The Duchess
I am NOT an historical fiction kind of woman. I had no no desire to see The Other Boleyn Girl. I don't watch The Tudors-it's just not me-I'd rather watch Iron Man or Tropic Thunder again-or a modern drama (maybe-it depends). But I went because it looked interesting and Rafe Fiennes is in it-what could I lose?
It wasn't bad, actually. The acting was good (mostly, we'll get to that), the costumes and houses were lovely and the story was interesting. The only problem was Keira Knightly. honestly, she looked like she didn't a thought running through her pretty little head, and in a story about an intelligent woman, that's a problem. On the other, was the Duchess of Devonshire smart? She drank, she gambled, she did drugs and died at 48 of liver disease. She was also greatly involved in politics and became friends with playwrights (Sheridan) and artists (Sir Joshua Reynolds). I can't decide it it was the Duchess herself that annoyed me-for someone who grew up in a wealthy family, she had no idea how to deal with it or how to get what she wanted from her husband-it was irritating. And Knightly didn't look right for the part body-wise. Every other woman in the movie looked at least a little curvy and bosomy-couldn't they have padded Keira a little? I know there's nothing to be done about those collarbones sticking out-but no wonder she couldn't hold up the heavy wigs-she looked like she hadn't had enough to eat in months.
But everyone else was good Rafe was good-scary, a bit creepy and nice only to his dogs and Haley Atwell as Bess Foster, starting off as Georgiana's best friend, only to become the Duke's mistress, were both excellent. I just wish someone else had play the Duchess. This movie reminds me a bit of Stealing Beauty, which was all about Bertolucci's love for Liv Tyler's face. She couldn't act (and still can't, not very well) but Bertolucci had his camera on her face all the time, as if to say "how lovely she is-look at her"-and Saul Dibb does the same here with Keira. The only problem is that the camera captures both her beauty and the lack of thought behind it. Looking at how pretty she was just wasn't quite enough for me.
It wasn't bad, actually. The acting was good (mostly, we'll get to that), the costumes and houses were lovely and the story was interesting. The only problem was Keira Knightly. honestly, she looked like she didn't a thought running through her pretty little head, and in a story about an intelligent woman, that's a problem. On the other, was the Duchess of Devonshire smart? She drank, she gambled, she did drugs and died at 48 of liver disease. She was also greatly involved in politics and became friends with playwrights (Sheridan) and artists (Sir Joshua Reynolds). I can't decide it it was the Duchess herself that annoyed me-for someone who grew up in a wealthy family, she had no idea how to deal with it or how to get what she wanted from her husband-it was irritating. And Knightly didn't look right for the part body-wise. Every other woman in the movie looked at least a little curvy and bosomy-couldn't they have padded Keira a little? I know there's nothing to be done about those collarbones sticking out-but no wonder she couldn't hold up the heavy wigs-she looked like she hadn't had enough to eat in months.
But everyone else was good Rafe was good-scary, a bit creepy and nice only to his dogs and Haley Atwell as Bess Foster, starting off as Georgiana's best friend, only to become the Duke's mistress, were both excellent. I just wish someone else had play the Duchess. This movie reminds me a bit of Stealing Beauty, which was all about Bertolucci's love for Liv Tyler's face. She couldn't act (and still can't, not very well) but Bertolucci had his camera on her face all the time, as if to say "how lovely she is-look at her"-and Saul Dibb does the same here with Keira. The only problem is that the camera captures both her beauty and the lack of thought behind it. Looking at how pretty she was just wasn't quite enough for me.
Both movies show the director falling for his leading lady and that doesn't serve the story very well-it's a good thing there were other really good actors who could do the job.
And I got my Iron Man DVD! Yay!
posted by SHbookworm at 2:02 PM
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