The Duchess
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Movie Reviews of The Duchess
Movie Review: The Duchess
Summary: 5 Stars
I read alot of History and I like that they stuck with the truth of how she lived her lifeMovie Review: Unhappiness Reigns Supreme in any Age
Summary: 4 Stars
Earlier this year we were treated to a look at Tudor England in the film "The Other Boleyn Girl" that opened with magnificent diffused shots of lovely fair-haired children scampering carefree through a bucolic sun-infused backdrop. All those fat-cheeked cherubs with their hair flapping in the wind definitely testified to innocent times for even before these babes hit puberty they were immersed in political intrigue to promote their families and their legacy. Did it faze them? No. We, the collective modern audience, must not let our studied egalitarianism confuse what may seem as a limited and unfair way of life. Obsessed with the acquisition of a male heir, the men and women in this film and now in director Saul Dibb's "The Duchess" understand and accept their roles and move accordingly like partners in a precise cotillion to ascertain success. Both sexes were expected to perform their duties to maintain succession with nary a powdered wig becoming skewed or a piece of big two-foot-tall hair coming out of place. And after the blessed event transpired, the semblance of propriety remained with the ubiquitous stiff upper lip reining in secrets that were wild and woolly enough to curl the real hair underneath all that sculpted artifice.
In "The Duchess" Keira Knightly plays the witty beautiful 18th century fashionista and politically correct Georgina Spenser Cavendish, duchess of Devonshire with a portrait-perfect insouciance that quickly sours once she realizes that her feather-in-her-cap marriage is nothing more than a sham that will provide the ennui-prone and rather dim-witted duke (the incomparable Ralph Fiennes) with the boy child he desires to carry on his name. Like one of her present-day descendents, (Georgina is the 4X great-aunt to the tragic Diana, Princess of Wales) the Spenser depicted in this based-on-a-true-story biopic wants and needs only affection from older hubby William and gets nothing but lackluster loving, a first-hand look at frequent dalliances with the servants, and the maternal responsibility of rearing one of his by-blows. After the birth of two girl children and multiple miscarriages, Georgina is faced with the ultimate humiliation: the object of William's infidelities has narrowed to Bess, Georgina's best friend, who fleeing her abusive husband has sought refuge in the Cavendish home.
Not that the Duchess is any angel. From the opening idyllic scene (more beautiful young people running through green meadows) the audience knows that she is smitten with Charles Grey from the get-go. That she shares his politics--the Cavendishs were supporters of the infant Whig party--and his dream for a better world becomes more and more evident as her life with the duke wanes on an emotional level. G, as she is known to her friends, unwisely figures that if the Duke can have his cake and eat it too, why not she, the modern-thinking Duchess? Nevertheless, while attempting to persuade her husband to accept her indiscretion if she accepts his, G finds herself sadly outmaneuvered. Why would someone with so much power and backed by the buttress of convention agree to give a mere possession so much leeway? Poor G, as clever a gambler as she is, cannot beat odds that are stacked so unfavorably against her.
Knightly shows her desperation with pink pre-Sephora-ed cheeks and pretty lip-glossed moues; slightly tipsy from the huge offsetting wigs, she seems off balance, her tightly corseted stick figure somehow not altogether in conjunction with the glamour of her spectacular face. Showing her strength in her somewhat rigid jaw line, she pouts rather than sneers like she did in the `Pirates of the Caribbean' trilogy and still uses those expressive eyes and strong eyebrows to convey her desperation as she did in "Atonement." However lovely, she tends to jerk about in a flurry of motion rather than suggest the quiet stillness of a lady of that century.
Fiennes, on the other hand, plays the historically one-note duke with a nuanced compassion. Undoubtedly the villain of this piece, Fiennes searches deeply for the soul of this character and somehow relays to the audience that it is not the duke that is solely to blame for all this wasted protocol but society itself. While G shines in the opulence provided by the Cavendish money, William willingly takes a backseat to her popularity always appearing faintly bewildered and aghast at being in the center of attention during any of the many public shows of affection directed towards his wife. However, when his omnipotence is challenged, Fiennes' reacts with the certainty that one would expect from a duke. The modern ideas of individualism did not exist at this time; the duke approached whatever fell under his domain as his possession and treated all as such. Softness is shown only to his much loved dogs, all else with the sternness befitting one accustomed to getting his way. G's airy desire for Utopia crumbles in the shadow of William's steely realism.
From a purely technical standpoint, this film wastes little time on unnecessary scenes romantic or otherwise. Dibb tells his story with a precise almost terse rhythm punctuating it with the aristocratic Rachel Portman score that plays in the back of the audience's mind like Handel's `Sarabande with Variations.' Visually pleasing-- Knightly shines in over 25 elaborate costumes that make you wonder what couture houses were thinking back then for both men and women patrons--"the Duchess" transports one back to an earlier time when life was as complicated as the clothing.
