Sold at the age of sixteen, Georgiana Spencer is married off to one of the richest and most powerful men in the Kingdom, the Duke of Devonshire, to sire him a son. Rebellious in nature and disappointed by the Dukes emotional distance Georgiana throws herself into London society, finding friendship with Bess, until The Duke takes Bess as his mistress. Following an ill fated affair with Charles Grey, the duke threatens to take her children away...

The Duchess (2008 - 1 hr, 45 min, 40 sec) is a historical drama directed by Saul Dibb (Bullet Boy - 2004) and adapted from the novel Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman. The film won five awards, including an Oscar and a BAFTA for costume design; it was nominated for a further fourteen awards.

The character of the Duchess is based on the true life story of the Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1757 - 1806) who married William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire. The film depicts her as a free spirit who railed against the restriction which both her sex and class imposed. Much has been made of the fact that she was an ancestor of Lady Diana Spencer and whilst there are similarities in their lives (both married to older men, both married to produce an heir and both had to suffer their husband's openly parading their mistresses) to take the comparison further, I feel, does an injustice to both the film and Georgiana’s life.

The film opens with the emotionally crippled Duke striking a bargain with Georgiana’s mother; money for the chance of an heir. Vivacious and free spirited, she finds that her husband prefers the company of his dogs to spending any time with her. Ralph Fiennes plays the Duke as a man who clearly has no love for his wife, he is not overtly unkind towards her and in comparison with Bess’s husband, who could legally beat his wife as long as the rod was no thicker than his thumb, he appears to be trying to be as sensitive as he could be. But this is the eighteenth century and women of that class were often treated little better than breeding sows. Although he finds love with his mistress, he cannot marry her because of the restrictions which his position imposes.

In one of the saddest lines in the film the Duke looks down at his children at play and says to Georgiana: “How wonderful to be that free”. He also has one of the funniest lines in the film when his wife, clearly under the influence of either drink or drugs, accidentally sets fire to her wig, he does not rush forward to help her, preferring to keep his dignity, he asks a servant: “Please put out her grace's hair”.

In the end Fiennes portrayal of the Duke allows him to be more than a two dimensional character.

The film, though, rests on Keira Knightley’s portrayal of the duchess - a woman stuck in a loveless marriage, she gambles, drinks and experiments with her sexuality, much of this is alluded to in the film rather than explicitly stated.  In an age before celebrity became an accepted cult ,Georgiana involves herself in the politics of the day, powerless in her own household she used her celebrity to help her political friends. Knightley does a sterling job in taking her character through her tumultuous life giving a powerful performance she keeps the audiences sympathy throughout.

Overall the film is a melancholy affair, it could not be anything else, and none of the characters get to live the lives they want. The duke needs an heir and so is married to a woman he does not love; Georgiana is stuck in a loveless marriage, her only chance of love is in her affair with Charles Grey, a love she gives up for her children’s sake; not even Bess is happy as she becomes the dukes mistress in order to get her children back from her estranged husband. Even when the characters have fleeting moments of happiness the sadly soulful score by Rachel Portman underpins its transitory nature.

This is not to say that there isn’t much to enjoy in the film. The set pieces are a visual feast, especially the costumes which won a number of deserved accolades. Charlotte Rampling plays Lady Spencer as a powerful matriarch and Hayley Atwell is able to play Bess as a sympathetic character, even though she betrays Georgiana's friendship. Atwell is able to show that her character would do anything for her children. At no point do you feel any malice towards the duchess, just a realistic view of what women have to do in this age.

The disc does come with a good amount of extras. The ‘Making Of’ feature is actually made up of five smaller featurettes which can be played individually or straight through; there is some repetition of information within them. They are made up of The Real Duchess (10 min), Casting a Marriage (8 min, 03 sec), Locations (8 min, 38 sec), A Political Woman (6 min, 35 sec) and The Empress of Fashion (7 min, 09 sec). There are three deleted scenes (11 min, 38 sec) which can be played with an introduction from the director giving an explanation of why these hit the cutting room floor. To round the extras off there is the original theatrical trailer (2 min, 16 sec) and a photo gallery.

The film is presented in full screen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and a 5.1 audio track; there are options for audio description and for subtitles for the hard of hearing.

Regardless that the film is a very polished affair, it is not without its faults. Although the cast portray the nuances of their characters well, the film lacks a certain focus. As a biopic, it skims over many of the more interesting qualities of Georgiana’s life, choosing to concentrate on the general unhappiness which forced people to live lives devoid of love.

8

Charles Packer