The Duchess

Movie Title--  The Duchess

Release Year--  2008

Running Time--  1 Hour and 50 Minutes

Director--  Saul Dibb

Cast--  Kiera Knightly, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell, Simon McBurney, Aiden McArdle

A chronicle of the life of the 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.

Set in the late 18th century, the story starts when Georgiana is a young woman and is being set up to marry the much older William Cavendish, the 5th Duke of Devonshire.  The only stipulation is that she must provide him with a male heir.  After becoming the Duchess of Devonshire, she attends a political meeting with her husband but as the speeches are going on, he gets up and leaves.  She follows him out and asks if he is ill and he replies with politics bore him.  Feeling that someone needed to represent their donation, Georgiana goes back in and this becomes the start of her political career. 

Not long after the marriage the Duke brings a child into their home and Georgiana learns that the child is his illegitimate daughter.  The Duke tells Georgiana that she should practice her mothering skills with the girl and soon the two become very close.  The Duchess has two daughters but produces no sons, so the family goes away to Bath to drink the healing waters.  Once they are there, the Duke hits on a woman and Georgiana goes and introduces herself to the her, learning that her name is Lady Bess Foster.  They become fast friends and when it is time for them to return home, the Duchess gets the Duke to invite her to their home.

The Duke and Bess begin an affair and upon feeling the sting of betrayal, she begins her own affair with a young politician named Charles Grey.  Georgiana then tells her husband that she would make a deal with him, he could have Bess as his mistress as long as she could take Charles Grey as a lover.  He then tells her that he does not need to make deals with her because he holds all the power.  He then demands that Georgiana give him a son.  What happens to her makes her become wreck less and after the birth of her son, she takes back up with her lover and she is forced to make the biggest decision of her life.

I really enjoyed this film.  I found myself being very sympathetic toward Georgina because of her situation; she was a woman whom had to raise her husband's illegitimate child, had two girls and finally a son, and had her only friend become her husband's live in mistress.  All of that is before she took a lover, was forced to give him up and the consequences that came with all of that.  It just seemed so cruel and unfair to her.  I think the saddest part is that this was based on a true story, although since men had more authority then than they do now when it came to how they controlled their marriages that seems to be the kind of things that happened back then to some upper class women, just not quite as publicly as Georgiana had to deal with it.

Kiera Knightly is beautiful in this film.  I do have to say that I hated her hair throughout the film but a lot of that was wigs and not really her fault.  I am also a big fan of Ralph Fiennes; I like him in just about any role but I think I like him best when he plays a villainous role.

I would recommend this film to anyone looking for a little historical dramatization.  Get a few girlfriends over for this one and Don't Forget the Popcorn!