Bottom line? "The Duchess" tells the story of an enchanting 18th century Spenser that like her modern day descendant must kowtow to a duty that robbed her of the romantic love she desired. Despite her obvious advantages--her life's similarities to that of Diana's seem uncanny as both shared a popularity with the public, were beleaguered by the paparazzi, established fashion trends and were extolled for their obvious love for their children--Georgina Spenser's relatively short life was dappled with the same marked sorrow that plagued Diana. Spectacularly beautiful, this film must be viewed from the vantage point of a society that expected much from their aristocrats and apparently still does. Like "The Other Boleyn Girl," "The Duchess" ends with the visual wish to return to an innocence epitomized by children running freely in a verdant field. Aristocratic money cannot buy happiness but it can at least purchase a backdrop and costumes that provide a semblance of what other people want. Recommended, although those viewing with adolescents or children be aware that the film contains a rape, a lesbian love scene and rather chilling scenes of loveless child begetting.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"
Movie Review: Lavish and entertaining despite it's lack of depth...
Summary: 4 Stars
A few years ago, as in pre-`Pride and Prejudice', everyone wrote off Keira Knightley as a mildly talented pretty face; a young actress taking a backseat to bigger names in big-budget mainstream action films who happened to keep work thanks to her impressive bone structure. If you were to ever entertain the idea of this young woman becoming a major actress with an Oscar nomination and more to come for that matter you would be deemed crazy.
Keira is not the type of actress to get awards attention; is she?
Then 2005 happened and she did a little movie called `Pride and Prejudice' and received massive amounts of Oscar buzz, and thanks to a seemingly weak year in the lead actress category Miss Knightley was able to land herself a nomination; a well deserved one at that (I love me some Witherspoon, but in retrospect Knightley should have won the Oscar). That shining moment had a lot of people scratching their heads.
Was this vibrant star really the bland yet pretty Barbie-Doll they saw two years back in that Pirate Blockbuster?
Two years later they got another chance to revel in her talent when she starred in Joe Wright's (her `Pride and Prejudice' director) second film; `Atonement'. She proved yet again that she has acting chops, this time missing out on Oscar but grabbing a slew of other nominations, including a BAFTA nod. This caused many to claim she needed a certain hand in guiding her to greatness. She was accused of only performing well for Wright, since she was still turning out mainstream fare that was less than impressive.
Could she act without help?
I think finally `The Duchess' gives us the answer. This time she worked with another director and yet still turned out a fresh and inviting and beautifully crafted performance. She is lavish when she needs to be, conflicted when she needs to be, charming when she needs to be and utterly devastated when she needs to be. She is utter perfection.
I guess now the question is; can she act outside of a `period drama'?
I kid, really, because I am not judgmental of her talent, for I see she has it. I know that some have raised that issue with regards to her acting ability, but quite frankly who cares. If this girl starred in EVERY period movie made I'd be happy, since she does them so well. Look at Emma Thompson; a wonderful actress who excels when she straps on the corset. Same can be said for Knightley.
The film tells of Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. Married off to the Duke and sacrificed into a life she did not want, this tells us a very sad yet realistic tale of despair and compromise. Georgiana wants to love her husband but his interest in her is minimal at best; for all he desires of her is a son. Sadly, she provides him with three girls. This moves the Duke to pursue other lovers, even if it means hurting his wife. Georgiana has her own exploits, which involve young Charles Grey, a boy she's loved and continues to love, but her relationship with him compromises her life in more ways than one.
`The Duchess' is actually quite good, enjoyable and entertaining. I was expecting something rather bland and boring, but that didn't happen. I was intrigued and emotionally connected, so that I felt her devastation, her frustration and even her warmth. The one problem I have with this film is that it fails to really flesh out the woman that was Georgiana. We see that she was well liked by all but her husband, but why? Sure, Knightley is ravishing and delightful, but we never get more than surface treatment from the script, which is more occupied with her living arrangements and love life than with what made her who she was. The film, while entertaining and very watchable, feels one-note, and it had the opportunity to be more than that.
The acting is superb and keeps us very much interested in the story. Knightley is not the only gem here. Ralph Fiennes has possibly had his best year ever, with three very strong supporting performances (see also `The Reader' and `In Bruges') and this performance is no exception. Hayley Atwell is also wonderful here, very sincere and moving. Dominic Cooper is pure eye candy (although some find him rather unattractive), but he also has moments of purity in his performance.
This is the Knightley show though, just so we are clear.
I personally recommend this movie. It may not be as insightful as it could have been, but as far as these period dramas go it covers all the bases. The acting is fresh, the dialog is intriguing, the sets are lavish, the costumes are gorgeous, the landscapes are breathtaking and the story is clear and touching.
Movie Review: A well-done period drama.
Summary: 4 Stars
A lot of people think of British period drama as stuffy and boring, a reputation it occasionally does something to deserve, but history is anything but dull, and if you were under the impression that the past was a place of strong moral values and happy marriages that has given way to our current immoral society full of single parents and extramarital affairs, think again. Consider the subject of the life of Georgiana Spenser Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (Keira Knightley).
