The Duchess

Director Saul Dibb takes the helm for this period drama adapted from Amanda Foreman's best-selling novel -Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, documenting the romantic entanglements of Georgiana Cavendish (Keira Knightley), a beautiful and clever woman who becomes a celebrity of British high society ...more

Even during the 18th Century, marriage in the public eye wasn't easy. Keira Knightley's fantastic portrayal of the Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana in The Duchess illuminates this difficult reality. Her Duchess was a trendsetting fashionista and forward-thinking freedom advocate. She garnered the attention of the day's newspapers and she faced the trials and tribulations of life in the spotlight just as many maligned starlets of today do. Unlike some of our generations famous young ones, ...more

The delicious pageantry of the big-hair-and-big-dresses historical drama is a glorious and melodramatic tradition, perfected through years of refinement in the areas of wig-making and bold, sidelong glances. Unfortunately, The Duchess opts out of this tradition, and shoots for an absolutely sober level of realism -- which doesn't make it a bad movie, but doesn't do it many favors either. The title role is played by Keira Knightley, the go-to girl for the romantic leading lady in period movies ...more

The Duchess
Nominee - 81st Oscars®:
Achievement in Art Direction
Achievement in Costume Design