DVD Review: The Duchess

The Duchess
Written By: Jeffrey Hatcher, Anders Thomas Jensen, and Saul Dibb
Based upon the book, "Georgina, Duchess of Devonshire" by Amanda Foreman
Directed By: Saul Dibb
Starring: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Hayley Atwell, and Dominic Cooper

Keira Knightley stars as Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire in this period drama about a woman beloved by all except her husband. Georgiana was called the "Empress of Fashion" in her day and seemed to live a lavish life. In truth, she had a husband who had no use for her except to produce a male heir.

The movie is one note throughout. It never seems to garner any suspense or excitement and ultimately when it ends, you sort of feel cheated. There are conflicts here but they don't really escalate to anything that makes you nervous or even curious. I really didn't have any emotional connection to anyone.

I don't blame the acting. Everyone turned in decent performances. There was nothing to write home about or hail as brilliant but at the same time there was nothing overtly bad either.

I just think the movie is kinda blah. It's slow and doesn't really have a climax. It just ends. The Duchess did not come across as terribly interesting either. In fact, the character described in the book sounds infinitely more interesting than the one we are witness to in the film.

The Duchess looks nice. The cinematography is lovely as are the costumes and the sets. Beyond that, the movie is pretty flat.

The DVD is light on special features including only a costume diary, a making of featurette, and the featuretee "Georgiana In Her Own Words" which is mildly interesting.

Overall, I'd recommend The Duchess for period drama fans only. It won't do anything for anyone who isn't really into this type of film. I can't help but be disappointed in this movie. I expected a lot more.

The Duchess is available on DVD and BluRay now.