The Duchess

I saw this film for the first time this weekend, and overall I liked it a lot. The story is a little uneventful, with some parts feeling as though they were skimmed over(the political life) or only briefly explored, and the pacing can be pedestrian. That said, it is a visual feast really, as the costumes, sets, scenery, cinematography, interiors and even the carriages are spectacular, while the music gives a lovely touch to the proceedings too. The script is well written and gripping, and the direction is fairly good. Kiera Knightley is great as Georgina, really quite dignified, while Ralph Fiennes is perfect as her philandering husband. To conclude, a visually beautiful film. 7/10 Bethany Cox

a beautiful film. not great or remarkable. only beautiful. for costumes and correct acting. for the light to dark rooms of period. for the flavor of Anna Karenina. and for the atmosphere before the storm. a movie like a jewel from 18 century. more complex than a nice adaptation of a book, almost fascinating for the science of Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes to explore theirs roles possibilities, special for performance of Charlotte Rampling and for the air of portrait of a life. a movie like a drop of perfume. noble, seductive, charming. and a different tool for discover the past in a profound way.that is all. a beautiful film about a special universe and remarkable force of a woman to be herself .

It's 1774 England. Georgiana (Keira Knightley) is arranged by her mother Lady Spencer (Charlotte Rampling) to marry the older Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish (Ralph Fiennes). She is eager for high society but finds him personally cold. He brings in a girl who is probably his bastard child. He is bitter that Georgiana delivers him a girl. She becomes a popular figure. She befriends Lady Bess Foster (Hayley Atwell) who is desperate to get back her children from her abusive husband. The Duke starts an affair with Bess in a long line of many mistresses and he is able to get her back her children. Georgiana starts her own affair with Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper).

This is a solid costume drama anchored by a powerful performance from Knightley. The other cast members also deliver led by Fiennes. He is a layered villain and a real human being. Atwell is also great as her character is caught up in an impossible situation. This is a slow deliberate burn. The beauty of the costumes hide an ugliness underneath it all.

The career of Keira Knightley has been somewhat of a mixed bag. She has had strong moments, invariably under the direction of Joe Wright, and she has had her less brilliant moments, mainly in the later "Pirates of the Caribbean" films. But, in "The Duchess", an entertaining and moving portrait of Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, she truly shows signs that she is coming of age with a performance of subtlety and nuance.

The film has been marketed with not so subtle emphases on Georgiana's relative, Diana, Princess of Wales. The tagline for the film, "There were three people in her marriage", is not only, by my count, a miscalculation (a serious miscalculation if you count the dogs) but also guilty of creating a subtext which simply isn't in the film. Anybody looking for a film about Diana will be disappointed. Anyone looking for an entertaining film won't be.

The film is a moving portrait of a very tragic figure, brought to life by a career best performance from Keira Knightely. Her abilities have grown over recent years, with "Atonement" being her previous best, but here she shows great potential. She is ably supported by Ralph Fiennes, who is on fine form. His performance never descends into caricature or cartoonish villainy, but maintains a sense of humanity, no matter how selfish it is, underneath his characters various inexcusable actions. There is also a fine performance from Charlotte Rampling, though there is a weak link in the person of Dominic Cooper, who is too young for his part and struggles with it.

The witty and emotive script has a lot to recommend it and its characters are put into an engrossing and lavish world, successfully created by the director Saul Dibb. Extraordinary costumes fill the extraordinary locations, and there is a beautiful score by Rachael Portman to accompany it. The result is a fairly stylish affair.

The film's exploration of unfortunate innocence and the loss of freedom is at times poignant and adds to what is an extremely satisfying experience at the cinema and provides a great deal of promise for the future from its director and its star.

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. 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.