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IMDbPro

The Duchess

  • 20082008
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
83K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,534
1,027
Ralph Fiennes, Keira Knightley, Dominic Cooper, and Hayley Atwell in The Duchess (2008)
The Duchess - Theatrical Trailer
Play trailer1:47
2 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Biography
  • Drama
  • History
A chronicle of the life of 18th-century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life.A chronicle of the life of 18th-century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life.A chronicle of the life of 18th-century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
83K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,534
1,027
  • Director
    • Saul Dibb
  • Writers
    • Jeffrey Hatcher(screenplay)
    • Anders Thomas Jensen(screenplay)
    • Saul Dibb(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Keira Knightley
    • Ralph Fiennes
    • Dominic Cooper
Top credits
  • Director
    • Saul Dibb
  • Writers
    • Jeffrey Hatcher(screenplay)
    • Anders Thomas Jensen(screenplay)
    • Saul Dibb(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Keira Knightley
    • Ralph Fiennes
    • Dominic Cooper
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 172User reviews
    • 122Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 8 wins & 21 nominations total

    Videos2

    The Duchess
    Trailer 1:47
    The Duchess
    The Duchess
    Clip 1:10
    The Duchess

    Photos191

    Keira Knightley and Dominic Cooper in The Duchess (2008)
    Ralph Fiennes in The Duchess (2008)
    Keira Knightley and Hayley Atwell in The Duchess (2008)
    Keira Knightley and Hayley Atwell in The Duchess (2008)
    Saul Dibb in The Duchess (2008)
    Keira Knightley and Saul Dibb in The Duchess (2008)
    Keira Knightley in The Duchess (2008)
    Dominic Cooper in The Duchess (2008)
    Hayley Atwell in The Duchess (2008)
    Charlotte Rampling in The Duchess (2008)
    Ralph Fiennes and Keira Knightley in The Duchess (2008)
    Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Keira Knightley, and Hayley Atwell in The Duchess (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Keira Knightley
    Keira Knightley
    • Georgianaas Georgiana
    Ralph Fiennes
    Ralph Fiennes
    • The Dukeas The Duke
    Dominic Cooper
    Dominic Cooper
    • Charles Greyas Charles Grey
    Charlotte Rampling
    Charlotte Rampling
    • Lady Spenceras Lady Spencer
    Hayley Atwell
    Hayley Atwell
    • Bess Fosteras Bess Foster
    Simon McBurney
    Simon McBurney
    • Charles Foxas Charles Fox
    Aidan McArdle
    Aidan McArdle
    • Richard Sheridanas Richard Sheridan
    John Shrapnel
    John Shrapnel
    • General Greyas General Grey
    Alistair Petrie
    Alistair Petrie
    • Heatonas Heaton
    Patrick Godfrey
    Patrick Godfrey
    • Dr. Nevilleas Dr. Neville
    Michael Medwin
    Michael Medwin
    • Speechmakeras Speechmaker
    Justin Edwards
    Justin Edwards
    • Macaronias Macaroni
    Richard McCabe
    Richard McCabe
    • Sir James Hareas Sir James Hare
    Calvin A. Dean
    Calvin A. Dean
    • Devonshire House Servantas Devonshire House Servant
    • (as Calvin Dean)
    Hannah Stokely
    • Devonshire House Maidas Devonshire House Maid
    Andrew Armour
    • Burleighas Burleigh
    • (as Andy Armour)
    Emily Jewell
    • Nannyas Nanny
    Bruce Mackinnon
    Bruce Mackinnon
    • Sir Peter Teazleas Sir Peter Teazle
    • (as Bruce MacKinnon)
    • Director
      • Saul Dibb
    • Writers
      • Jeffrey Hatcher(screenplay)
      • Anders Thomas Jensen(screenplay)
      • Saul Dibb(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The real Duke and Duchess of Devonshire were 25 and 17 when they married, and were 8 years apart in age. The actors Ralph Fiennes and Keira Knightley are 23 years apart.
    • Goofs
      Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire was born in 1757. Charles Grey was seven years younger, born in 1764. According to the subtitle, the scene depicting a wager among the young ladies over a footrace between Charles Grey and other young men was held in 1774. Georgiana was correctly seventeen at the time, but Charles Grey was ten. He would have been a boy, not the young man about to attend Cambridge portrayed in the film.
    • Quotes

      Duke of Devonshire: This will be the mistake of your life.

      Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire: No, I made that many years ago. I trust you can see yourself out.

    • Alternate versions
      Paramount Vantage preferred a PG-13 version for the United States and in order to get that rating some cuts and alternate shots were used.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Orange British Academy Film Awards (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Allemande from French Suite V in G Major
      Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

    User reviews172

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    An entertaining film which promises much for the future
    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.
    helpful•126
    58
    • blackburnj-1
    • Sep 13, 2008

    FAQ9

    • Is "The Duchess" based on a book?
    • What did the Duchess of Devonshire do to warrant having a movie made about her?
    • How was Georgiana related to Diana, Princess of Wales?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 10, 2008 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • Italy
      • France
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Vidio (Indonesia)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Nữ Công Tước
    • Filming locations
      • Somerset House, Strand, London, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Paramount Vantage
      • Pathé
      • BBC Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • £13,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $13,848,978
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $190,426
      • Sep 21, 2008
    • Gross worldwide
      • $43,343,384
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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