The Duchess (2008)

The Duchess is a 2008 British costume drama film based on Amanda Foreman’s best-selling biography of the 18th-century English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. It was released in September 2008 in the UK. Originally to be directed by Susanne Bier, The Duchess was directed by Saul Dibb.

Plot

Set at the end of the eighteenth century, The Duchess is based on the life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. While her beauty and charisma made her name, her extravagant tastes and appetite for gambling and love made her infamous. Married young to the older, distant Duke of Devonshire, who was blatantly unfaithful, Georgiana became a fashion icon, a doting mother, a shrewd political operator, intimate of ministers and princes, and darling of the common people. But at the core of the story is a desperate search for love. The film delves into Georgiana’s passionate and doomed affair with Earl Grey, the future Prime Minister, and the complex love triangle with her husband and her best friend, Lady Bess Foster.

The film depicts Georgiana’s tragic life story, with particular emphasis on her over-before-it-began relationship with Charles Grey. At the start of the movie, the Duchess and her friends are betting on which of their young male friends will win a race. The young mens’ names are put into a hat, and Georgiana picks Charles’ name. When he wins the race, Georgiana is delighted, and he asks for his reward. She in turn asks him what he thinks it should be, and the moment is filled with unsaid passion. Just then, though, Georgiana is summoned by her mother and Charles leaves, looking back every now and again.

Georgiana’s mother, Lady Spencer, announces that she is to be married to the Duke of Devonshire, who we later see is extremly unfaithful, and a harsh, exacting, hypocritic. Nevertheless, Georgiana strives to meet his standards and please him, but when, after six years, she does not produce a single male heir, only two daughters, his bitterness and resentment grows, even when she raises Charlotte, an illegitmate daughter of his, as if she were her own. It is around that time that Georgiana meets Lady Elizabeth, after seeing her husband talking to Lady Elizabeth at a party and suspecting that something is going on between them. However, Elizabeth reveals that there is nothing between her and the Duke, and, surprisingly, the two soon became extremely close friends. Elizabeth tells Georgiana that she has nowhere to stay and so the latter offers her a room at their house. Elizabeth, or ‘Bess’ soon becomes a permanent fixture in the Devonshire household.

One night, when the Duke, Georgiana and Bess are attending a play, Georgiana spies her old friend, Charles Grey and asks him how he found the play. When he does not show much enthusiasm, and she reminds him that it is supposed to be a comedy, and that she hopes that he has not lost his sense of humour after going to college. Upon hearing this, he looks deep into Georgiana’s eyes and says that it looked more like a tragedy to him. This is of particular significance to Georgiana, as the play is about a beautiful young girl who marries a much older, disgruntled man who only seeks a male heir, which echoes perfectly Georgiana’s predicament. Indeed, the playwright remarks to her that he had been thinking of titling the play ‘The Bad Marriage’. Accordingly, Georgiana looks into Charles’ eyes and we see the same passion and emotion we saw at the beginning of the film, when they were both young and free.

Georgiana and Charles continue to talk whenever they meet. At one of these meetings, he tells her that the campaign for his political party is not going well at all, to which she replies that she has many faults, not least of them being her ability to draw attention, and then tells him that she will use that to their advantage.

And so, with Georgiana’s help, Charles makes a speech to a huge crowd, who then cheer for him wholeheartedly, while Elizabeth looks on in a wonder bordering on adoration. After he has made his speech, the two go inside to talk and he asks her what she thought of his speech. She says that it was a ‘marvel’, and the conversation soon switches to their feelings for each other. When asked if he thinks about her when they are not together, he replies that he does, all the time, and that he always has. At that exact moment, someone informs Georgiana that her carriage is ready, interrupting the heavily anticipated kiss.

Georgiana returns home light-hearted, but her happy mood is soon quashed by the revelation that the Duke has been having an affair with Bess. Although he has had many affairs before, of which Georgiana has been, to an extent, oblivious, she is enraged that he should have an affair with her best friend, the ‘sole comfort in their marriage’, and a heated argument ensues. Georgiana insists that Elizabeth leave the house at once, but the Duke flatly refuses.

