Ralph Fiennes steals the show

Rating: 7/10 (10 March 2009)

I am not a fan of Keira Knightley, but in this film she manages to do an okay job. The Duchess of Devonshire was indeed a fascinating woman, and Knightley manages to convey the impression of a woman learning about motherhood, marriage, and love as she matures from a young girl to a strong woman. The scenes with her children are the strongest, especially the heartbreak of having to give up a daughter. I think Knightley does well but that many other actresses could have done better (ex. Kate Winslet, Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman). She doesn't really manage to show wit, liveliness, or shine. Why would anyone think of her bland duchess as a fashion plate? As a light for the Whig party? As the best hostess in London? Knightley rests on pretty, as she often does.
On the other hand, Ralph Fiennes does stellar work with the Duke of Devonshire. Fiennes is everything that Knightley is not: he brings to what could have been a flat role a sense of depth and complexity. He shows, as Knightley should have, that power is not everything, and that even the richest man may suffer disappointment and heartbreak. The contrast between his scenes with his wife and those with his mistress and her sons show that Fiennes can embody both a man sleepwalking and a man with heart. I was more interested in the Duke's story (and his mistress's story) than in the dull, poor-little-rich-girl duchess.