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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.
Theatrical Release:05-09-2008
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
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!
For period drama fans there is enough high-powered bed-hopping and elegant corridor-stomping to keep them entertained.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Top CriticFrom 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.
The main event here is frock porn.
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
Top CriticFor beneath the hype and tabloid traction, the movie is dramatically flaccid.
Top Critic“Banality of banalities, all is banality,” saith the critic emerging from The Duchess as he hums the locations, wigs and furniture.
The Duchess is an emotionally engaging drama with a terrific central performance from Keira Knightley. Recommended.
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.
Top CriticHas riveting parallels with much more recent British royal family history. It's also an entertaining, emotional drama.
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.
Top CriticA guilty pleasure. Less historical drama, more high-class soap opera.
Top CriticRalph 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.
The film's real power lies with Knightley. She easily could have gone over the emotional top, but instead gives a measured performance that increasingly draws you in.
A mature, restrained portrayal from Knightley, a masterclass in passive aggression from Fiennes and a performance of tender seduction from Atwell.
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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. 
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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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