Soon, growing restless that she is forced to live with her husband’s mistress and former best friend, Georgiana proposes a deal with her husband. Georgiana will give her blessings for Bess to marry the Duke, if the Duke will accept Georgiana’s romantic feelings for Grey. Enraged, the Duke chases and corners Georgiana in their bedroom, where he proceeds to rape her. The entire household is forced to bear Georgiana’s screams, and when it is finally over, the Duke demands a son from his wife.

Trapped in her own life, the Duchess forgets her usual manners, and one evening, at a party, becomes so intoxicated that she accidentally sets her wig on fire, embarrassing her husband before other members of the court. Soon after, The Duke discovers Georgiana is pregnant, and not long after, she gives birth to a healthy son.

In the midst of all this pain and betrayal, it is Charles Grey to whom Georgiana turns. They soon begin a passionate affair, and she visits him often at his private estate, with Bess encouraging Georgiana to enjoy her lover. But soon The Duke discovers the romance and comes to take back his wife, threatening her with the loss of her children forever. Upon reading letters from her children, Georgiana returns home, prepared to endure the Duke for the sake of her children. Grey seeks her out, making a loud scene at her front door. She tries to explain her situation, and informs him there is nothing that will change her mind.

Georgiana reveals to her husband and Bess that she is pregnant with Grey’s child, and the Duke arranges for the child to be born in secret and given to Grey’s family to avoid a scandal. Soon after the birth, Georgiana is forced to surrender her new born baby girl, Eliza, to the Grey family. Georgiana returns home, and, surprisingly, The Duke attempts to comfort his wife by taking her to a party where Grey is sure to attend. Grey and Georgiana meet, and discuss where Georgiana has been. She states she has been travelling for the last year with her husband. At this, Grey informs her that he has a new niece, a beautiful girl named Eliza, implying he knows of their child. They part with humble goodbyes.

Georgiana returns to her life with her husband, Bess, and her children, with secret visits to her daughter.

Production

The Duchess is financed by BBC Films and Pathé. The Duchess was filmed at Twickenham Film Studios and on-location at Chatsworth, Bath, Holkham Hall, Clandon Park, Kedleston Hall, Somerset House and The University of Greenwich.

Regarding lead actress Keira Knightley, director Saul Dibb said The Duchess was “a chance to take a character from late childhood — she’s married at 17—into full adulthood, 10 years later.” It was also a chance to work with Ralph Fiennes, whom she regarded as one of her most accomplished co-stars to date; Dibb said, “When I said, ‘We’ve got Ralph interested in playing the Duke,’ we both took a gulp and went, ‘F—.’ [sic] … But I didn’t for one second feel that she wasn’t up to the task.”

Cast & Credits

• Directed by: Saul Dibb
• Produced by: Gabrielle Tana, Michael Kuhn
• Written by  Book: Amanda Foreman
• Screenplay: Jeffrey Hatcher, Anders Thomas Jensen, Saul Dibb
• Starring: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Hayley Atwell, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper, Aidan McArdle, Simon McBurney
• Music by: Rachel Portman
• Cinematography: Gyula Pados
• Editing by: Masahiro Hirakubo

Other Information

• Distributed by: Paramount Vantage, BBC Films, Pathé, Qwerty Films
• Release dates: United Kingdom: September 5, 2008; United States: September 19, 2008
• Running time: 110 min.
• Country: United Kingdom
• Language: English
• Budget: £13,5 million, $25,2 million, €17,1 million
• Gross revenue: $38,370,150

Links

• The Duchess official website
• The Duchess at the Internet Movie Database
• Twickenham Studios, the studio location
• Magnolia Mae Films, the production company
• Telegraph.co.uk on set report
• eFilmCritic.com interview with Dominic Cooper on The Duchess by Dan Lybarger
• http://www.amanda-foreman.com

Tags: British, Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, The Duchess