- Release Date: December 27th, 2008
- Publisher: Paramount
- Price: $16.99 on Amazon (Buy It
)
- Rating: PG-13 (for sexual content, brief nudity, and thematic material)
- Run Time: 109 Minutes
- Special Features: How Far She Went… Making the Duchess, Georgiana In Her Own Words, Costume Diary
- Starring: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell, Simon McBurney
- Genre: Period Piece, Romance
Going into The Duchess I really wasn’t expecting a whole lot. I was expecting a pretty boring period piece that was on the artsy side (not a mainstream movie). I gave The Duchess the opportunity to surprise me but after seeing the film I have to say that my first thoughts were essentially right on.
Most people probably could tell from the cover but The Duchess is not for everyone. The Duchess follows the life of Georgiana Spencer. After marrying the Duke of Devonshire, Georgiana became one of the most famous and beloved women in the world. In an age of sexism (18th century) Georgiana stood up for woman’s rights through her political beliefs and clothing choices. When the Duke starts flaunting his affairs though, Georgiana begins being tempted by a teenage crush.
If you were bored by the description, I can already tell you that this film is not for you. The film really wasn’t for me either. I am not really a fan of period pieces but I usually give them a chance. The Duchess was just boring though. I guess I am not really the target audience though.
While the movie was boring in my opinion, I don’t want my thoughts to persuade people not to watch the film if it interests them. If you are interested by plot I think you should give the Duchess a chance. The Duchess was boring to me because I really wasn’t interested in the story. If you are interested in the story though I think you would enjoy the film more.
Even though I didn’t really enjoy the film that much I do have to give credit where it is due. First the acting is good. Keira Knightley is great as always. It’s too bad that she doesn’t do more films that appeal to a more widespread audience since she is a great actress. Along with the acting I have to say that the film did a good job taking you back to the 18th century which is crucial in this type of film.
As far as special features, my thoughts are similar to the film. They are pretty boring unless you are the target audience and you enjoyed the film. Here is more information on each special feature:
- How Far She Went… Making the Duchess-A 23 minute making of featurette.
- Georgiana In Her Own Words-A 7 minute look at Georgiana’s life through her own writings.
- Costume Diary-A 5 minute look at the costumes used in the movie.
I honestly really didn’t enjoy The Duchess. I thought it was quite boring. Just because I didn’t enjoy the film doesn’t mean that you won’t though. If you enjoy artsier type films and like period pieces you should enjoy The Duchess quite a bit. If the previous sentence doesn’t describe you though I would recommend that you stand clear of The Duchess.
