Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #145 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-03-16
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 105 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Swaddled in whalebone and wigs, Keira Knightley steps into the restricted world of the Duchess of Devonshire, a royal lady popular with her subjects but stuck in an unhappy marriage. If this situation recalls Princess Diana (a descendent of the Duchess's family), so much the better for the purposes of director Saul Dibb and company; this film is eager to draw parallels with the unfortunate Lady Di, as Knightley's unsuspecting girl is married off to the Duke (Ralph Fiennes), a distracted man who craves male sons, and obviously has never thought of women as anything other than a means to achieve an heir. When the Duchess launches her procreative career with a couple of daughters, well, the Duke begins to get nervous--and partners outside the marriage become increasingly appealing. The Duchess serves up lavish portions of Brit-movie staples: costumes (which, in Knightley's case, are nothing short of spectacular), landscapes and gorgeous music (by Rachel Portman). If it falls short in some vague way, perhaps it's because the film is a mostly one-note affair, meaning exactly what it seems to mean at every moment. Charlotte Rampling appears too briefly as Knightley's mother, and Dominic Cooper and Hayley Atwell (from Brideshead Revisited), rising stars both, contribute attractive lures for the principals. They prove the old movie adage: there's a lot to be said for eye candy. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com

Synopsis
Like her direct descendent Princess Diana, Georgina Duchess of Devonshire was a glamorous royal, much loved by the public. While her attractiveness and charm afforded her popularity, the intelligent and vulnerable Duchess was trapped within a loveless marriage to one of the country's richest men. Rebelling against the establishment, Georgina became active campaigner for the liberal party and in turn, romantically involved with Earl Grey, leading her through tragedy, self-discovery and redemption.

Saul Dibb (Bullet Boy) directs an all star cast including Keira Knightley (as the Duchess), Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper and Hayley Attway.

Keira Knightley	The Duchess	Keira Knightley stars in The Duchess
The Duchess of Devonshire	Saul Dibb directs this period drama	Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes and Keira Knightley	Keira Knightley	An award-winning drama
Keira Knightley	Sumptuous costumes	Beautiful set pieces	Dominic Cooper co-stars

Customer Reviews

The Duchess
The Plot
At the tender age of 16, Georgiana Cavendish (Kiera Knightley) is married off to the dark, distant Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes). To the outside world, Georgina is the darling of London society. But behind the smiles, she hides pain and heartache of a crumbling marriage, due to her inability to bear an heir.

The Review
The perfect replacement for David Tennant in the TARDIS is....Kiera Knightley. Why? Well, she seems to be stuck in the past, with her last three films (I'll just gloss over the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy) have been period pieces, so she could probably do with a time machine to get back to the present day.

However, having Knightley stuck in the past is no bad thing for film fans. As the young Duchess of Devonshire, she cements her place as one of Britain's greatest acting talents, leaving Elizabeth `try wearing a corset' Swan far behind. Both actress and character have a lot in common - they're young, beautiful, strong women - making Knightley perfect for the part. Having been chosen for the role as she would be able to portray the Duchess from late childhood into full adulthood, Knightley has to contend with a whole range of emotions. From the teenage joy at the outset, to confusion and disbelieve at the actions of the Duke, to sorrow and angry at his eventual betrayal, Knightley fills every scene with the emotion and passion required from the role.

Director Saul Dibb, in only his second feature film, has perfectly captured the emotional storm in which the duchess finds her self. Transferring her from the hustle and bustle of the London set, where she is love and adored, to the loneliness and isolation of grand country manors, only serves to emphasise the broken women which she has become. Also, the dinner scenes between husband and wife, taking place across 15 feet of table, highlight the distance between the two.

Ralph Fiennes matches Knightley intensity as the Duke of Devonshire, a man who loves his dogs more than his wife. Cold and calculating, he will stop at nothing in the pursuit of his ultimate goal - a son to take on his title once he has passed on. The duke has absolutely no redeeming characters, and remains a figure of intrigue, skirting around the edges of the film, but always at the centre of the drama. Although the film is about `The Duchess' it would have been fascinating to have examined `The Duke' in deeper detail, to study his deep complexities further.

The Duchess looks at many areas of 18th century society - the role of women, class, celebrity, infidelity and the development of liberal thinking. At times thought, there are certain areas which are left under explored, including the `arrangement' which duke, duchess and mistress (Hayley Atwell) come to, and the actions which the duchess is forced to take when she fathers a child to her bit on the side Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper). The film misses out on an opportunity to fully critique the era further by skimming over these areas.

The Verdict
A beautifully shot and superbly acted biopic of London's first `It-girl'.

A Beautiful Bore ...
At moments of high drama, the leading characters walk a lot. Slowly. They walk towards the camera, slowly. They walk up or down a staircase, slowly. Or along a corridor, slowly.

This is a slow so-called 'bio-pic' which even throws in a lesbian grope just to keep us watching, and altogether it's a mediocre effort summed up beautifully by the reviewer who points out with deadly accuracy that the leading actress is simply far too modern.

It's the voices that do it. Please don't tell me that 'received pronunciation' (or "BBC English", to be patronising) didn't exist in the 18th century. I know it didn't. But neither did the appallingly 21st century suburban twang that haunts more than one of the cast's vocal cords. It's a disease that too many modern actors suffer from, and apparently show no interest in curing.

Things like this blow credibility and gravitas out of the water where I'm concerned.
I also want more than pretty photography and pretty costumes in a film. I want some substance, some action - and some decent writing. This has none of it, while peddling an obvious 'Look at the parallels between Princess Diana and her ancestor' message, just to make sure the thing sells.

The label 'BBC Films' does not inspire confidence in the Corporation's ability to produce for the cinema. They should stick to work for the small screen.
They understand it so much better.

Let's give them something to talk about
Lady Spencer: All of London is talking.
Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire: Oh, let them talk!


Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):

1. An arranged marriage to the older and wealthy Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes) made young Georgiana (Keira Knightley) a Duchess.
2. Unfortunately, the Duke was a man of few words, and the job description for his wife included only three tasks - bear heir; look pretty; no talking.
3. This did not sit well with the vivacious, articulate and charismatic Duchess, whose baby switch seemed set on pink instead of blue, and who had a natural flair for partying and politics
4. Soon the Duke starts triangulating the relationship, and the Duchess retaliates with a bit of Earl Grey.
5. Everyone lives scandalously ever after

Excellent acting performances are given by Fiennes and Knightley, as well as by the always impressive Charlotte Rampling (Lady Spencer, mother of Georgiana), Dominic Cooper (Earl Grey, also from Mamma Mia!) and Hayley Atwell (Bess Foster, really close friend of the Duke and Duchess)

The costumes and settings are breathtaking, and although somewhat lacking in depth, this movie adaptation of the life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire does not disappoint as pure entertainment.



Amanda Richards