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How wonderful would it be to be that free?

It is one of those quotes that can sum up an entire film and leave a lasting impression on you. It occurs when the Duke of Devonshire, looking out his window of his estate, finds children playing and laughing in his garden. It is so well kept and groomed that the garden doesn’t even possess qualities of freedom. The wealth and power that certain people consume can’t give them freedom or happiness. Whether worrying about politics, wars, love affairs or what to wear to an extravagant party, adult life, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, comes with shackles that can’t be undone. William Cavendish, the fifth Duke of England, of all people, wishes to wash his hands of all that surrounds him just so he can have what his power can’t buy - freedom.

The subplot involves talk of abolishing slavery and making citizens of England free, or somewhat free according to one politico, Mr. Fox. He discusses his thoughts at a dinner party at the Duke’s home. The Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana (Keira Knightley), injects her beliefs by indicating that one person can’t be partly free. A person is either free or not free according to Georgiana, who also believes strongly in revolutions. This is a woman before her time. Even though women at the time weren’t allowed to vote or state their opinions openly, she wasn’t going to let none of that burden her opinions on manly topics.

Georgiana Spencer is not free. Plucked from a garden of innocence because the Duke (Ralph Fiennes) wants nothing more than to have an heir to his throne; she’s condemned to a life of worthlessness. Even though she’s been labeled a trendsetter, whether it is with her gambling, partying, fashion statements or political statements, she seems to have it all except for true love. And that was even taken away from her twice by her husband who made it impossible for her to have a relationship with her good friend Bess (Haley Atwell), whom Georgiana took in because of Bess’ abusive husband, and her admirer Earl Grey (Dominic Cooper). There’s a beautiful and sensual scene showing Georgiana and Bess alone in Georgiana’s bedroom acting out a love scene. It strikes the right chord because Bess is pretending she is Earl while she instructs Georgiana to just sit back and close her eyes and try to imagine what real love feels like.

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Marrying the Duke at the age of seventeen, because the Spencer’s are known to produce male heirs, with high approval by her mother, she bore three daughters when the Duke wanted only one son. Essentially he becomes disenchanted with her, treating her like a hooker for hire. He even makes love to Bess, making her his mistress. A relatively new director, Saul Dibb handles these scandalous activities with care. This is when Fiennes gets to showcase his talent. Recently he’s been playing the mad man who screams and shouts and shoots guns whenever something ticks him off. Here, as he restrains his anger to its fullest possibility, he is doing some of his best work as an actor. We fear his Duke, whether he’s eating, sleeping or playing with his dogs (whom he loves more than Georgiana). When an actor can convey constrained anger and iniquity without ever having to raise his voice, is something to behold. He’s a monster concealed behind royal clothing.

That son does come to the Devonshire home, but under the circumstances of sex being forced on Georgiana by the Duke.

The Devonshire home in London is monstrous in size. What lies within are halls, corridors and rooms of vast space which contain the sense of past feelings that have gone numb with time. Strangely these settings contain a strong sense of intimacy; intimate in a sense that The Duchess truly cares for its characters.

Dibb, who stumbles a bit with the pacing of his film, fills this home with characters who hate their status in life. To suggest to the audience to care for both The Duke and The Duchess is unthinkable. But we do. Sympathizing in a strange way with The Duke, given his character’s morals, is a mark of great storytelling. While we almost feel obligated to sympathize with The Duchess, the way Knightley embodies her as a modern woman is spellbinding. The only time she has a spark in her eye is when she’s in the presence of her children. Her children are her freedom.

Film Rating: *** out of ****

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Comments (1)

The Acting by Both Leads was Fantastic!

Both Fiennes and Knightley gave brilliant performances in this film. The film can be a little stagnant at times, but the reason that it works are those two. This is one of Fiennes best performances in a long time, and this is definitely Knightley's best performance to date, which is really saying something, because she's been fantastic in quite a few other films. Also, given that there is a twenty year gap between Finnes and Knightley, I was really impressed that she more than held her own against him and Charlotte Rampling as well. That really shows what a huge talent Knightley is!

Muriel , October 14, 2008

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