Married young by her mother (Charlotte Rampling, in a wonderfully controlled performance) to William Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes), the foremost peer of the realm, she finds quickly that her husband (who she met only twice beforehand) is a cold and distant fellow who is only interested in a male heir. Already tasked to mother his bastard daughter Charlotte, she gives birth to two daughters, to the disgust of the Duke, who has a series of mistresses that she tolerates. The Duchess becomes a social marvel, hobnobbing with Whig politicians like Charles James Fox (Simon McBurney) and Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper, later 2nd Earl Grey and Prime Minister) and politician/esteemed playwright Richard Sheridan (Aidan McArdle), whose "School for Scandal" was based heavily on the Cavendishes' marriage. She eventually finds a close friend in Lady Elizabeth (Bess) Foster (Hayley Atwell), and invites her to live with them, which turns out to have dangerous consequences when the Duke initiates an affair with her, and refuses to expel her. She then finds herself living in a forced menage a trois (subtle humour found in the three of them eating silent breakfasts together). Understandably, she finds herself increasingly drawn to Grey.
The dramatic core of "The Duchess" is an examination of the limited social prospects for women in this period (though, as an aside, one imagines a great many poor women from this period would gladly enter a loveless marriage to live like Georgiana does), and their limited legal rights. Both Bess and Georgiana face adulterous husbands who hold over them the prospect of never seeing their children again as a price of leaving; getting her children back is, indeed, Bess's motive for embarking on her affair with the Duke, who, as a powerful lord, is easily able to finagle it. Georgiana, likewise, initially decides to choose freedom over her daughters, but cannot. The Duke, for his part, is a controlling fellow, raised in a very patriarchal worldview; Fiennes expertly shows his emotional straitjacketing, which at odd moments make him mildly sympathetic, though he mostly is not, particularly at the conception of his long-desired son. He's normally at a loss when called to talk about feelings.
Keira Knightley, once again travelling back in time to the 18th century (her fifth or sixth visit, I believe), does a fine job as Georgiana. Hayley Atwell is likewise very good as Bess, a character who walks the finest line between sympathy and dislike from the audience. There's a curious scene included which seems to suggest at a rather different dynamic between the two women, though this doesn't go anywhere. Fiennes, as mentioned, does his best in a rather staid role. Dominic Cooper as the young semi-radical Grey is suitable, though not of the same calibre as the other actors. McBurney and McArdle are scene-stealers in small parts as Georgiana's sympathetic male acquaintances. The set design, as one would expect, is stunning.
While not in the highest tier of British period pieces, this is a fine addition to the genre.
Movie Review: "The Duke of Devonshire, he loves me?"
Summary: 4 Stars
A sad testament to the rigors of 18th century English society and women's roles, The Duchess tells the story of Georgiana Spencer (Keira Knightly) and her marriage to the older Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes). The product of a society that relegates women to window dressing and child-bearing, at sixteen Georgiana is filled with romantic notions and little information about the demands of marriage. Frolicking with her companions on the lawn of her family's estate- including future prime minister and lover Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper) - Georgiana is thrilled to learn of a marriage proposal by the impressive Duke of Devonshire. All the duke requires is a male heir and his bride-to-be is certainly capable of fulfilling her husband's demands. On the pointed advice of her mother (an intimidating Charlotte Rampling), Georgiana casts her self into the role of wife, quickly disabused of any frivolous romantic notions on her wedding night. Unfortunately, Georgiana bears the duke three girls, her husband increasingly chagrined and ill-tempered as his wife disappoints him with the birth of each new daughter.
Stoic and rigid when it comes to his wife, Fiennes plays the distant husband to perfection, indulging in extra-marital affairs and ignoring his wife's obvious suffering when she discovers his penchant for callous infidelity. Georgiana responds as best she can, given the restraints of society, becoming the darling of the social set, charming and witty, a trendsetter who captivates the imaginations of those who enjoy her company, male and female. One admirer is Whig party leader Charles Fox, but there are many. Georgiana is a skillful raconteur regardless of her deep disappointment with marriage. On an outing to Bath, Georgiana makes a new friend, a woman suffering the loss of her children through her powerful husband's interference. The kind-hearted Georgiana welcomes this woman into her home only to know the most grievous betrayal of all and the beginning of her deepest despair.
Georgiana's is a tragic life, a woman trapped by society's expectations. Knightly captures the essence of this woman's dilemma, her fresh beauty quickly marred by the reality of her situation. The one time Georgiana dares to break from her restrictive marriage and cold husband, seeking love in the arms of her lover, Charles Grey, she suffers immediate repercussions, brought quickly to heel by the man who controls every aspect of her life, especially her children. English society is not kind to women when they escape the boundaries set by men. As much as Georgiana is loved by the public, her behavior is scandalous. Although a somewhat repentant duke welcomes his defeated wife home, it begs belief that Georgiana's life would really change for the better, save her acceptance of the limitations of the marriage. Still, this is a thoughtful commentary on the marriage of a spirited young woman who endures a similar fate long before the memorable Diana Spencer, her relative. Luan Gaines/ 2008.