully teasing Charles Grey (Cooper), the budding politician who is smitten with her and remains so for the rest of the film. In the meantime, her status-conscious mother (Rampling) is arranging her marriage to William Cavendish, The Duke of Devonshire (Fiennes), a boorish nabob whose only obsessions are his dogs and his desire to produce a male heir. Once married, the young Duchess is treated like chattel and only receives husbandly attention as it relates to acquiring a son. Nevertheless, her irrepressible spirit and inherent wit propel her to notoriety among London's liberal elite. She supports the American and French Revolutions and is an ardent campaigner for Whig politicians such as future Prime Minister Charles Fox (McBurney). She also turns out to be a gifted fashion designer, one who wears dresses today that others will wear tomorrow. But she lives in an age where women have few rights, and this sets the stage for the kinds of conflicts that are a playwright's delight.REVIEW: 3 out of 4 Java MugsFrom a leather-clad warrior-queen in King Arthur to a skinny soccer star in Bend it Like Beckham, Keira Knightley has dazzled her way through centuries of British history. And she is only 23. With her recent period pieces Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, one might declare: "Oh no, not another costumer with Keira!"But this one is different (and just as good), because the compelling story involves real people, including the title character who is an ancestor of Diana Spenser, the late Princess of Wales. In fact, the plight of the 18th century Georgiana echoes that of 20th century Diana: a young girl marries a much older blue-blood with disastrous results. And, remember that play you read in English class, The School for Scandal? The marriage satirized by Richard Brinsley Sheridan is that of his contemporaries, the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.The casting is dead-on. In addition to Knightley, who is near-perfect, Atwell is beguiling as the Duke's "other wife," while Fiennes manages to maintain interest in a character with few redeeming qualities. The supporting roles provide additional richness, including Rampling's ambitious matron, McBurney's insinuating Fox, and McArdle's subversive Sheridan. Least satisfying is Cooper as Earl Grey, the future Prime Minister (who had a tea named after him). Inspired costuming along with Britain's best castles and estates are put to good use to take the audience back in time.Princess Diana may bring in the audiences, but they will stay for Georgiana.
Very flat, Norfolk
posted on 17 Jul 2009Yes, Keira looks good in costume dramas. Just because she's so un-busty we like to see her bones squeezed in corsets. The contrast makes old viands taste more contemporary. But at the eleventh period piece in a row the Knightley effect is losing its sting fast, and however nuanced her acting may have become in the process - dashing with poise - this spice alone can't cover the staleness of the product. For the enduring vitality of a period piece - as of any other movie, but more than most genres - rests ultimately on the screenplay, not on the star appeal or the production values, and "The Duchess" is no exception. The sheer fact that its subject is taken from life - a biography, in fact - and not based on one of those immortal Austenian novels already studded with witty lines, which would stand any treatment and still sound fresh, should have advised on some extra writing effort, but the authors thought otherwise. They seem to have believed that putting Sheridan, the Duchess of Devonshire - the most admired literate beauty of Georgian society - and her lover, a future Whig Prime Minister, together into some Adam interior would have produced instant wit, and dispensed with literally putting it in the script. Unluckily for us, it proved not to be so. Poor Georgiana, a chatty character we must presume, and a writer in her own right, is always left with nothing to say or to do, but sobbing, inhaling, glancing and - yes - pouting. Even the usually infallible charm of English buildings and landscapes suffers severely from the general lack of character: the countryside is shapeless, neither sunny nor cloudy, hour and season are nondescript, and Palladian architecture looks wearisome and predictable - you can't endlessly revisit the staircase of Holkham Hall throughout the movie and escape boredom. The overall impression is that of a comedy of manners staged by the National Trust, a well-meaning stint at reliving the splendours of centuries past - coaches, valets, hounds and wigs for the benefit of tourists: the whole "Georgian experience" - in some stately mansion from which life has been drained away long time ago.
Stunning Bath
posted on 17 Jul 2009The locations, specially Bath are the most cinematic aspect of this opportunistic tale. The Duchess, it seems, was a distant relative of Lady Diana Spencer's and there is a certain symmetry in their stories but Keira Knightly projects only an "actressy" air. She was superb in "Pride and Prejudice" but here she just simply poses and stares. Ralph Finnes's awful Duke is much more believable. The extra marital doomed love story between the Duchess and Dominic Cooper left me completely cold and perhaps that's were the problem resides. Their relationship, their "love" should have consumed us for the sketchy tale to work, but it didn't. Still, the locations, I repeat, are breathtaking and "The Duchess" can be seen if you don't expect to be other than an spectator.
