Spring Break
'Duchess' a royal achievment
by Justine Root
Arts Editor
Arts | 10/21/08
Posted online at 12:49 AM EST on 10/21/08
I've often thought of Keira Knightley as a one-trick pony in that the majority of her films, while entertaining, consist primarily of her putting on a corset (and maybe a feathered bonnet) and then alternating between enraged crying and brazenness. Thus, when I initially saw the advertisements for The Duchess, which featured Knightley sporting a corset, a British accent and a sweet 'fro, I didn't really expect the movie to be anything other than another amusing bodice-ripper whose production had been justified by the presence of a semi-legitimate historical backdrop.
However, my expectations were set much too low. The Duchess is ultimately a lush, incredibly moving piece that tells the story of Georgiana Spencer, the Duchess of Devonshire, whom Knightley plays marvelously. In her time, Georgiana was a well-known beauty and a celebrated socialite, as well as an active political figure in a time when women's suffrage was still an alien concept.
Unfortunately, Georgiana's social success did not extend to her personal life; her marriage to Duke William Cavendish was advantageous but unhappy for both the parties involved.
I was initially skeptical of the casting of Knightley for the part of the Duchess, seeing as how Georgiana is in her late teens upon the movie's start and Knightley most certainly is not. But, Knightley captures excellently the Duchess' progression from a wide-eyed innocent blinded by prestige to a wife who is powerful in public but a prisoner at home. And Knightley shines in scenes orchestrated to masterfully illustrate the dual existence of a popular social persona and an isolated, neglected spouse, such as when the Duke and Duchess dine together at opposite ends of their table while the Duke's mistress sits closer to him than his wife.
Speaking of the Duke, his portrayal by Ralph Fiennes almost steals the show. Fiennes is so cold throughout the film that he occasionally appears mentally unstable, giving the impression of potentially being a sociopath, as the Duke pursues his desire for a son and commits multiple emotional hypocrisies. However, as much as we want to despise the Duke, Fiennes makes it impossible for us to do so, as he combines the Duke's detachment with a genuine inability to understand how he has not provided for Georgiana as a husband or the reasons for her unhappiness.
However, my expectations were set much too low. The Duchess is ultimately a lush, incredibly moving piece that tells the story of Georgiana Spencer, the Duchess of Devonshire, whom Knightley plays marvelously. In her time, Georgiana was a well-known beauty and a celebrated socialite, as well as an active political figure in a time when women's suffrage was still an alien concept.
Unfortunately, Georgiana's social success did not extend to her personal life; her marriage to Duke William Cavendish was advantageous but unhappy for both the parties involved.
I was initially skeptical of the casting of Knightley for the part of the Duchess, seeing as how Georgiana is in her late teens upon the movie's start and Knightley most certainly is not. But, Knightley captures excellently the Duchess' progression from a wide-eyed innocent blinded by prestige to a wife who is powerful in public but a prisoner at home. And Knightley shines in scenes orchestrated to masterfully illustrate the dual existence of a popular social persona and an isolated, neglected spouse, such as when the Duke and Duchess dine together at opposite ends of their table while the Duke's mistress sits closer to him than his wife.
Speaking of the Duke, his portrayal by Ralph Fiennes almost steals the show. Fiennes is so cold throughout the film that he occasionally appears mentally unstable, giving the impression of potentially being a sociopath, as the Duke pursues his desire for a son and commits multiple emotional hypocrisies. However, as much as we want to despise the Duke, Fiennes makes it impossible for us to do so, as he combines the Duke's detachment with a genuine inability to understand how he has not provided for Georgiana as a husband or the reasons for her unhappiness.
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