The Duchess

Everyone recognizes the signs of autumn arriving: the leaves turn color, the kids go back to school, and Keira Knightley slips back into her corset for another sumptuously mounted period romance. For 2008, she played 18th-century free spirit Georgiana Spencer, whose arranged marriage to the cruel Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes) is truly one of convenience—intended solely to produce a male heir. Being headstrong, Georgiana refuses to confine her activities to the prescribed social limits, campaigning fervently for women's rights and taking a lover (Dominic Cooper) with whom she discovers the passion notably lacking in her husband's attentions. Based on Amanda Foreman's 1998 book Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire, this is a handsomely produced but curiously flat film; every time the action threatens to become as fiery as its protagonist, director Saul Dibb pulls back—as if afraid that the story will tip into bodice ripper territory. Knightley breathes a little life into the Duchess, but Fiennes delivers a one-note performance as the boorish Duke, while Cooper seems positively pallid. Of the supporting players, only Charlotte Rampling—as Georgiana's ambitious, controlling mother—makes much of an impression. Although it lacks the sort of biting repartee and devilish plot twists of similar-themed dramas such as Dangerous Liaisons, this sure-to-be-popular vehicle should still be considered a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the 23-minute “making-of” featurette “How Far She Went…,” the seven-minute “Georgiana In Her Own Words” featurette on the real-life Duchess of Devonshire's original handwritten letters, a six-minute “Costume Diary,” and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so historical bodice ripper.] (E. Hulse)