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 & 14 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 (cut) (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:

Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire: What's that on your neck? Bess?
Bess Foster: It's not illegal for a man to beat his wife with a stick unless the stick is thicker than his thumb.

Movie Connections:

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

All I wanted from this film and more

Okay, so let's put this in context, if you don't like period dramas, don't go and see this movie, you probably won't like it, and it is NOT Diana's story, nothing like although some in the marketing department thought so ...

But i love this film, having being dying to see it since the first teaser trailer. I love everything about it the costumes, the characters, the acting, the whole package.

Keira Knightley in a corset again, but then i think these are roles she is good at, this role required her to have this real sense of melancholy to her and she did it beautifully.

Ralph Fiennes is funny, repulsive and endearing in his role as the duke you feel one thing for him and then another, you can't write this guy off as anything in particular. All i know is that i wouldn't want to be married to him.

I hope that both Knightley and Fiennes get their second and third Oscar nominations for this respectively, as they are well made parts.

As for the others:

Dominic Cooper, is lovely as Grey if perhaps a little underused, Hayley Atwell's character is again one you want to hate but really can't, and Rampling is great as the mother.

All in all a great period flick, i say 10/10, but if i wasn't so into this kind of thing i'd probably still rate it quite highly, it is a fine piece of film-making.