Movie Review: The Duchess

Do you think that your boyfriend or ex is a royal pain? Is he controlling? Does he have a double standard for what he's allowed to do and what you are? Then you can totally identify with Keira Knightley in the feminist period drama The Duchess.

Story goes: In the late 1700's, Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire (Keira Knightley) was born Spencer (yes, she was an ancestor of Princess Diana and there are some similarities in their lives). When she, at age 16, was married off to middle-aged Duke William Cavendish, (the excellent Ralph Fiennes), it was a cold match meant to produce a male heir and that's about it. All of young Georgiana's romantic dreams were quickly dashed and the marriage tried to crush the hopeful young girl's spirit. In an era of revolution (in the states and upcoming, in France) and Enlightenment in England, people talked of rights and freedom... for all men... uh, forget the women. They were assigned to have babies and shut up.

Poor Georgiana is expected to tolerate her husband's lovers, raise a daughter he fathered with another woman and hey, after producing two daughters, when is that son coming along anyway? G. becomes a third wheel in her own mansion when the Duke takes in a mistress and her sons. Humiliated, G. can only hold her own as a fashion plate and throw one heck of a good party as often as possible to forget her troubles. Once G. finally takes her own boyfriend on the side, cute Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper of Mama Mia) who will one day be Prime Minister, she asks for a divorce but is physically attacked by the angry Duke which results, finally, in the son he wants. Later, Duke-boy from hell tells G. she can never see her love again even though she is carrying Grey's baby and, if she goes away with him, she'll never see her own kids again! G. has to make a heart-rending decision.

The Duchess isn't your usual stuffy costume drama. Keira is wonderful in the role as she expresses her pain as much with her eyes and face as with words. Fiennes is amazing as usual as the Duke you'll love to hate...bigtime! Dom Cooper makes a dashing distraction for the doomed duchess. Costumes, sets and cinematography are top drawer as well. Although the movie takes place in a very tumultuous period in history (as is our own) it's not a dry history lesson but just the background for a very personal story about a young woman living under impossible emotional torture and, somehow coming through. The Duchess is well worth a trip to the cinema, especially for you and the BFFs. Opens Friday Sept. 19th.

For beautifully-acted, wonderful-looking femme-centered entertainment, 4 out of 5 stars. (rated PG-13)

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.