“What’s interesting is that the less attention she gets from her husband, the more she craves attention from the entire world,” says Keira Knightley who stars as Georgina Spencer, the Duchess of Devonshire, in The Duchess. “I think Georgiana is one of the first examples of a women using celebrity for political gain.”

“She knew if she threw a party or turned up at a rally, there would be people writing about it and gossiping about it,” says Knightley. “It’s quite fascinating because you can draw huge links to today’s celebrity culture, which we think is a modern phenomenon, yet it was actually going on in the 1780s.”

The Duchess, released by Paramount Vantage, is the story of the Georgiana Spencer, who marries the Duke of Devonshire, a man richer than the future King of England. “She’s a wonderfully strong female role, an extraordinary and very alive woman, and I think any actress would relish playing Georgiana,” says Knightley.

“I think a part of her loved being the center of attention, having her every move commented upon, but then it turned quite nasty,” says Knightley. “She’s a dreamer and an idealist who’s suddenly stuck in a marriage with a husband who is the very opposite of that. The Duke is someone who shows no emotions.”

In The Duchess Knightley shows off fifty exquisite dresses, all sewn by hand. “I’ve done period before but nothing could have fully prepared me for this,” says Knightley. “Some of the wigs were so heavy, I couldn’t even lift my head!  People kept shouting ‘timber!’ as I walked past.” 

Knightley pored over the Duchess’ preserved letters and stories of Georgiana from the period. Knightley says she became fascinated by the gap between Georgiana’s private and public lives.  Pirates of the Caribbean star Knightley has stayed remarkably clear of scandal in her own life. She appeared nude on a Vanity Fair cover shot by Annie Leibovitz. She’s in a relationship with her Pride and Prejudice co-star Rupert Friend, who played the scandalous Mr. Wickham. Knightley was nominated for an Academy Award for Pride and Prejudice. Forbes listed her in 2006 as the second most highly paid actress after Cameron Diaz.

Amanda Foreman’s novel Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire, which spent months on the bestseller list, took ten years to bring to the screen. “While the book is a literary journey, the film is about an emotional journey,” says Foreman. “What they have ended up producing is both compelling storytelling and faithful to the book and to Georgiana’s life.”

“I think Keira was really able to relate to her,” says Foreman. “It was amazing to watch Keira keep her composure when the paparazzi was on her 24 hours a day, seven days a week…because this is something that Georgiana experienced, too.” 

The Duchess is a beautiful film and certainly deserves an Oscar for costumes. Keira Knightley brings her wonderful expressiveness that she did to Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice, but the Duchess is a darker, more tragic character. Ralph Femmes is marvelous as the taciturn Duke, who can only show affection for his dogs. Charlotte Rampling is superb as Lady Foster, the best friend of the Duchess and inevitable target of conquest for the Duke.
The three leads are fabulous, but the story revolves too much around the dull Duke, who just isn’t as much fun to watch as the Duchess. And, it’s a tragic story with too many violins in the soundtrack. Readers of the book will notice that the gambling addiction and drug addiction of the Duchess are touched only lightly, and that the film only covers a portion of her life painted in the book. Can you say mini-series?

The Duchess

Distributor: Paramount Vantage

Length: 109 minutes

Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, brief nudity and thematic material