Keira Knightley by Potatojunkie
Published in European Vibe, October 2008
Just observing Keira Knightley’s quizzical but seductive eyes gazing from the billboards should be enough to tell you what The Duchess is all about. Set roughly a generation before Ms Austen’s most famous works, the landscape and the characters of the late eighteenth century remain familiar, as Knightley portrays the colourful life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, and her struggle to survive in a society governed by strict and inflexible moral codes.
Indulgent period dramas are the strong suit of the British film industry, and you get the feeling that The Duchess is the kind of film that it can produce with its eyes closed. Most impressive are the costumes; from the blood red tunics and jagged triangular hats of the Duke’s guard, to the opulent, sprawling wigs of the female aristocrats, who seem spend their whole lives weighed down under mounds of puffing make up and sipping seductively from glasses of ruby red wine.
It’s rather a return to type for Knightley, who returns to the late-Georgian era for a second time after playing the part of Elizabeth Bennett in 2005’s award winning Pride and Prejudice. Getting under the skin of Cavendish, however, must have proved quite an enjoyable task. Young and beautiful, with an interest in politics and the power to influence fashion, Cavendish is remembered by history as something of an early libertine, fond of gambling and drinking. Amongst the annuls of British history she briefly appears as a person of consequence at the 1784 General Election, where she freely dispensed kisses to potential voters in support of the Whig cause.
If I was pushed to give you one rock solid reason for surrendering an evening and setting off to the cinema to watch The Duchess, it would be the presence of Ralph Fiennes. Cast opposite Knightley, playing the role of her dour-faced husband the Duke, Fiennes lifts the level of the film a notch through the power of his sheer physical presence. Fiennes fills the boots of the awkward Duke perfectly – forever petulant, irritable and clumsy. Perhaps there are more accomplished actors than Fiennes working in Britain as I write, but I’ve not seen them yet.
The crux of the plot lies in the relationship between the terribly mismatched couple. The Duchess, despite her beauty and level of popularity, consistently fails to provide her husband with his long sought after male heir. The Duke meanwhile, burdened by responsibility and bored stiff by the relentless grind of social engagements, is in the grip of a deep and silent anger that simmers away just beneath the surface.
Whilst all too often the incidents that ensue are vicious and disturbing, the director has left plenty of room for subtle touches of humour. Chief amongst these are the farcical moments of protocol, that often leave the Duke and his wife sat silently at opposing ends of a great dining table, baulking under the weight of fine meats and wine. With the unhappy couple doing their level best not to catch the other’s eye, it is a comedy of manners and strongly reminiscent of a scene in Sofia Coppolla’s Marie Antoinette, with Kirsten Dunst’s Antoinette staring helplessly at her pathetic Dauphin.
The Duchess’ tagline claims that it is ‘Based upon the incredible true story’, which pushes it a little. Whilst the scenes and action are accomplished enjoyable and evocative, there is little new in the plot that does more than remind you of the marginalised role of women who were expected to do little more than churn out children at the rate of one every other year. Sadly, the fate of Georgiana Cavendish wasn’t incredible – what happens between her and her husband was, all in all, quite normal.
Period dramas are not for everyone, but judging by the number of films that have emerged about the late-eighteenth century, I have to suppose that there is something deep within our psyche that compels us towards ridiculous wigs and women drenched from head to foot in talcum powder. The Duchess gives us all of the above alongside the lively tale of Georgiana Cavendish’s life – and for me that’s well deserving of a night out at the cinema.
Filed under: Films | Tagged: BBC, cavendish, devonshire, dutchess, georgiana, keira, knightley
