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I love you in the way I understand love.
I'm a huge fan of epic and periodic movies, but this one really amazed me. Let me make it clear that I am no fan of Kiera Knightley, but in this movie, I couldn't help but admire her acting prowess. She's up against Ralph Fiennes, of all people, one of Britain's most talented thespians, and she is able to keep up and complement his portrayal of the cold Duke of Devonshire. Every scene kept me riveted, and despite my absolute love for Fiennes, I couldn't help but despise his calculated and heartless nature, especially when he goes looking for ways to have a male heir. King Henry VIII would have been proud.
Georgiana (Knightley) was only sixteen when she was betrothed to the powerful Duke of Devonshire (Fiennes), mostly by the doings of her mother, who promised the duke that the women in their family have always done what was expected of them. And what was expected of Georgiana was to provide the duke with a male heir. During the first year of their marriage, Georgiana discovered that her husband had a daughter with one of the maids, and even gave birth to a child of her own. Unfortunately, the child she bore was not the son the Duke hoped; instead, he was given another daughter. Six years later, the infuriated Duke still hasn't had the son he yearns for; their last child was also a girl. During a visit to Bath he sees Elizabeth Forster (Hayley Atwell), and is intrigued, especially by the fact that she bore her husband 3 boys. Georgiana notices her husband talking to Mrs. Forster, and initially suspicious, she approaches Elizabeth. The two become friends, and when Georgiana learns that Elizabeth is running low on rent money (her husband has a mistress, so she moved out, but as a result, her husband kept their children from her) she manipulates her husband in letting Elizabeth stay with them at their house in Devonshire. He agrees, and for a while, Georgiana is happy.
Then the time comes when she comes home from a rally for the Wit Party, headed by her close friend and admirer, Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper), when she hears her husband and Elizabeth having sex in Elizabeth's room. One thing leads to another, and Elizabeth has become the duke's mistress, Georgiana gets raped by her husband after trying to make a deal (if he insists on keeping Elizabeth in their house, then she should also be free to pursue her love for Charles Grey), and a scandal erupts after the duke learns of Georgiana's affair with Charles Grey.
The entire story is fast-paced, but the dialogue allows audiences to keep up with the story. All the actors work in perfect harmony with each other; Fiennes brings to life the Duke of Devonshire, and one cannot help but hate him for all the misery he brings to his wife; Knightley is plays the perfect martyr who gets back at her husband, irregardless of the scandal that her love for Charles Grey may bring; and Charlotte Rampling is the manipulative mistress whose sole excuse for engaging in an affair with the duke is to see her children again. The movie perfectly mirrors the activities of the aristocrats at the time, from the men's yearning and obsession to have a male heir, to the politics and scramblings of other nobles to get into the "good graces" of the upper classes. All in all, a classic.
