"The Duchess" (2008) - Movie Review

Period films of the lavish British life of beauty, affairs and boredom annoys me. It is sad to see the women being given a high status in being secluded from the general crowd and later by themselves. “Elizabeth”, “Marie Antoinette” and “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” more than saddening carried an immense display of boredom. It is the period when these women have to go through that, the ordeal of being married to a powered male and spend their days with gambling, beauty and display of their vanishing elegance into the depth of marriage of debacle. Of the three I mentioned, “Marie Antoinette” despite its nature stood out for its contemporary making by Sophia Coppola. “The Duchess” would be the first for me to have faired well in keeping me occupied without being restless.

When we meet Georgiana (Keira Knightley), the soon to be duchess of Devonshire, she is in her teens of having fun and placing bets on men with immense power of running. She is as excited as her mother (Charlotte Rampling) to marry the Duke William (Ralph Fiennes). The purpose is simple, give birth to a son. The Duke comes to her bedroom, methodically dissembles the laborious construction of dress and complains on the complication of women’s dresses which Duchess misunderstands for a conversation he is trying to make. The baby making ritual is done clinically and mechanically. In between that Duke pretty much sleeps with maids and whoever wandering around his room. This is the life she has gotten into.

Adding to this is her several miscarriages and two daughters in succession. She gladly accepts Charlotte (Eva Hrela) daughter of demised maid whom William slept with even before her first pregnancy. Three daughters and heirless makes her a disappointment and in the words of Williams, not being a dutiful wife. That sums it up. She is attracted to a young politician she knew before her marriage Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper). In the meanwhile she makes friends with one Bess Foster (Hayley Atwell) who would betray her as expected but a mother in suffering of being restricted from seeing her children from her father. These are some of the turmoil of relationship which happens in this life of being a Duchess and fulfilling responsibilities.

Undoubtedly living in the male chauvinistic society, it is told from the point of view of Duchess played with painstaking effort from Keira Knightley. In the fogs of those effort comes some unsuitability for her being the Duchess. Not that it is glaringly obvious but surely some actress with age would have been able to add believability to this character. Having said that, it is evident of the discipline showed in lining this lead to the portrayal of her in to a newly wed, a mother, a friend, influencing personality and the biggest pain of all being the Duchess.

I have always wanted to see a film focusing on male lead which does not involve war and politics. And in this Ralph Fiennes in the shadows of this stoically stubborn and chauvinistic Duke gives a man facing many questions from the public of his misfortune of not being able to father a son. While he could not keep himself from throwing at every women in the palace, his dealing of that society is sensed when he tries to coax or request his plea to his Georgiana. He is snaky and sweaty in perfecting these characters that does not show explicit viciousness. Here he is indifferent and boring but vengefully active when it comes to guarding his name and status.

Saul Dibb’s direction is occupying if not engaging. It has a sense of understanding of the life lead by these people of financial abundance but complications of immense nature. It is irritating for the females who are respected to the equals of kings but been diminished of the freedom they would expect. That is the frustrating detail of being the princess. In these surpluses of wealth and beauty, it is invigoratingly hurtful to be reduced to a baby making machine than a human of some substance to be heard of her opinions and respected.

“The Duchess” is a film without complicated script but with complicated people of that period. It has the distinguished expression in between females and the males being the reigning beasts of that palace. As I said earlier a point of view from a man in say showing that snob, snitch and stupid male dominant attitude to the change of seeing things the way of contemporary nature would make a great film. May be there are films which I am not aware of. If not, this would be the time to make one.