Imagine you are a studio executive and somebody brings you a script idea. It
is about a young woman that is a fashion icon and is extremely outspoken in
public. At first, your mind may go to one of the plethoras of young women that
are famous because they are rich and attractive. You might think of the ones
that are constantly stalked by the paparazzi around the world. In the case of
one such script, you would have been off by a couple of hundred years. The film
‘The Duchess’ is about Georgiana the Duchess of Devonshire who lived from 1757
to 1806. She was royalty in England and was the great-great-great-great-aunt of
the late Princess Diana. Here in the States, we can barely keep track of
great-grandparents, but over in the United Kingdom, such things as distant
lineage are of vital importance. A film about some royal who lived centuries ago
would hardly seem like a subject of interest here in America, but fortunately
for us, the story is fascinating and well presented. The fact is if Georgiana
were alive today she would without a doubt be a constant figure on the tabloids
and gossip segments of the news. The film is a lavish production and one of the
better period dramas that have come around in a while. While it does not possess
the gravitas of some of the classics in this genre such as ‘Elizabeth’ or ‘A Man
for All Seasons’ it does have a certain charm that helps too, carry the movie.
It does offer a little bit of something for most members of the audience. There
are plenty of political intrigue, betrayal, deception, beautiful period gowns,
and some of the biggest hair and hats ever seen. This film is not what you might
expect. It isn’t a romantic time as seen through a young woman’s eyes. It is an
s, dark and realistic portal into the way women were treated and expected to act
at that time. Georgiana was far ahead of her time in the way she would not let
her spirit be dominated. When you look at the attention to details here in the
costumes and sets, it is difficult to believe that this film cost a mere $20
million. Now and then it is good to take a break,k from our modern world and
revisit the more lavish past. This film provides such a journey. The film is on
DVD and Blu-ray through Paramount and it is one that will bring some enjoyment
to the audience.
The story was based on the novel ‘Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire’ by Amanda
Foreman. It took over a decade to bring it to the screen. Handling the script
was Saul Dibb, Anders Thomas Jensen, and Jeffrey Hatcher. Dibb has one previous
screenplay, ‘Bullet Boy’ a tough, modern urban drama. Jensen has a long career
mostly in his native Denmark that includes a nice assortment of genres including
some period pieces. Before this script, Hatcher wrote ‘Casanova’ and ‘Stage
Beauty.’ Both of these films are set in Europe in the distant past and also
provided very strong and independent female characters. Considering the subject
here he was a natural for this project. Some may consider Georgiana as a young
woman who was ahead of her time. The way the story plays out here, this is not
the case. She was most definitely rooted in the time she lived. It is just that
she knew how to play the system for her own advantage. While she would never
have the power of independence of a man Georgiana did manage to make a mark in
popular society and became a fashion trendsetter of great renowned and political
activist. As a father of a daughter I usually enjoy a movie that shows a strong
young woman as a leading character. Georgiana was the type of person who sought
her own path through live no matter how much gossip and chatter it might cause.
Dibb also served as the director of this film. Before this, he had that
aforementioned urban drama and a documentary short to his name. This film,
therefore, represents a major first for DIbb. He does exceptionally well in
recreating the look and feel of the period. The one thing that works well in the
way Dibb guides this film is the character development. There is a tendency to
polarize the characters in a movie of this genre overly. The young woman is
completely good; taken advantage of by the heinous monster of a man. Here
Georgiana, beautifully played by Keira Knightley, is initially young and naïve
but soon learns that this is the way that the word works so she might as well
take advantage of it. Her husband, the Duke (Ralph Fiennes) is not the typical
one-note villain. He was brought up to be a duke, not prince charming. He is not
so much a villain as he is a man with social ranking and absolutely no social
graces.
Georgiana was married to the Duke a day before her 17th birthday.
On paper this looked like an ideal match; the Duke was a man of wealth, social
status, and some political power. Unfortunately for young Georgiana, he was
completely ill-equipped to be a husband. All he wanted and expected from his
young bride was to give him an heir. Sex was not romantic; it was brutal and
today would be called spousal rape. The Duke also dared to keep his mistress,
Bess Foster (Hayley Atwell) under the same roof as his wife. In that age, there
was little a wife could do but sit back and put up with the match that was made
for her. Georgiana took a different pathway. She had her affairs particularly
with Charles the 2nd Earl Grey. While such marital arrangements where not
unheard of this was fuel for much gossip. Georgiana also became a public figure
on her own. She was one of the leading influences in the fashion of the day.
Whatever she wore one night was the hit of the social scene and latest trend by
the next morning. Georgiana was also far more politically outspoken than a young
woman back then. She was a tireless supporter of the Whig party which favored a
constitutional monarchy instead of an absolute rule typically held by royalty.
This also made her a royal that was beloved by the common throng; something a
young woman of good breeding should not consider.
The cast here is perfect. Ms. Knightley may still be in her early twenties,
but she has ample experience in period costume films. She is wonderful in this
role giving an incredible balance between beauty and grace with a fiery strength
and independence. It looked as if she had a lot of fun with this character and
this translated into her becoming the duchess. When you see some of the outfits
she had to wear in this role you have to wonder if the studio provided a
chiropractor; the dresses looked like they weighed a ton and the headpieces
required several additional feet of clearance in the doorways. Fiennes is a
fantastic actor who does brooding better than anyone on the scene. He gives
dimension to the Duke making him a man to piety instead of just hating him.
Paramount does do a great job of bringing the film to your home theater. The
video is the exception and presents the vivid colors and textures amazingly
well. The audio is great with an excellent sound field. Some featurettes include
the production and the fashion of the film. This is a film that you will enjoy.