Another Period Piece Heads To Australia

Last fall Baz Luhrmann introduced us to the notion of a period drama set Down Under, and even though Australia didn't exactly set the box office on fire, man were those costumes gorgeous. And maybe we'll get a second chance with Spider Dance, which is, yes, a period drama set in Australia, this one directed by The Duchess helmer Saul Dibb. Dibb just signed on to the project, according to THR, which is about a young American woman who shocks ...

"The Duchess" Review - A fascinating movie about an extraordinary woman

The Duchess
by Eric Sloss

 

 

Period pieces invoke different responses from different people.  Some people enjoy the dress, customs and the speech of a day long ago.  Others are bored by the spectacle and want more action in their movie going experience.  That is the problem filmmakers face when making such a film.  They want to please their core audience, while also making it interesting enough to hold the attention of the most fickle watcher.

 

The Duchess succeeds because it tackles issues that people in the present day can relate to.  Issues like fidelity, trust and womans place in the house are put on display and examined in a fascinating way.  Keira Knightley plays the title character Georgiana Spencer, the Duchess of Devonshire.  We first see Georgiana frolicking with her friends and flirting with the local boys.  Meanwhile her mother (Charlotte Rampling in a strong performance) is arranging a marriage for her with the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes).  She promises that the women from the Spencer family do not have problems delivering male heirs.  This is especially important back in the 1770s and 1780s in Great Britain when this took place.

 

Knightley seems right at home in a corset.  She has had a lot of practice with the Pirates movies and with Pride & Prejudice.  It is with this experience that Knightley attacks this role with such fire and glee.  There is a whole range of emotions that Georgiana goes through that Knightley performs with such aplomb.

 

Georgiana went into the marriage with such high hopes.  She really wanted to converse daily with the Duke and be able to share in his life.  This dream was quickly dashed.  The Duke told her early on that he only wanted two things from her: loyalty and a male heir.  Fiennes does a good job conveying the coldness and the steely resolve of the Duke.  He wants everything prim and proper.  The Duke was definitely a man of his times.

 

The Duchess effectively explores the dynamics of marriage in 18^th century England and with the nobility.

Slumdog, The Duchess And Batman Win Costume Guild Awards

Finally, Slumdog Millionaire has found a victory it can't replicate at the Oscars! The unstoppable award-winning machine took home another award yesterday, winning the best contemporary costume design from the Costume Designers Guild. But Oscar lumps 'em all together in one category, and given that Slumdog didn't make the cut, it'll finally give someone else a chance to win come Sunday. That winner will probably be The Duchess, which took home best period costume design at last night's guild awards. ...

Slumdog, Duchess and Dark Knight Take Costume Kudos

Pop quiz, hotshot. There’s a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? “Uhhhhhhh…. Slumdog Millionaire?” It is beginning to get a bit silly as there doesn’t seem to be a question you can ask this [...]

Oscar Eye: Predicting The Winners, Day Three

Today's three Oscar categories are some of the most frustrating, because they can be damn impossible to predict-- how on earth do you compare the costumes from Changeling and Milk-- but also the most fun. Who doesn't like the little details of the movies, like the ornate buttons on Keira Knightley's Duchess costume or the atmospheric sets from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. And when it comes to visual effects, well, for many of these nominees, that was the ...

"The Duchess" Review - A fascinating movie about an extraordinary woman

The Duchess
by Eric Sloss

 

 

Period pieces invoke different responses from different people.  Some people enjoy the dress, customs and the speech of a day long ago.  Others are bored by the spectacle and want more action in their movie going experience.  That is the problem filmmakers face when making such a film.  They want to please their core audience, while also making it interesting enough to hold the attention of the most fickle watcher.

 

The Duchess succeeds because it tackles issues that people in the present day can relate to.  Issues like fidelity, trust and womans place in the house are put on display and examined in a fascinating way.  Keira Knightley plays the title character Georgiana Spencer, the Duchess of Devonshire.  We first see Georgiana frolicking with her friends and flirting with the local boys.  Meanwhile her mother (Charlotte Rampling in a strong performance) is arranging a marriage for her with the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes).  She promises that the women from the Spencer family do not have problems delivering male heirs.  This is especially important back in the 1770s and 1780s in Great Britain when this took place.

 

Knightley seems right at home in a corset.  She has had a lot of practice with the Pirates movies and with Pride & Prejudice.  It is with this experience that Knightley attacks this role with such fire and glee.  There is a whole range of emotions that Georgiana goes through that Knightley performs with such aplomb.

 

Georgiana went into the marriage with such high hopes.  She really wanted to converse daily with the Duke and be able to share in his life.  This dream was quickly dashed.  The Duke told her early on that he only wanted two things from her: loyalty and a male heir.  Fiennes does a good job conveying the coldness and the steely resolve of the Duke.  He wants everything prim and proper.  The Duke was definitely a man of his times.

 

The Duchess effectively explores the dynamics of marriage in 18^th century England and with the nobility.

ARISTOCRATS BE SOCIAL CLIMBIN

The Young Victoria stars Emily Blunt in an incendiary tale of costumes, gossip, social climbing, and intrigue. People are already saying it makes The Duchess look like Elizabeth: Golden Age.  Boy, I hope this one has passionate longing. Passionate longing is like swordfights to menopausal white women. [Thanks to RoboPanda for the tip]

DVD: The Duchess

Jason Adams reviews "The Duchess" Read More...

Beautiful And The Damned Nabs Keira Knightley, New Director

Keira Knightley loves her historical dramas. She already played Princess Diana’s ancestor, the Duchess of Devonshire, in last year’s “The Duchess.” Now she’ll play the famous Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, the wife and muse of author F. Scott Fitzgerald. John Curran (”We Don’t Live Here Anymore”) is now set to direct, replacing Nick Cassavetes, [...]

The Duchess Contest Winners

Congratulations to the following Film Junk readers who have won themselves a copy of The Duchess on DVD: Nina H. of Corte Madera, CA Christine D. of Castro Valley, CA Derrick V. of St. Catharines, ON Thanks to all who entered! Stay tuned for more cool giveaways coming up right here on Film Junk!