ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

LADY GEORGIANA SPENCER was the kind of 18th century celebrity that the modern world might recognise. A fashion icon, beauty and prominent society figure, she was also a distant ancestor of Diana Spencer. The Duchess is a handsome account of her life and a marriage to the cold, distant Duke of Devonshire that suggests all kinds of contemporary parallels.

Based on Amanda Foreman’s book, The Duchess is a racy period romp that concentrates more on the emotions than the stately home locations and undeniably fantastic frocks. Georgiana (Keira Knightley) is just seventeen when she is told she will be married to the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes). Her mother Lady Spencer (Charlotte Rampling) believes it is a very advantageous match and Georgiana is excited if a little bemused.

Teenage notions of romance and marriage are soon crushed by the realisation that Georgiana’s sole purpose is to provide an heir and that the Duke is more interested in his dogs than spending time with her. Her sense of humiliation only increases as she is asked to give a home to the Duke’s illegitimate daughter.

When her good friend Lady Bess Foster (Hayley Atwell) becomes the Duke’s mistress, she finally accepts that she is trapped in a gilded cage where a man can do whatever he wants and a woman must know her place.

The Duchess is an intelligent and very well-acted bodice-ripper with Keira Knightley capturing all the youthful naivety and playful wit of Georgiana. She is upstaged by Ralph Fiennes, who makes the Duke a far more complex and intriguing character than his acts as a beastly husband might suggest.

Nationwide release

Director: Saul Dibb
Cast: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell
Screenwriter: Jeffrey Hatcher, Anders Thomas Jensen, Saul Dibb based on the book by Amanda Foreman
Certificate: 12A
Running time: 110 mins
Country: UK
Year: 2008

© Allan Hunter,