The Duchess

Year:

2008

Duration:

110 min

Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

IMDB rate:

6.9

Director:

Saul Dibb

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 5 wins & 19 nominations

Details

Country: UK

Release Date: 2008-09-10

Filming Locations: Bath, Somerset, England, UK

Earnings

Opening Weekend: $190,426 (USA) (21 September 2008)

Gross: $13,823,741 (USA) (7 December 2008)

Cast

Actor

Character

Hayley Atwell

The Duchess

Keira Knightley

Georgiana

Ralph Fiennes

The Duke

Charlotte Rampling

Lady Spencer

Dominic Cooper

Charles Grey

Simon McBurney

Charles Fox

Aidan McArdle

Richard Sheridan

John Shrapnel

General Grey

Alistair Petrie

Heaton

Patrick Godfrey

Dr. Neville

Michael Medwin

Speechmaker

Justin Edwards

Macaroni

Richard McCabe

Sir James Hare

Calvin Dean

Devonshire House Servant

Hannah Stokely

Devonshire House Maid

Andrew Armour

Burleigh

Emily Jewell

Nanny

Bruce Mackinnon

Sir Peter Teazle

Georgia King

Lady Teazle

Luke Norris

Footman

Eva Hrela

Charlotte (Age 3)

Poppy Wigglesworth

Charlotte (Age 9)

Emily Cohen

Harryo

Mercy Fiennes Tiffin

Little G

Sebastian Applewhite

Augustus

Angus McEwan

Lord Robert

Kate Burdette

Lady Harriet

Laura Stevely

Lady Elizabeth

Benjamin Noble

Lord Ambrose

Max Bennett

Lord Walter

Camilla Arfwedson

Lady Charlotte

Fiona Sheehan

Young Girl in Theatre

Sarah Wyatt

Servant Girl

Thomas Arnold

Dealer

Gilbert Wynne

Althorpe Servant

Richard Curzon

Heaton's Clerk

Sophia Johnston

Guest at Lady Melbourne's Ball

Katerina Tana

Guest at Lady Melbourne's Ball

Ailsa Baker

Aristocrat at political rally

Daniel Bardwell

Gamer (uncredited)

Philippa Burt

Party Guest (uncredited)

Angelique Claire

Aristocrat

John K. Duncan

Devonshire Servant (uncredited)

Steve Hardy

Tenant (uncredited)

James MacColl

Bath Servant (uncredited)

Dale Mercer

Bess's Dance Partner (uncredited)

Tobias Nicholls

Devonshire Servant (uncredited)

Carl Robinson

Footman 2 (uncredited)

John Robinson

Aristocrat at Theatre

Rose Romain

Maid (uncredited)

Mark Shrimpton

Devonshire House Servant (uncredited)

Michael Thomson

Red Coats Soldier (uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

This is the second period film starring Keira Knightley that opens with the view of her walking across grass carrying something. In Pride & Prejudice (2005), she is walking across grass carrying a book. In this movie, she is carrying a hat with names for runners in a race.

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Susanne Bier wrote an early draft of the script and was originally attached to direct the film.

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The film was heavily marketed with links to Princess Diana (who is a direct descendant of Georgiana's family, The Spencers), using her image in the trailers, and with a tagline ("There were three people in her marriage") which is a play upon a quote attributed to the late Royal. Keira Knightley came out and denied the film had any links at all, stating that her character was interesting enough without any comparisons.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the film when Georgiana is talking with her mother about her engagement, the curl running down the back of Georgiana's neck disappears and reappears multiple times.

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During the scene where Georgiana introduces her daughters to Bess a couple walking a black and white dog walk past. They are then seen further along the river before disappearing from the shot. They then pass in front of the camera again at the end of the scene.

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The scene in which Georgiana goes into labor to deliver her first baby, begins at night on a snowy evening. This would have been her first baby girl that was later named little G, for Georgiana. However, the real Little G, was born on July 29th, far from what would have been a snowy evening.

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Quotes

Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire: [to a crowd of her adoring public at Bath regaled with a large plume on her hat] We come away to Bath to get away from London, and all of London has come away to Bath.

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Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire: How's the campaign going?

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Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire: You can't ask me to battle nature in my own heart.

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Faq

Q

Is the US PG-13 version of this movie uncensored?

A

Unfortunately not. Probably in order to obtain the PG-13 rating, several scenes with sexual content were altered or shortened like Georgiana's defloration. They used alternative material in other "sex scenes" as well and even Knightley's topless scene has been cut for the US version. All these scenes can be found on the German DVD. A detailed comparison between both versions with pictures can be seen here.

Q

How many children did the Duchess have and by whom?

A

She had two daughters, Lady Georgiana (1783-1858) ("Little G" as played by Mercy Fiennes Tiffin) and Lady Harriet (1785-1862) (Kate Burdette), and one son, William George Spencer (1790-1858) by her husband William. In 1792, she also had a daughter, Eliza Courtney (an ancestor of Sarah, Duchess of York) with Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (played by Dominic Cooper).

Q

Where is Devonshire?

A

Devonshire is a historical reference to Devon, a county in the South West of England. Devon is bordered by Cornwall on the West and Dorset and Somerset Counties to the East. Although William (played by Ralph Fiennes) and Georgiana were titled the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, they didn't actually live in Devon. Their family 'seat' is Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, and Georgiana, William, and William's second wife, Lady Elizabeth "Bess" Foster (played by Hayley Atwell) are all buried in Derby Cathedral.

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