The Duchess Review

The Duchess
Starring Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes

Georgiana (Keira Knightley) is a corset-wearing girl who gains clout and fame when she gets married to the unfaithful duke (Ralph Fiennes). Like all couples of her time, Georgiana is demanded of her baby-bearing ability, and is pressured to deliver a boy. Meanwhile, the Duke starts becoming more unsubtle with his various affairs, but like any other girl of her time, Georgiana ignores this.

The movie chronicles her rise to celebrity status, her temptations, and her life with the boring Duke who cares more about his dogs.

To be honest, the movie sounds like ordinary Keira Knightley corset-wearing fare, but this one seems very much like a soap opera- and yes, that's bad.

OK, maybe the performances, the movie's presentation, the costumes are all nice to look at. I mean, Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes? Hell yeah. Still, the film seems as if it's very fast-paced, and it actually is, but it sort of overstays its welcome.

Maybe it's because Ralph Fienne's character- the Duke- is just plain boring. He's pretty abusive, but I felt like "Meh, what's new?". Georgiana, on the other hand, is pretty likeable. You side with her, naturally, because the film actually aims for a feminist angle (but it's not a half-baked spin at it, really) and you just have to sympathize with her and her suffering.

But to make for a love triangle, a forgettable Dominic Cooper (who plays as Charles Gray) enters the fray. This makes for more dramatic moments for Ralph Fiennes at least, and perhaps just that.

Maybe I'm too bored from it to actually make a sensible review for it, but in hindsight, it's a pretty decent movie. Not gonna get nominated for any major Oscar, but it's still good.

Rating: 7/10