The Duchess (2008)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Saul Dibb

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

10 September 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | 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:

Duke | Duchess | 18th Century | Children | Sex

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Keira Knightley	...	Georgiana
Ralph Fiennes	...	The Duke
Charlotte Rampling	...	Lady Spencer
Dominic Cooper	...	Charles Grey
Hayley Atwell	...	Bess Foster
Simon McBurney	...	Charles Fox
Aidan McArdle	...	Richard 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:

La duchessa (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:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Bath, Somerset, England, UK

Company:

Paramount Vantage

Trivia:

In the background of the location used for Georgiana and Charles Grey's first kiss is the building used in Pride & Prejudice (2005) (also starring Keira Knightley) for Mr. Darcy's first proposal.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mr. Grey and the Duchess meet by the lake (where they give their first kiss), the Duchess' hairdo is complimented with a rose above her right ear, which, according to the camera angle, is covered/not covered by her hood.

Quotes:

Charles Fox: Today we have won the vote. Tomorrow we define the future.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2009) (TV)

More fun in corsets

The latest slice of period drama to grace our screens is this biopic on Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who during the 1770s was patroness of the Whig party and prisoner of a marriage which made her, among other things, suffer the indignity of having her husband's mistress living under the same roof. These heritage dramas are an industry all by themselves; the armies of prop hirers, wig and costume makers, researchers, production designers, location scouts and (mostly) British actors who go to make them must find themselves in almost permanent employ. The BBC does them, the Americans have a go at them, and the public can't seem to get enough of them. The Duchess is a superior example of the genre, though nowhere in the league of Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, and combines the spectacle of Keira Knightley looking glamorous in a range of frocks and wigs, while at the same time honing her acting talents (no more those rictus grins), with the guilty pleasure of following the uncomfortable parallels between the fortunes and indiscretions of the ancestress of Lady Diana Spencer with those of the Princess of Wales herself. Lowering over the whole proceedings is the truly superb presence of Ralph Fiennes's Duke of Devonshire, Fiennes an actor who can convey polite discomfiture or threatening ire with slightest twitch of the mouth. In his hands the Duke becomes far less a melodramatic villain than a product of his time, and you almost feel sorry for him. Go and see The Duchess; only those who have had children will balk at the liberties taken with childbirth and breastfeeding. But not even that will spoil the fun.