The Duchess

Tonight I watched The Duchess starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes, overall I thought it was a well made interesting movie. I can't say I want to sit down and watch it again right away but I would suggest it to others who have a soft spot for period pieces.

The film follows the true story of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. There was a line in the beginning of the film that I found myself reflecting upon as the movie finished.

Upon Georgiana learning about her upcoming marriage to the Duke of Devonshire she asks her mother "He loves me?" to which her mother replies "Yes, of course"

Georgiana asking her mother is he loves her portrays her desperate need to be loved by someone. It's unclear as to whether this stems from her childhood but upon her marriage all she wants is to be loved. When she realizes that marriage doesn't equal love she reaches out to the public for the love she doesn't get.  Further into the film, her friend and soon to be lover Charles Grey tells her something along the same lines. He tells her that the reason she tries to please everyone is to get them to love her, the look that Keira put into Georgiana's eyes spoke volumes about how true that was. In the end, Georgiana gave up her chance at true love for her children, people who love her unconditionally.

I give this film a total of 4 stars, ****
It was an above average film with solid acting and a good forward moving plot. I loved what the film spoke to and the way it was portrayed.