Loved it. One of the best films of the year so far. The production design is spectacular, the cinematography and direction fluid, and the performances are spectacular from the two leads. Keira Knightley gives what is probably the best performance of her career so far and is stunning here, commanding the screen with an intense and powerful performance worthy of Oscar recognition. Ralph Fiennes is also great and doesn't resort to making the Duke the one-note villain he could have been. Also deserving mention is Hayley Atwell, who is far better here than in this year's other period drama Brideshead Revisited. It's incredibly compelling and engaging throughout and all of the characters are rich and fully developed. I highly recommend checking this one out, and hope the performances aren't ignored come awards season. A/A-

I really liked the acting, especially that of Fiennes, but the movie seemed to have no plot whatsover, or no substantial plot. I thought I was going to get a movie that was more like Elizabeth.

This felt like your standard period drama following a cliffs notes version of history. Knightly has done so many English period films that she no longer has to really stretch herself to give a solid performance. While Fiennes has played the asshole so well in recent films I'm beginning to wonder if he's actually that way in real life. The supporting cast is good thou a tad underused. The cinematography and costuming were quite good while the direction felt like a high budget BBC drama. Overall it is a worthy entry into the period genre category, better than average but failing to reach greatness.


Grade B-

I didn't realize you were capable of giving any movie a grade this high.. Wow..

I have a theory. A person watches a film such as this for the same reason he or she listens to old Beatles albums. The material presented is engaging and comforting in its familiarity. You know the drill: Keira Knightley is Georgiana Cavendish, a defiant, intelligent beauty living in a male-dominated time. Ralph Fiennes is the distant, older artistocrat Georgiana is forced to wed. Dominic Cooper is the doting, intense stud Georgiana truly loves. And, of course, there must be at least one award-winning veteran playing an elderly authority figure. This is often Dame Judi Dench, but here it is Charlotte Rampling as Georgiana's loving, but pragmatic mother.

With the notable exception of Hayley Atwell's character and her impact on the plot, this film adheres to the old-fashioned Jane Austen rules (though it is based on a true story). There's sweeping landscapes and lavish parties, bedroom drama and social scandal, etc. Everything is presented well (every shot is atmospheric and beautiful) and the performances are top-notch. Knightley proves here she has talent to match the early hype and delivers an emotional, memorable performance. Fiennes is, of course, terrific. He gives depth to a character who could have been a caricature. Atwell is fascinating and sexy (a truly promising rising star) and Cooper is good as well (though his character could have been developed more).

Overall, yes, this IS by-the-numbers in most respects. However, I still loved it. I was fascinated and moved by the characters and wowed by the lead performances. This film is proof familiar material can still shine in the right (talented) hands.

A

THE DUCHESS - 9/10 (A-)

A shockingly excellent film! It was very tragic. Keira Knightley gives one of her best performances. When I saw the trailer I thought, "Wow, Keira Knightley doing another period film." Sure I thought it looked good, but I wasn't expecting more from her or the film than the usual performance you get from her and the same type of period film we've seen quite a few times. But both her performance and the film surpassed my expectations. Her performance was great and moving, and the film fantastic.