The Duchess (2008)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Saul Dibb

Writers (WGA):

Jeffrey Hatcher (screenplay) and
Anders Thomas Jensen (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 October 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Tagline:

There were three people in her marriage

Plot:

A chronicle of the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life. |

Plot Keywords:

Historical | Manipulating Women | Duchess | Female Rear Nudity | Family

Awards:

4 nominations

US Showtimes:

(register to personalize)

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Duchessa, La (Italy)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, brief nudity and thematic material.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

UK | Italy | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44471) | UK:12A | Ireland:15A | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Hong Kong:IIA | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Netherlands:12 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Sweden:7 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | New Zealand:M | Brazil:12 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Bath, Somerset, England, UK

Company:

Paramount Vantage

Trivia:

The Tuscan red zone-front gown worn by Keira Knightley (known as the "Drunken Dress") had to be made in triplicate due to a stunt scripted for the scene. The costume required 36 meters of silk total for the three gowns, with green and gold lace applied by hand to each one.

Quotes:

[from trailer]
Duke of Devonshire: This will be the mistake of your life.
Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire: No, I made that many years ago.

ignore the critics, the duchess is spellbinding

After reading copious amounts of mediocre reviews for "The duchess", I wasn't expecting much from this film. However, from the first scene I was utterly absorbed.

The film isn't "just another period drama", it is an absolutely beautiful and heart-rendering tale of the tribulations faced by Georgian woman. Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who although is the key character in the film (as you can probably infer from the title), represents the situation of all woman belonging to a patriarchal society, not just the aristocracy.

Keira knightly is exemplary in this role. Her facial expression tells more than a script ever could. I enjoyed her performance in "atonement" but this was in a whole new league. There has always been this underlying snobbery and dislike for Keira Knightly's work in the media which I have never understood nor care to. Only her performance should be criticized, not who she is in reality, and this performance was flawless. Ralph Fiennes was also excellent. My best advice is to ignore the critics and come to your own conclusion. My only negative criticism was the rapidity with which Georgiana bonded so intimately with Bess. However, I don't know enough about the social context of the time to really make a judgement.

All in all, a deeply moving tale that shouldn't be neglected.