22 reviews
Sales Rank: 32

Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 109
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.7

MPN: 353194
UPC: 097363531944
EAN: 0097363531944
ASIN: B001L57ZZG

Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: December 27, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Similar Items:

	Burn After Reading
	Mamma Mia! The Movie (Two Disc Special Edition)
	The Tudors - The Complete Second Season
	Eagle Eye
	Ghost Town

Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 12/26/2008 Run time: 109 minutes Rating: Pg13

Amazon.com
Swaddled in whalebone and wigs, Keira Knightley steps into the restricted world of the Duchess of Devonshire, a royal lady popular with her subjects but stuck in an unhappy marriage. If this situation recalls Princess Diana (a descendent of the Duchess's family), so much the better for the purposes of director Saul Dibb and company; this film is eager to draw parallels with the unfortunate Lady Di, even if she is never directly mentioned. Knightley's unsuspecting girl is married off to the Duke (Ralph Fiennes), a distracted jerk who craves male sons, and obviously has never thought of women as anything other than a means to achieve an heir. When the Duchess launches her procreative career with a couple of daughters, well, the Duke begins to get nervous--and partners outside the marriage become increasingly appealing. The Duchess serves up lavish portions of Brit-movie staples: costumes (which, in Knightley's case, are nothing short of spectacular), landscapes,! and gorgeous music (by Rachel Portman). If it falls short in some vague way, perhaps it's because the film is a mostly one-note affair, meaning exactly what it seems to mean at every moment. Charlotte Rampling appears too briefly as Knightley's mother, and Dominic Cooper and Hayley Atwell (from Brideshead Revisited), rising stars both, contribute attractive lures for the principals. They prove the old movie adage: there's a lot to be said for eye candy. --Robert Horton

Stills from The Duchess (Click for larger image)

Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Worth your time January 6, 2009
Good historical piece with excellent performance from Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes. Georgiana's (Knightley) passion and the Duke's (Fiennes) detachment are superbly portrayed. It's a worthwhile chick flick.

4 out of 5 stars

A Man's World... January 4, 2009
2008's "The Duchess" is an exquisitely detailed 18th century period drama, with an excellent cast and first rate production values, but just misses as a movie. It insists on being understood within its own context, and 18th century social customs and laws are as remote as the Moon for most 21st century viewers.

As the story opens, Lady Spencer (the timeless Charlotte Rampling) is arranging the marriage of her young, eligible and naive daughter Georgiana (Keira Knightley) to the older and very wealthy Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes), who badly wants a male heir. The vivacious Georgiana becomes mistress of a great home, a fashion celebrity and a prominent supporter of her husband's politics.

However, when four pregnancies produce only two live girls, the Duke looks elsewhere. He takes Georgiana's female companion Mrs. Foster (Hayley Atwell) as his mistress, and moves her three male children into the house, joining the product of an earlier affair. Georgiana's efforts to carve out her own emotional life with the young lawyer Charles Gray (Dominic Cooper) draw the anger of the Duke, who offers her a fateful choice between her responsibilities as a Duchess and mother, and the man she has come to love.

The arrangement ultimately struck between Georgiana and the Duke is a happy ending only in a very qualified way, one that modern viewers may find unsatisfying. Ralph Fiennes's nuanced protrayal of the Duke, an emotionally constipated, thoughtlessly cruel man, as one who still vaguely senses his faults, just saves the marriage from being a scene of unrelieved brutality. Georgiana's spirited quest for her place in the world runs counter to the reality of a society in which women had no rights, leaving her with little room to maneuver. Kiera Knightley plays her role with an appropriately subtle mixture of naive hope and repressed anxiety. Viewers are encouraged to watch the "Making The Duchess" special feature for more insight into 18th century customs.

"The Duchess" is highly recommended to fans of period drama, who will this well-made and authentic portrayal of 18th century society.

4 out of 5 stars

All That Glitters... January 4, 2009
The Duchess is a lush and lovely portrait of the queen of late eighteenth century English society, Georgiana, daughter of Earl Spencer and wife of the Duke of Devonshire. She was a great beauty celebrated in paint by Reynolds and Gainsborough, a friend of the Whig political leader Charles Fox, the playwright/politician Sheridan and the witty and irascible lexicographer Dr. Johnson. She was also the lover of a future Prime Minister, Earl Grey, whose family cared for their illegitimate daughter.

The movie, based on a best-selling novel, focuses on Georgiana's troubled marriage that included a twenty-year menage a trois involving her best friend, Lady Elizabeth Foster whom the Duke married after Georgiana's death. Some will draw comparisons with Prince Charles, Diana (coincidentally a member of the same Spencer family) and Camilla Parker Bowles.

