The Duchess

The film The Duchess (2008) has been lingering on my Netflix Instant Watch for weeks now, begging to be watched. I had a moment last night, and based on my interest in the film The Other Boleyn Girl, I decided to partake. It ended up being one of the best movies I have seen as of late. With a strong plot based the very real Duchess of Devonshire, Lady Georgiana, this film is likely to be remembered most for its strong female protagonist, played by Keira Knightley, and its particularly striking arrangement of costume choices.

Now, I enjoy reading the multiple synopsises of the film that I have seen so far, for one reason, mainly: they all describe Lady Georgiana's marriage as "unhappy" or "unsatisfying," which is quite the universal euphamism if you have seen the film. Georgiana endures first the loneliness and estrangemen t from the man she shares a home with- not too hard to live with. But as the story unfolds, she faces humiliation, betrayal, sexual and verbal abuse, blackmail, and incarceration in her own home. Her powerful husband does a lot more than make her life "unhappy." He makes her life Hell. Her husband, The manipulative Duke of Devonshire, is played by Ralph Fiennes in a performance that achieved a Golden Globe nomination as well as nominations for Best International Actor, and British Actor of the Year.

The story is packed with emotion based on the struggles an aristocratic- and at times, even a lower class- woman would face on a daily basis in the 18th century. Seen as the lesser counterpart to a man, the women in this piece are a marvel at the ways they determinedly seek out loopholes in the corrupt system they occupy. They aren't dull creatures. On the contrary, they are all well-educated, and often answer the same questions that men are asked (careful to admit that their opinions are grounded in no real way). Each character is strong and memorable. The emphasis on the joy of mothering children (not neccessarily the birthing) is a theme in this film, and more than one woman must face terrible consequences for the sake of choosing her children over everything else.

But the costumes are what I have been dying to talk about. From scene change to scene change, Lady Georgiana dazzles you with a new dress, a new hat, a new style of makeup. In the beginning of the film, about to lose her virginity to her new husband, he comments on the complication of removing a woman's clothing. She tells him that women's clothing must often be complicated because it's the only outlet they can use to express themselves- and after that line, Georgiana does nothing else if not live up to that quote. This film won a plethera of awards for its costume design, including an Oscar, A BAFTA Film Award, A CDG Award (Costume Designers' Guild), A Phoenix Film Critics' Award, and a Satalite Award. The costume designer was Michael O'Connor, whose work can also be seen in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets where he worked as Asssociate Costume Designer in 2002.

I reccommend this film to any person who appreciates period pieces of old England, English fashion, strong female protagonists, emotional pieces, the work of Ray Fiennes or Kiera Knightley, or history. As in any film, there are historical innacuracies. But none so bold as the work of Terrentino, who thought it wise to change the death of Hitler in Inglorious Basterds. Thanks for that, Quinton.