The Duchess

Historical dramas and romances are not generally my cup of tea. As I'm mostly a horror and science fiction fan; bu as of late I have become rather fond of the genre. And one of the major reasons why is a little film called The Duchess starring the always lovely (and talented) Keira Knightley.

The film documents the life of Georgina, the Duchess of Devinshire, in the 19th century. And her highly turbulent and blighted marriage to the Duke of Devinshire. The film portrays the vicious societal treatment of women (even though of immense social status as Georgina has) in a very realistic, and depressing manner. As the Duke continuously robs a young and entirely innocent girl of any and all pleasure she may take from life because of his and English society's massive desire for her to produce a male heir.

The film opens with a gorgeous shot of 19th century England (and the fashions of the day) and very adeptly shows the intelligence and tender heartedness of Georgina before she is shackled to George. From the moment the two are wed, George shows zero interest in his new bride other than for the purposes of producing a male heir. As Georgina increasingly becomes a darling of English political and upper crust society; the Duke maintains his boring and ever distant personality. As is expertly shown in an early scene in the film when Georgina upstages the Duke at a dinner reception for political dignitaries of the English Whig party.

As the relationship between the Duchess and Duke continues to deteriorate, the character Bess is introduced. A woman who is also stricken by the horrors of how 19th Century society treated women. As her children had been separated from her because her husband was living with a mistress. The friendship between the two is actually quite touching. But their relationship yields the one portion of the film that I didn't really care for. The two have an almost lesbian sex scene which I felt was in bad taste and out of place in the film. While there is some proof that the two did engage in such acts, it is still made entirely of conjecture from the letters between the women.

While the movie has absolutely breathtaking cinematography and amazing costuming, which is certainly very pleasant, it is also one of the most truly depressing movies I've seen in the past few years. The pain that the Duke of Devinshire inflicts upon Georgina is truly horrible. This culminates in a rape scene which is highly uncomfortable to watch. The movie doesn't hold any punches, and is acted superbly. It is a must see for anyone into this historical period, anyone who loves amazing clothing, and pretty much just anyone who loves good film.

4.5 out of 5 stars.