The rise of Keira Knightley as a serious and believable actress is remarkable, especially considering how lousy she was in her early work. In movies like “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “King Arthur” Knightley was at best superfluous and at worst annoying. She seemed to satisfy the most basic set of criteria for the roles she was playing: pretty face, English accent, heartbeat and pulse. Then came “Atonement,” one of the best movies of 2007, in which Knightley played a genuine, emotionally complicated young woman. Her performance in “Atonement” was great and complemented the subtle and powerful act from her co-star James McAvoy, another formidable young actor.
Knightley’s latest movie is “The Duchess,” which tells the story of eighteenth century aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, who was something of a celebrity in her day. Georgiana is married to the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes) at a very young age and fails to foresee all the complications and emotional pitfalls in the marriage and her situation. The Duke asks Georgiana for nothing more than loyalty and a male heir, but Georgiana wants more from her life.
“The Duchess” is not the first of its kind and by no means the best, but it does stand as a solidly constructed period drama with good production values and some very good acting. Fiennes is superb as the dense and unaccommodating Duke, whose desire for a male heir to perpetuate his lineage borders on the obsessive. Fiennes is not only one of the finest actors alive; he is also one of the most dependable and can be counted on to play any part given to him.
Equally good is Hayley Atwell, who starred earlier this year in “Brideshead Revisited.” Atwell plays Georgiana’s friend-turned-rival, a woman whose tragic understanding of the imposed limitations on women motivates her to ally herself with the Duke. Atwell is someone to watch for in the future; she brings deepness and elusiveness to her characters, something that makes her all the more interesting and provocative.
The best performance comes from, you guessed it, Keira Knightley, whose comprehension of her character’s feelings and motivations makes for great acting. Her Georgiana is strong-willed, politically-minded, and a dreamer of better times. What is most remarkable is that Knightley is able to capture Georgiana’s feminism (in a time before such a word existed) and her helplessness. Knightley’s Georgiana is an authentic human, struggling to meet the expectations of her husband, her children, her friends, her position and her own sense of happiness.
“The Duchess,” is based on the novel “Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire” by Amanda Foreman.
** 1/2 out of ****
Also playing:
Reign of Fire **
1 comment:
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