Into the Fire

The royal lineage of any country, I suspect, has its despicable characters, and most likely the Duke of Devonshire is just one of many and not the worst. But he certainly ranks up there with the most disgusting, at least according to his portrayal in “The Duchess” played splendidly or sordidly by Ralph Fiennes.

His sole purpose in selecting the much younger (not yet 18) Georgianna for his bride in his obvious middle age is because he needs a male heir to continue his family’s control of Devonshire, and apparently he needs a fresh womb since none of his paramours have given him a son. No wonder these people died of syphilis.

Georgianna’s mother is nearly as detestable as the Duke in basically setting up her daughter for a life of misery to an unemotional, lustful man with decidedly cold and uncaring bedroom skills as he thrusts himself (literally) upon his virginal bride with only one goal in mind: producing a son. After two daughters, his displeasure with his wife is palpable, and his rampant liaisons with any available female have turned the marriage into a nightmare of humiliation and estrangement for the Duchess (Keira Knightley).

When the Duke beds her only friend, she demands the woman be removed from their estate to no avail. They sit three together with the other woman between them at the massive table and remain in that grouping for the rest of Georgianna’s life.

The harsh discovery of his affair with her friend leads to an ugly encounter where the Duke rapes his wife, and lo and behold, a son is born from that travesty.

When the Duchess seeks to find some small piece of happiness for herself, the Duke quashes all attempts at a happy departure from his control, and she has no real choice other than to comply.

Ralph Fiennes was so perfect in this role, I hated him. It’s hard to believe any woman wouldn’t. The boredom, self-importance, self-indulgence, and sense of superiority emanated so convincingly from the man, there was only one scene toward the end where he was able to muster any pittance of understanding of his limited emotional capabilities or shred of self-awareness. His mostly understated dreariness was very effective.

Keira Knightley, though believable in this role, was not exceptional until a scene where she was required by her husband to do the unthinkable since he would have made good on his threats if she didn’t. She captured the gut-wrenching scene with perfection.

Based on a true story, the quoted facts in the final scenes made it all the more mournful. Most of you know I’m not fond of historicals and period pieces (unless of course they involve “Pirates of the Caribbean”!), but I’ve grown rather fond of watching Keira Knightley grow in her acting skills. This particular film didn’t require much of her, but she did enough with the role to make it real.

The self-indulgence of the ruling class, the privileges and demands of the royal lines, and the necessity for producing male heirs to uphold their status reminded me vaguely of the ancient Jewish women who were diminished and somewhat ostracized when they remained barren. The importance and pressure upon the female’s capability to produce a male child is laughable today since it is known the male determines the sex of his children.

The solitary focus on the life of the publicly popular and fashionable Duchess of Devonshire makes an interesting film and successfully shows that privilege and position do very little for determining contentment and happiness.

Father, we are all just people. Help each one of your people to never forget this. You are no respecter of persons. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.