Surprised by this piece

Rating: 8/10 (21 November 2011)

I recorded this from TV months ago and only got round to watching it last night. My wife and I loved it. I was not expecting anything like so good after reading so-so reviews and hearing about the parallels with the Charles and Diana story. Yes there were parallels and I assume that there was that motivation for the movie. However it was more than that, a true story well told. I have never been a great fan of Keira Knightley but she really nailed this one. She went from young innocent to world weary woman through the course of the film and acquitted herself well her best performance since Atonement. Fiennes was great as her unfeeling, rigid husband too and avoided the cartoon villain that he could have been. However the weak link for me was Dominic Cooper - he just did not look right and was rather unconvincing as a possible (and eventual) Prime Minister. That aside a most enjoyable and absorbing movie, shot in the most gorgeous of stately homes (sets?).