He has tried to make Georgiana’s quest for independence — her attempt to gain power via the media and the Whigs — just as gritty. Against the odds, he mostly succeeds.
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09/05/08
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The Duchess (2008)
61
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Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:158
Fresh:96
Rotten:62
Average Rating:6.2/10
Consensus: While The Duchess treads the now-familiar terrain of the corset-ripper, the costumes look great and Keira Knightley's performance is stellar in this subtly feminist, period drama.
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Sep 19, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $13,823,741
Synopsis: After PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and ATONEMENT, Keira Knightley continues her reign as the queen of the period film with this 18th-century costume drama. The corset-clad actress stars as Georgiana... [More]
Starring: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper
Director: Saul Dibb
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Reviews for The Duchess
Can we not just enjoy what's on the screen without being spoon-fed a specious modern analogy? Dibb and his team – especial plaudits to Michael Carlin's production design and Michael O'Connor's costumes – have worked honourably to persuade us that we can.
09/05/08
“Banality of banalities, all is banality,” saith the critic emerging from The Duchess as he hums the locations, wigs and furniture.
09/05/08
For period drama fans there is enough high-powered bed-hopping and elegant corridor-stomping to keep them entertained.
09/05/08
The Duchess lacks the high romance of Pride And Prejudice and the tragic depth of Atonement, it is a decent example of English heritage cinema.
09/05/08
There’s no let up in pace throughout the film and Keira is stunning. It takes someone very special to deliver the level of intimate exposure we get from her in this film. Be prepared to shed a tear or two, especially if you’re a mum!
09/05/08
The main event here is frock porn.
09/05/08
From ballrooms to bedrooms, we’ve seen it all before. And while familiarity doesn’t necessarily breed contempt, it does have a habit of nudging the snooze button.
09/05/08
There is, however, much to enjoy. The cinematography, settings and costumes are glorious. Knightley gives a nuanced and often very moving performance, although Georgiana's love affair with the politician Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper) is remarkably lacking
09/05/08
Dibb's movie looks good, but there is something exasperatingly bland and slow-moving at all times. Unlike the heroine, he never takes much of a risk.
09/05/08
For beneath the hype and tabloid traction, the movie is dramatically flaccid.
09/05/08
A guilty pleasure. Less historical drama, more high-class soap opera.
09/05/08
He’s also helped enormously by a mature, restrained portrayal from Knightley, a masterclass in passive aggression from Fiennes and a performance of tender seduction from Atwell.
09/05/08
For Knightley the part fits like a corset - it’s an enigmatic, free-spirited turn and a role she’ll be remembered for, probably her best role to date in a film not directed by Joe Wright.
09/05/08
Has riveting parallels with much more recent British royal family history. It's also an entertaining, emotional drama.
09/04/08
Ralph Fiennes steals it as the dour duke in a splendid under-performance. His "Please put Her Grace's hair out" when his wife's wig catches alight at a party is perfectly done.
09/04/08
It could have been an intriguing, poignant saga of a modern marriage and extraordinary femme, but what we get is a trashy melodrama that can't decide how sensationalistic to be and fits the small screen in its conception and Masterpiece Theater style.
09/03/08
For all its luscious period trappings and Keira Knightley's spirited take on the title role, Saul Dibb's handsome biopic reveals little about how Georgiana Spencer Cavendish became one of 18th-century London's most celebrated and influential aristocrats.
09/02/08
Solid but distant melodrama about the flamboyant 18th century Duchess of Devonshire.
09/02/08
Top CriticLatest News for The Duchess
January 07, 2009:
People's Choice Awards Winners Announced
The 35th annual People's Choice Awards were handed out on January 7, 2009. A complete list of film nominees, with winners in bold, follows below. More...
January 03, 2009:
Not just another royal goddess in a gilded cage costume drama, the film couldn't be more current now, when women bidding for the highest political offices are told to go home and take care of their kids or iron male shirts. Sexual subversion in corsets. 
More...
December 28, 2008:
Not just another royal goddess in a gilded cage costume drama, the film couldn't be more current now, when women bidding for the highest political offices are told to go home and take care of their kids or iron male shirts. Sexual subversion in corsets.
More...
October 12, 2008:
Emarketingmag.com: Not just another royal goddess in a gilded cage costume drama, the film couldn't be more current now, when women bidding for the highest political offices are told to go home and take care of their kids or iron male shirts.
More...
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