Barry Lyndon
posted on 13 Jul 2009I must say, I've expected more from this movie. Yes, I've read all the reviews and the connection with Diana & all, but still, I expected something to shine. It did, but it could have been seen from farther, if you know what I mean. Talking about the technical aspects, I couldn't but connect it to Barry Lyndon, though with more action and less playing time, of course. The pictorial scenes, the contrasts and the use of lights truly reminds me of Kubrick's picture. Especially in the couch scene near the end of the movie, where the duchess is seated on the left side of the long couch and lights coming from the window, it is kind of a rip-off from the similar scene where Barry Lyndon is seated in quite a similar manned reading to his son. Except this, I would recommend it, it's a good movie, though with some flaws. 8/10 from me.
A Masterpiece
posted on 09 Jul 2009Sumptuous images. A satisfying screenplay that did not spell everything out in small words with capital letters yet allowed for no confusion in unstated subtleties. A directorial subtlety: When we are shown a scene of G looking through a window and then being taken to look out that selfsame window the glass was thick with period imperfections.You know how lovers can come to resemble one another? In a party scene the shape and countenance of Keira's face distinctly resembled that of Charles Grey.One quibble might be clothed lovemaking in bed with a close lover. But, after all, it was Keira Knightly. Had she not been wearing that chemise I may not have been able to handle it.I was so glad at the happy ending. Happy as compared to the ending Georgiana would have soon confronted had she not read and reacted to those letters.Overall: An eye-dazzling window into another world. A world as full of imperfections as our own: different, but equally heartbreaking in the injustice.
Good film
posted on 05 Jul 2009Saw this film yesterday.I have say that I was thinking we are going t get more of the same but was pleasantly surprised.As another reviewer said, this was like a period movie which wasn't a period movie. The director of Bullet Boy was a real surprise as I thought that film was pretty bad, but this is a monumental leap for him i directing.I liked the film but my main problem was with the lead, Kiera Knightly, the woman is beautiful but just cannot act, very plastic, very mannered, but cannot act. She makes it through the film because of the cast around her, the sumptous production design and, it has to be said, the direction.
Beautiful to behold, but rather soulless
posted on 01 Jul 2009When Quentin Tarantino presented Reservoir Dogs at Sundance in 1992, he famously stated that Merchant-Ivory productions were a major turn-off for him, much like on-screen violence could be for someone else. No one else seems to agree with him, though, or at least not openly, since lots of British directors are trying to become the next James Ivory (the real one lost his mojo with The White Countess, which also marked his last collaboration with the late producer Ismail Merchant). And while Joe Wright hit the jackpot with Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, his colleague Saul Dibb doesn't fare as well with The Duchess, an elegant but frigid costume drama which fails to be particularly dramatic.To secure some kudos, Dibb cast Wright's go-to leading lady Keira Knightley as the film's heroine, Georgiana Spencer, whose life changes radically when the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes) asks for her hand in marriage. The quality of her lifestyle improves significantly, and all she has to do, as she's frequently reminded by her mother (Charlotte Rampling), is to be a good wife. Unfortunately, that task proves more difficult than expected, since the Duke insists on having a male heir and Georgiana keeps giving birth to boys. All that's left for the poor man is to find a mistress, who happens to be the Duchess's best (in fact, only) friend (Hayley Atwell). Georgiana would like to retaliate by having an affair with her former suitor Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper), but common decency suggests she shouldn't. Why? Because she's just a woman.Unhappy marriage, sex seen as a mere reproductive device, lust for freedom, society of the past seen as a mirror of contemporary events. Sound familiar? yes, the blueprint is obviously Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, a far superior period piece that manages to speak to the audiences of today. Coppola did that thanks to the soundtrack, which emphasized the idea of the Queen of France being a rebellious teenager; Dibb's approach involves parallels with Georgiana's famous descendant, Princess Diana, as well as a political subtext suggesting the Duchess was one of the world's first feminists. Fair enough, as long as he has the substance to back that up. Does he? No. He puts all his energy in highlighting the natural beauty of 18th century England, and in that sense the movie can be mentioned in the same breath as Room with a View or Howard's End. Elsewhere, though, it's pretty basic, with a story that's been told many times before and has no new twists that can add to its dramatic resonance.The performances are another problem altogether: Knightley might have seemed like a perfect fit for the role and she tries her utter best, but it feels quite theatrical (in a bad way) and overstated, and sh isn't helped by Atwell and Cooper's emotionless staring as support. Fiennes and Rampling, on the other hand, are amazing, especially the former's apparently cold but really entertaining and moving performance - if Bill Murray did period dramas, it would look a lot like that. It's also a bit ironic: the film aims to be female-driven, but is completely stolen by a man.
