Peter Wild finds Keira Knightley's latest film to be a quiet gem.
An absorbing, stately biopic with curious modern-day parallels (the film was marketed with the tagline “There were three people in her marriage”), The Duchess is one of those films that will inevitably do better on the smaller screen, thanks to its sumptuous look and feel and quietly powerful performances from Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes, as the Duchess and Duke of Devonshire respectively. It was adapted from Amanda Foreman’s bestselling non-fiction tome, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, by Jeffrey Hatcher and Anders Thomas Jensen (themselves previously responsible for Casanova and Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, respectively).
Georgiana is a young and gilded member of the aristocracy, married – after two meetings – to the Duke of Devonshire, a man who finds it easier to communicate with his dogs than with people and who is also unfortunately given to the odd roll in the hay with the maids. With the success of their marriage predicated on the birth of a son and heir, the rapid births of three daughters, and the stillbirths of two sons, does little to warm the cockles of their concupiscence. When the Duke makes the moves on Georgiana’s only friend in the world Bess Foster (played here by Hayley Attwell, last seen in the reboot of Brideshead Revisited and Woody Allen’s Cassandra’s Dream), the gloves come off, and Georgiana looks for a little happiness for herself, in the shape of her childhood love Charles Gray, now a young politico destined to be prime minister. Anyone expecting a ‘Happy Ever After’ ending may be in for a surprise, but if powerful drama is what you’re looking for, look no further. This is quality drama with all of the respective quality drama boxes ticked, thereby making it a must for anyone who likes nothing better than a good period costume affair.
Keira Knightley continues to grow as an actress, turning in a nuanced and subtle performance as Georgiana, a woman who was as loved by the people as she wasn’t by her husband (one wag cruelly jibes in the film). All told, The Duchess is a quiet gem to be filed alongside The Painted Veil, The Other Boleyn Girl and Girl with the Pearl Earring.
Deleted scenes with optional introduction by Saul Dibb
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Film Description
Sumptuous historical drama starring Keira Knightley as 18th century aristocrat Georgiana Spencer, Duchess of Devonshire, who was known for her glamorous and extravagant lifestyle. Married at a young age to the older Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes), Georgiana becomes a fashion icon and a shrewd political operator as well as a doting mother and darling of the common people. However, trapped in an unhappy triangle with her husband and his mistress, her search for love becomes increasingly desperate. When she begins a passionate affair with an ambitious young politician, the scandal causes bitter conflict with her already distant husband.
