The Duchess
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Movie Reviews of The Duchess
Movie Review: Similar Sagas
Summary: 4 Stars
THE DUCHESS (based on Amanda Foreman's book "Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire" which in turn was based on historical fact) has been well adapted for the screen by Jeffrey Hatcher, Anders Thomas Jensen and writer/director Saul Dibb. What was basically snubbed by the critics of the theatrical release as a 'fashion show with little else going for it' turns out to be a quite beautiful period drama. The fact that the story is based on the life of the outspoken feminist and political thinker in the late 1700s - Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire - who happens to be an ancestor of Princess Di whose life in many ways paralleled the Duchess, makes it more interesting than most costume dramas. And yet, even without the obvious parallel in stories, this film stands well on its own, due to a smart script and a fine cast.
Lady Spencer (Charlotte Rampling) coaxes the marriage of her beautiful daughter Georgiana (Keira Knightley) to marry the very wealthy Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes), a rather boring dog lover whose only interest in 'purchasing' a wife is to gain a male heir. Caught up in the dignity and lush homes and gardens of the Duke, the new Duchess charms all who see her - and the manner in which Keira Knightley wears the vast number of gorgeous sculpted costumes gives credence to her appearance popularity and enhances her personal popularity as she looks beyond the surface to the hearts of the people around her. When the Duchess is unable to produce live boy children (two stillborns don't count, nor do the two daughters she births), The Duke turns to dalliances both with the household maids and to the Duchess' newest friend Lady Bess (Hayley Atwell): the Duchess seeks solace with her childhood love Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper) and the tension in the household comes to a breaking point. British etiquette rules, and the 'wife' must bear up under the pressure of society, a position the Duchess obeys but continues her popularity with the politics and social comments of the times - quite a daring feat for those revolutionary years in England, America, and France and the world in general. How this singularly intelligent woman copes provides the resolution of the story.
Keira Knightley is ravishingly beautiful and continues to impress with her sensitive acting skills. The contributions by Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper and Hayley Atwell bring finely honed characterizations to life. Rachel Portman is responsible for the musical score that fits the production like a glove. There is, then, far more to this film than a panorama of elegant costumes. It is deserving of a larger audience. Grady Harp, December 08
Movie Review: + 1/2 star: Kiera Knightley and Ralph Fiennes make this a royal treat
Summary: 4 Stars
The Duchess showcases great acting in every way; I was particularly impressed with Ralph Fiennes and Kiera Knightley's performances. The plot flows along smoothly with excellent character development although they could have edited it down just a few minutes to make the action even tighter. The choreography and the cinematography work wonders for this motion picture and the script was very well written. In addition, the costumes and sets are magnificent and very detailed.
When the film starts, we meet several principle characters. The Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes) is most interested in marrying Georgiana (Kiera Knightley), the rather young daughter of Lady Spencer (Charlotte Rampling). Lady Spencer is thrilled to marry her daughter off to a prestigious Duke and Georgiana is rather excited at the idea of marrying the Duke.
Unfortunately, however, things don't go well. Georgiana is a passionate freethinker who likes modern day politics, drinking and even gambling on occasion. The Duke, on the other hand, is cold, mean-spirited and rather traditional; he desperately wants a male heir to become the next Duke of Devonshire. Despite their best efforts (not all of which are all that romantic) the Duke and Georgiana can't produce a son. The Duke blames Georgiana for not bearing him a son which only makes things worse. They wind up with three daughters, one of whom was fathered by the Duke before he even met Georgiana; the two sons they did have were both stillborn. The Duke becomes even colder toward Georgiana and he has encounters with many other women; and when Georgiana makes friends with Lady Bess (Hayley Atwell) even more unexpected results occur that shake Georgiana to the core.
Georgiana eventually has her own romantic feelings for the young, politically ambitious Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper). Together they find true love and their mutual passion for politics certainly unites them very romantically.
I could tell you more but then I'd be giving spoilers away and I don't want to do that to you!
The DVD comes with a "making of" featurette and there's a bonus entitled "Georgiana in Her Own Words." There is a "costume diary" as well.
The Duchess paints the portrait of a lady who is far from free despite having a prestigious place in society; and it doesn't disappoint. The acting, action, cinematography and more combine to make this picture memorable. I recommend this film for people who like dramas, especially drama films based on the real lives of people as this film was.
Movie Review: Baroque nostalgia
Summary: 4 Stars
18th century English, where women are repressed under a traditional, patriarchal society; where men are in complete control and women have no legal or social power. Women are to be seen and not heard, submissive, and capable of popping out male heirs like they're living in puppy mills, or related to The Duggars. Georgiana Spenser Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (Keira Knightley), is in such a situation.