Excellent & Accurate
posted on 23 Jun 2009Watched with my family this afternoon in Lincoln. A well produced film, which accurately portrayed the attitudes and politics of the period while telling a poignant love story. Should be watched after or before seeing "Amazing Grace", another episode in the British search for a free and democratic world. A gourmet event for all those interested in quality film making that has a good point and a decent yarn to expostulate. The location filming in London at Devonshire House, Chatsworth and Bath are sumptuous. Devonshire House has been rebuilt since the 1920's however Chatsworth is reputed to be very similar today to the period in question as are parts of Bath. Chatsworth can be visited in season as can Althorp House in Northamptonshire, Georgiana's birthplace (and of Course Diana's) and only a 40 minutes drive from Lincoln.Go watch and enjoy, top stuff.
Freedom in moderation…The Dutchess
posted on 28 Aug 2009Keira Knightley's period drama for the year 2008 is a well-crafted one, but lacking in anything new and exciting. The Dutchess is your run-of-the-mill tale of unrequited love amidst the artifice of a marriage of utility. It all begins with a gathering of teenagers, playing their games in the yard while the adults talk inside, planning the futures for their children behind closed doors. When Georgiana's mother tells her how she will be the next Duchess of Devonshire, you are almost shocked at her reaction. So happy and excited that a man could love her after only two meetings, she cannot wait to leave and start her new life … seemingly forgetting all about that boy in the yard for whom she obviously has feelings for. This is a time of regimented rules, of lives orchestrated for success and not allowed to spontaneously evolve. A decision that I don't think she could have said no to anyways just set up her entire life's journey, one full of happiness, wealth, and eventual heartbreak.I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into the film. I had heard the stuff about how Georgiana was the Empress of Fashion and thought maybe this would tell about her designing sense while also her life. Maybe it was going to be a romance or a tale of deception and intrigue, a behind the scenes look at royalty. Instead of any of those, The Duchess ends up really being just a bio-pic disguised as an historical drama. At times it seems like some interest is about to show face as we learn early on about Her Grace's penchant for politics and desire for all people to be free. It actually seems like we're about to watch her fight for women's rights and equality, but instead the topic is glossed over and she becomes the face of the Whig Party, not a vocal piece to the puzzle. Even the fashion aspect is thrown to the side. The Duke mentions it once and she is introduced at some sort of fashion show later on, but after a funny speech, it is back to the pomp and circumstance of the royal way of life.Whether the film succeeds or not doesn't detract from the fact that the attention to detail is quite nice. Director Saul Dibb has gotten a crew to recreate the time period, actors to inhabit their roles, and an all-around authentic look. I love the moments looking through the windows towards the outside. The glass is fogged and warped as it was back then and the compositions frame the characters of importance with the clear portions, while the others are distorted in the imperfections. Pacing-wise, the film never really drags. It is all composed nicely, spanning the 6-8 years from marriage to the bearing of an heir. The film itself is not boring; it is the story that becomes mediocre and obvious while the cast still intrigues throughout it. Once the relationships and affairs all become public knowledge to the audience, it is just a matter of what will happen next? Unfortunately, that is a question that didn't interest me as much as what could have been looking at different aspects of Georgiana's life, rather than just the marriage itself.Knightley must be given credit for pulling off another turn in a corset, long dress, and numerous wigs. Almost appearing to be a glutton for punishment, she just seems to flock to this type of role. But with good reason, she is solid throughout, showing her youthful exuberance as well as her stubborn disgust at the injustices put upon a woman in that time period. Much smarter than one would expect from a girl sent off to become a Duchess for the sole purpose of conceiving a male heir, Georgiana is a fascinating woman.Her husband is played by the great Ralph Fiennes in a role that I am not used to seeing him in. The Duke of Devonshire is very much an automaton going through life fulfilling his duties. Unless with his beloved dogs, Fiennes gives off a cold dead persona, breathing as little life into the part as possible—and that is a compliment, not an insult. He is the kind of guy that just walks away from the group when he is done or bored, he doesn't have to explain himself. Fiennes makes this man sympathetic somehow, showing the audience that beneath the harshness lays a man trapped into a life he cannot leave. He looks out the window at his children and wonders at how free they are. Here is a man in charge of everyone, but alone living for the title. He has an image to uphold and unfortunately that means he must be strict and decisive when it comes to events that could tarnish his reputation and image, events that the Duchess throws his way often.Don't get me wrong, some of the love triangles are interesting to see fleshed out with the wonderful supporting cast, it's just that I wish there was more weight to the story with those moments only complementing. Dominic Cooper's Charles Grey, the boy from Georgiana's childhood, adds a layer with the inevitable affair, and the character of Bess Foster, played by Hayley Atwell, is perhaps the most interesting of them all. At first the Duchess' best friend, she becomes her husband's mistress and lover as well, creating a dynamic unused to in films like this. The three live together, all for their own needs. One for his title and heir, one for the power to have her children returned to her, and the other, trapped in her life now, to have some semblance of meaning. It's definitely the most off-the-wall aspect of the story, but unfortunately not enough to make The Duchess any more special than the next period drama to come, or the last before it.