Sushan Konar
Britons might be sorely divided in their desire to be in or out, but there is one topic on which they are forever united - their passion, or rather their obsession with their Royalty. Here's one small indicator. When we rented an apartment in Cambridge, one of the first tasks we had to undertake was to move the huge volume of our landlady's book collection to the garage. More than half of those garage full of books dealt with the Royal family!Of course, the most obsessed over member of that family is undoubtedly Princess Diana. A film, based on the life of her great-great...aunt the Duchess of Devonshire which had an uncanny similarity with Lady D's own life, is bound to generate a lot of interest. Apparently, the trailer of this 2008 movie even used a couple of Lady D shots to ensure that.However, for folks outside the orbit of that royal obsession, this is basically about the life of an aristocratic woman trapped in the social mores of her time, despite all the worldly privileges that came with her rank and status. Unfortunately, the movie could not rise above its curiosity value (even while giving us an excellent glimpse into the English aristocratic life in the eighteenth century) as the events, instead of flowing smoothly, had somewhat of a jerky feel. As if we are given a lesson in history, above all.Keira Knightly, as expected, is a natural in the role of an old-world English Duchess. But Ralph Fiennes is totally wasted in the role of the Duke of Devonshire. Watching this, I wouldn't have believed him emerging with that commanding presence of M in Spectre a few years down the line.
Syl
The film is not your average stuffy period drama rather than based on actual events of the Duchess Georgiana of Devonshire. She married the Duke and has two daughters. The Duke needs a son for an heir to the throne. When Georgiana meets Lady Bess Foster (Hayley Atwell) ,a battered ex wife and mother of three sons in Bath, she is invited to Chatsworth. Bess, the Duke, and Duchess form an unusual trio in a very complex relationship. Bess was Georgiana's best and only true friend. The film has a remarkable cast with Ralph Fiennes as the Duke. Charlotte Rampling is wonderful as the Duchess' mother. The costumes and art direction are first rate and spared no expense in bring faithful to the eighteenth century.
petarmatic
This film was awarded an Oscar for the costimogrpahy. It certainly deserves it. It is an outstanding achievement, not only in costumes, but plot is interesting and acting is excellent.It is interesting that aristocrats could choose to live basically with two women. And then the wife falls in love with a politician. What a plot! And again it is a male heir. Henry VIII repeats itself over and over again. It is interesting to see how England was changing together while America was gaining its independence. Interesting period, interesting story.If you are into British Aristocracy and period dramas this is a film for you.
cluciano63
But a lovely movie. I have read biographies on both Georgiana and her sister Henrietta, and the sisters were practically joined at the hip throughout their lives, obviously this is not the real story of her life, since a sister or brother is never even mentioned. And the Duke did not need to threaten her...both she and Harriet were aware of the disgrace of being divorced and did everything to prevent it, as both carried on affairs until their health failed. And both wound up hugely in debt from gambling and excess, what would be tens of millions today. Yes, she went off to have a baby in secret but her husband did not know, much less command it. Henrietta did the same. Both knew they would,lose their status and children if they were divorced. The relationship with Bess and the Duke was true. She lived with them forever, later marrying the Duke must to the distress of some family members and grumbled for more money when died.The acting is good...one of my favorite KK performances (unlike Anna Karenina, yikes)
AD