Her husband, Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes), is a powerful, emotionless, and influential man who plucked Georgiana from her parents when she was not yet eighteen. The idea was for her to shut her mouth, look gorgeous (which she does the entire movie), spit out a litter of sons, and casually dismiss the Duke's obvious troubles with nymphomania and fidelity. During this time Georgiana learns to deal with her situation, becoming the talk of the town, friend to all, and epicenter of aristocratic, social gatherings. One of the lines in the movie is that the Duke is the only man in England who is not in love with the Duchess. When "she" fails to produce sons, the Duke loves her less, and takes his scandalous acts a step further; he nails Georgiana's best friend who's living at the Devonshire castle, and then refuses his Duchess' request to evict the third party of the carnally awkward ménage a trois. Marriage Twister! Red Hand, Blue. Lies, babies, rape, secret trysts, and perpetual infidelity ensue in this biographical tale.
The costumes, set designs, locales, and everything involved with the presentation of the movie are spectacular. No expense was spared, and that time machine feeling of being able to truly experience another era is palpable. It should come as no surprise that a costume drama would have stunning costumes. Knightley has said that being dressed for the part and wearing the massive wigs literally caused her neck pains.
Aside from the aforementioned, the best I can say is that the Duchess is ostentatious in a positive way. There aren't more than one or two truly captivating moments; it's just a competent and efficient performance by all involved. It's not in the upper echelon of British period pieces, and plays out just as a reading of Wuthering Heights would - good, but not flooring. If the movie took one or two risks similar to those of its heroine, this would have been considerably better. I highly recommend this for Keira Knightley fans.
Movie Review: Fantastically Gripping, Compelling and Layered Costume Drama
Summary: 4 Stars
The Duchess is a superior slice of costume drama which manages to craft interesting, multi dimensional characters and an involving storyline from the well worn confines of the genre.
Keira Knightley plays a very similar role to the one she played in Pride and Prejudice, a feisty, modern woman trapped in a male dominated society. However, whereas Lizzie Bennett's heart and character inspires affection, the Duchess of Devonshire's fosters only reproach and punishment from her traditional and patriarchal husband. Her performance is a standout and demonstrates why she is so highly rated in the face of many disappointing roles in other films. She brings both strength and weakness to the character. Able to deliver withering put downs at her husband and others, whilst showing the pain of her loveless marriage etched into her face.
If Knightley is the lynchpin of the piece then it is Ralph Fiennes that elevates it above a crowded genre. Resisting the temptation to play his character as evil, instead he simply plays him as a man of his times. In Fiennes' hands the Duke feels no need to win any bouts of verbal jousting with his wife as he is secure in the knowledge that, as a husband, he is in complete control of the relationship. The Duke also clearly sees very little wrong in his treatment of his wife and acts, as he sees it, in a logic manner making the whole film feel more believable and, as a result, tragic.
In terms of the cast the only misstep is Dominic Cooper as Charles Grey, who lends the wide eyes of a political dreamer but doesn't have convincing chemistry with Knightley and plays one of the more one dimensional characters in the piece. However Hayley Atwell impresses by playing her character so well it is possible to describe her as scheming, and manipulative as well as sympathetic and loyal without it seeming a contradiction.
The film is deliberately paced so as to give characters and events time to breathe, encouraging the mood that the marriage is a car crash in slow motion, inextricably drawing all the characters further into the muddled mess of their relationships. Overall it's a fully recommended slice of real life costume drama that draws a multi layered drama full of compellingly deep characters from what could easily have been a one note story.
Movie Review: A Man's World...
Summary: 4 Stars
2008's "The Duchess" is an exquisitely detailed 18th century period drama, with an excellent cast and first rate production values, but just misses as a movie. It insists on being understood within its own context, and 18th century social customs and laws are as remote as the Moon for most 21st century viewers.
As the story opens, Lady Spencer (the timeless Charlotte Rampling) is arranging the marriage of her young, eligible and naive daughter Georgiana (Keira Knightley) to the older and very wealthy Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes), who badly wants a male heir. The vivacious Georgiana becomes mistress of a great home, a fashion celebrity and a prominent supporter of her husband's politics.
However, when four pregnancies produce only two live girls, the Duke looks elsewhere. He takes Georgiana's female companion Mrs. Foster (Hayley Atwell) as his mistress, and moves her three male children into the house, joining the product of an earlier affair. Georgiana's efforts to carve out her own emotional life with the young lawyer Charles Gray (Dominic Cooper) draw the anger of the Duke, who offers her a fateful choice between her responsibilities as a Duchess and mother, and the man she has come to love.
The arrangement ultimately struck between Georgiana and the Duke is a happy ending only in a very qualified way, one that modern viewers may find unsatisfying. Ralph Fiennes's nuanced protrayal of the Duke, an emotionally constipated, thoughtlessly cruel man, as one who still vaguely senses his faults, just saves the marriage from being a scene of unrelieved brutality. Georgiana's spirited quest for her place in the world runs counter to the reality of a society in which women had no rights, leaving her with little room to maneuver. Kiera Knightley plays her role with an appropriately subtle mixture of naive hope and repressed anxiety. Viewers are encouraged to watch the "Making The Duchess" special feature for more insight into 18th century customs.
"The Duchess" is highly recommended to fans of period drama, who will this well-made and authentic portrayal of 18th century society.