Intelligently written, superbly acted, beautiful to look at and happily free of anachronisms.
Comment
10/10/08
The Duchess (2008)
60 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 156
Fresh: 94
Rotten:62
Average Rating: 6.2/10
Consensus: While The Duchess treads the now-familiar terrain of the corset-ripper, the costumes look great and Keira Knightley's performance is stellar in this subtly feminist, period drama.
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Dramas
US Box Office: $13,823,741
Synopsis: After PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and ATONEMENT, Keira Knightley continues her reign as the queen of the period film with this 18th-century costume drama. The corset-clad actress stars as Georgiana... [More]
Starring: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper
Director: Saul Dibb
Reviews for The Duchess
Top CriticKnightley, whose glamorous reputation has outstripped her acting talents until now, is subjected to a barrage of close-ups, which could have been disastrous. Yet it isn't. In this one, she really comes of age.
10/10/08
Top CriticA mature, restrained portrayal from Knightley, a masterclass in passive aggression from Fiennes and a performance of tender seduction from Atwell.
10/03/08
Top CriticThe film's real power lies with Knightley. She easily could have gone over the emotional top, but instead gives a measured performance that increasingly draws you in.
10/03/08
Top CriticA handsome costume drama that highlights the relationship between the Cinderella outfits and the restrictive privilege of the society from whence they came.
10/03/08
Top CriticKnightley seems overly deliberate even in her mischief, and doesn't have Kirsten Dunst's talent for turning acting into a flirtatious game of charades.
10/03/08
Top CriticKeira Knightley is really splendid...
10/03/08
Top CriticFocuses far too much on the cold accuracy of details than actually emotionally involving the audience in the story. Sumptuous but barren
09/29/08
Top CriticIt seems Princess Diana was not the only royal whose marriage comprised three people. This cinematic and emotionally potent drama set in the 18th century and based on a true story, looks at a menage a trois that is filled with compelling elements
09/28/08
Top CriticMouth watering scandal, a juicy love triangle and high powered men behaving badly make this a solid drama about character and society in 18th century England
09/28/08
Top CriticIt is easy to become immersed in the plight of these characters whose story is profoundly moving and satisfying.
09/26/08
Top CriticClick to read the article
05/13/09
a refreshing look at British royalty, and it will curb your want to be part of that era, age and societal level
03/05/09
Everything you'd expect it to be: a well-acted British period piece with lavish attention to period detail, about discontented characters in a royal family. And that's about it.
02/09/09
Click to read the article
02/05/09
At its simplest, it's a gorgeous film with beautiful period costumes and intricate set designs. However, something tells me that's not the level director Saul Dibb wanted to achieve greatest on.
01/24/09
Knightley and Cooper don't ever generate much in the way of chemistry.
01/06/09
Willing to settle for all-around competency instead of excavating history for deeper insights, leaving audiences with another undemanding genre placeholder. [Blu-ray]
12/31/08
Deserves credit for playing things straight %u2013 complete with its moral quagmire and inherent sadness. The performances of Knightley, Fiennes and Atwell really make it work.
12/29/08
...plays like a Masterpiece Theater adaptation of an eighteen-century soap opera.
12/28/08
Latest News for The Duchess
January 07, 2009:
People's Choice Awards Winners Announced
The 35th annual People's Choice Awards were handed out on January 7, 2009. A complete list of film nominees, with winners in bold, follows below. More...
January 03, 2009:
Not just another royal goddess in a gilded cage costume drama, the film couldn't be more current now, when women bidding for the highest political offices are told to go home and take care of their kids or iron male shirts. Sexual subversion in corsets. 
More...
December 28, 2008:
Not just another royal goddess in a gilded cage costume drama, the film couldn't be more current now, when women bidding for the highest political offices are told to go home and take care of their kids or iron male shirts. Sexual subversion in corsets.
More...
October 12, 2008:
Emarketingmag.com: Not just another royal goddess in a gilded cage costume drama, the film couldn't be more current now, when women bidding for the highest political offices are told to go home and take care of their kids or iron male shirts.
More...
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