The acting is superb, especially Ralph Fiennes as the cold-hearted but oddly endearing Duke, Keira Knightley as the beautiful, bright, alcohol and gambling addicted Georgiana, Charlotte Rampling as Georgiana's aristocratic, sensible, worldly-wise but sympathetic mum and Dominic Cooper as the up-and-coming politico, Charles Grey.

The story is compelling, the direction well-paced, the period detail -- costumes, furnishings, manor-houses and gardens, art, music and other entertainment of the era -- authentic in its elegance and splendor. There is hardly a glimpse of the great mass of humanity unless clothed in servants' livery, cheering plays and political speeches, or running alongside the Duke's coach. There is, however, an ominous inkling of revolutionary change in far off America and nearby France.

There is also reference to an elusive concept of "freedom" with the implication that the Duke and Duchess are "prisoners" in a gilded cage. Perhaps, but one wonders if these people would have been happier had they been poor.

4 out of 5 stars

Fantastically Gripping, Compelling and Layered Costume Drama January 4, 2009
The Duchess is a superior slice of costume drama which manages to craft interesting, multi dimensional characters and an involving storyline from the well worn confines of the genre.

Keira Knightley plays a very similar role to the one she played in Pride and Prejudice, a feisty, modern woman trapped in a male dominated society. However, whereas Lizzie Bennett's heart and character inspires affection, the Duchess of Devonshire's fosters only reproach and punishment from her traditional and patriarchal husband. Her performance is a standout and demonstrates why she is so highly rated in the face of many disappointing roles in other films. She brings both strength and weakness to the character. Able to deliver withering put downs at her husband and others, whilst showing the pain of her loveless marriage etched into her face.

If Knightley is the lynchpin of the piece then it is Ralph Fiennes that elevates it above a crowded genre. Resisting the temptation to play his character as evil, instead he simply plays him as a man of his times. In Fiennes' hands the Duke feels no need to win any bouts of verbal jousting with his wife as he is secure in the knowledge that, as a husband, he is in complete control of the relationship. The Duke also clearly sees very little wrong in his treatment of his wife and acts, as he sees it, in a logic manner making the whole film feel more believable and, as a result, tragic.

In terms of the cast the only misstep is Dominic Cooper as Charles Grey, who lends the wide eyes of a political dreamer but doesn't have convincing chemistry with Knightley and plays one of the more one dimensional characters in the piece. However Hayley Atwell impresses by playing her character so well it is possible to describe her as scheming, and manipulative as well as sympathetic and loyal without it seeming a contradiction.

The film is deliberately paced so as to give characters and events time to breathe, encouraging the mood that the marriage is a car crash in slow motion, inextricably drawing all the characters further into the muddled mess of their relationships. Overall it's a fully recommended slice of real life costume drama that draws a multi layered drama full of compellingly deep characters from what could easily have been a one note story.

4 out of 5 stars

Epitome of Double Standards January 2, 2009
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I don't know how women stood the way they were treated back then. This was a pretty good movie. It was well acted and the story line was interesting. Its entertaining to watch just for the hairstyles alone! Ugh...were they hideous!

24-Volt Tools, 36 Volt Tools, Autism, Bb Rifles, Blu-Ray Movies, Bmx Bikes, Carry On Luggage, Coleman Powermate, Dewalt 18-Volt, Duffel Bag, Livescribe, Mountain Bikes, Mybook, Mypassport, Road Bikes, Weber, Uniden, Cordless Phones, Scanners, Loving Family , Razor , Trail Ripper, Heavy Duty, Pasta Maker, Can Openers, Wine Openers, Wine Stoppers, Wine Racks, Wine Glasses, Champagne Glasses, Wine Cooler, Puzzle Rings, Kettle, Ice Tea Maker, Can Openers, Knife, Cutlery, Cutlery Sets, Martini Glass, Margarita Glasses, Teakettles, Juicers, Espresso Machines, Ice-Cream Machines, Ceiling Rack, Pot Racks, Coffee Brewer , Stand Mixers, Hand Mixers, Spice Rack, Jar Spice Rack, Cookie Jars, Porcelain Fairy Dolls, Miniature Dolls, Ethnic Dolls, Food Steamer, Pressure Canner, Electric Breast Pump, Phiten Necklace, Ice Shaver, Electric Ice Crusher, Snickers Candy Bars, Speer Bullets, Oster Clippers, Magic Bullet Blender, Kitchenaid Blender, Oster Blender, Vitamix Blenders, Sierra Bullets, Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, Sonicare Toothbrush, Electric Toothbrush, Dog Grooming Tools, Quit Smoking Patches, Commit Nicotine Lozenge, Nicotine Gum, Nicorette Gum, Swimming Pool Toys, Banzai Water Slides, Inflatable Water Slides, Plastic Kiddie Pools, Rubber Ducks, Water Toys, Baffin Shoes, Victorinox Knives, Hunting Knives, Survival Knives, Camping Lantern, Camping Food,