The Duchess
January 2009 Reviewed by: Mischa Hayek Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Saul Dibb’s The Duchess is a period piece about the early life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, who became a celebrity and fashion icon in the later part of the 18th century. Beloved by the common people, she dabbled in politics (long before suffrage), was an intimate friend to many high-ranking politicians and socialites, and lived with her husband William Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire, and her best friend, Lady Bess Foster, in an uneasy ménage à trois relationship that lasted more than two decades until her death at the age of 48.

Keira Knightley is Georgiana Spenser, a young girl from a prominent family who marries William Cavendish (Ralph Fiennes), 5th Duke of Devonshire, a day before her 17th birthday. Cavendish is nine years older and obsessed with having a male heir to pass on his name and wealth. When Georgiana fails to provide him with a male child, Cavendish, who possesses a cold and awkward demeanor, becomes cruel and vindictive. Realizing she is trapped in a loveless marriage, Georgiana turns to society and the public for affection. With charm and wit, she becomes a much-adored socialite and celebrity all the while hiding deep personal sadness and desperation.

The Duchess was scripted by director Dibb and writers Anders Thomas Jensen and Jeffrey Hatcher and is based on historian Amanda Foreman’s award-winning biography Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, which Foreman, in turn, based upon her doctoral thesis at Oxford. Dibb, Jensen, and Hatcher’s script focuses on Georgiana’s love life and the love triangle with Lady Bess, perhaps because audiences may find that more interesting than Georgiana’s political life. However, I suspect there is enough in Amanda Foreman’s book to make a thoroughly entertaining miniseries that would be more satisfying for history buffs.

I was mostly impressed with the picture quality of this DVD. It has a precise and detailed appearance with a reasonable degree of punch. However, I noticed a yellowish tinge that was consistent through many scenes -- I'm not sure if it was a deliberate choice by the filmmakers or if the colors are just slightly off. Brightness was good, but some daylight-shot images were a little too bright, with the whites blown out.

The sound was competent but didn't bowl me over in any way. Dialogue was easy to understand and the music sounded very natural but lacking in any real punch. Then again, The Duchess is more of a dialogue-driven story and emphasis was likely placed on that and the visuals to carry the action.

This DVD release contains three bonus features. The first, "How Far She Went . . . Making The Duchess," is a 23-minute short featuring interviews with actors Knightley, Fiennes, Atwell and director Saul Dibb amongst others concerning the making of the film and providing more background on Georgiana’s personal life. The second featurette, "Georgiana in Her Own Words," is a brief examination by historian Amanda Foreman of some of Georgiana’s and Lady Bess Foster’s original letters, which provided much material for Foreman’s book. The last feature, "Costume Diary," is a five-minute vignette giving us a brief glimpse of the difficulties in creating the requisite costumes for the actors.

The Duchess is an entertaining story that had me seeking out Foreman’s book for more information about Georgiana Cavendish’s unusual and celebrated life. The lack of DVD extras -- only 38 minutes worth -- makes this DVD a good rental but not necessarily worth owning. Foreman’s book and Georgiana’s life have also been the subjects of a television documentary as well as a successful radio play featuring British actress Judi Dench (now known to American audiences as "M" in the James Bond films). It may be worthwhile tracking down one or both of these productions.

• Go Back