the duchess

today i went to see the duchess with my mom and we loved it! i am a big fan of the period pieces; not so much of keira knightley, but i must say, i really liked her in this. usually in her movies, i can't help but do my impression of her. being all toothy and really putting on the english accent, enunciating all syllables [those who know me well have seen it numerous times] - but i didn't do it once this movie, the urge wasn't even there. the acting was so good in the duchess, that i actually spent the whole time feeling so terrible for her, her complete restraint from giving her husband what he truly deserved just made my heart ache. i kept whispering to my mom "oh just slap him, poison him, anything..." and by him i'm referring to the duke, played convincingly and creepily by ralph fiennes. yikes, now that's one hell of a good actor, because by the end of the movie, i hated him.


but aside from all the suffering she endured for the length of this movie, she actually looked surprisingly pretty to me.


and the costumes were fantastic! i always love the outfits in period films, the 18th century style. it looks awkward, wide, uncomfortable, and heavy, but as keira knightley's character, georgiana says to the duke in the film, "dress was the only way for women of that time to express themselves." so the clothing, the hair, the hats/head-dresses and the jewelry were all gorgeous. it is to be expected but i particularly liked every dress she wore in this movie and the extras too! stunning!



like in most romantic, period pieces, there is always an underdog. a true, genuine lover, that if given the chance, could sweep the leading lady off her feet and love her the way she deserves. a real man. not obsessed with titles, and heirs, but just decent and passionate in his love. but of course, is never given the chance. enter dominic cooper.




speaking of stunning...
he was really good in this movie, and i'm not just talking about his love scene with keira knightley. i was rooting for him the entire time. i always have a soft spot for the underdog. but especially when he is sooo gorgeous! it just made it that much harder to see his love dismissed. sigh