Another year, another middling period piece with pretty costumes and iffy storytelling. That's what I was expecting as I went into "The Duchess" this evening, and for the first 30 minutes or so, that's what I got. Then something happens. Something that finally causes Georgiana (pronounced Jor-Jane-Uh, for whatever reason) to confront her cold husband. As her life finally begins to go through its highs and lows, the movie finally takes flight, and those first 30 minutes are nothing more than a mild nuisance. Such is the surprise of Saul Dibb's plainly directed, yet strikingly well acted and beautifully mounted adaptation of the novel "Georgiana: The Duchess of Spencer". At the ago of 16, Geogiana (Keira Knightley, bringing true movie star presence) is married off to the much older Duke of Spencer (superbly constrained Ralph Fiennes), and whisked into a strict, and not terribly warm marriage (the Duke shows more around his hunting dogs than around her). While it's a surprise that the films is mostly well paced and engaging, the bigger surprise is Knightley herself. After looking beautiful but not doing much in "Atonement", she really gets to shine here all while looking ridiculously beautiful whenever she's on screen. Two scenes in particular bring out dramatic depth, though I'd be spoiling things if I told you what they were. Perhaps the best part about The Duchess, however, is the story. Too many period pieces (especially ones set in this time period) try only focus on the "woes" of the rich (Oh dear, we're poor! Now we'll have to leave the mansion and go live at the three story country estate! Woe is me!). The Duchess narrows its focus on to the much more authentic plight of a woman who had everything, yet nothing at once; a woman who, because of the laws of the day, was absolutely powerless, despite her high status. In doing this, The Duchess becomes more effective in showcasing that even the wealthiest (and, as it were, the most attractive) women of the day were still treated as objects, fit only for producing at least one male heir. The only thing that's surprisingly lacking is the cinematography, which while not inconsistently poor (I'm looking at you, Brideshead Revisited), isn't as striking as one would expect from this sort of movie; there seems to be an odd dimness hanging over even the brightest party scenes, which is why it's a relief that the costumes are so damn great. However, let's get back to Knightley. For the longest time, it has seemed that she was the type of actress whose performance quality depended on the director she was working with, Joe Wright bringing out her best ever (Pride and Prejudice). Because of this, it seems surprising, that such a disposable director brings out her second best performance ever. Maybe she doesn't need exquisite camera angles and dreamy tracking shots...maybe she just needs a director who has enough sense to do away with showing off and simply let her carry a scene.
Grade: B+
Nominations: Best Actor - Ralph Fiennes(#4), Best Actress - Keira Knightley(#1 WINNER), Best Adapted Screenplay(#4), Best Costume Design(#2), Best Art Direction(#4), Best Original Score - Rachel Portman(#3)
Number of 2008 films seen: 35
Top 10 of the Year:
1. The Dark Knight
2. WALL-E
3. In Bruges
4. Burn After Reading
5. The Fall
6. Vicky Cristina
7. The Duchess
8. Tropic Thunder
9. Boy-A
10. Ghost Town
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