Comments on: No sympathy for the Duchess of discontent http://thefemspot.com/2008/10/11/no-sympathy-for-the-duchess-of-discontent/ Feminism isn't dead; it is immortal! Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:18:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Not My World | pink★star http://thefemspot.com/2008/10/11/no-sympathy-for-the-duchess-of-discontent/#comment-438 Mon, 26 Apr 2010 20:50:30 +0000 http://femspotter.wordpress.com/?p=220#comment-438 [...] the ‘net for a similar opinion on the movie and almost gave up when I came across Femspotter. Her review of The Duchess said everything I wanted to, if only I knew the words. Read her review (you will not be [...]

]]> By: femspotter http://thefemspot.com/2008/10/11/no-sympathy-for-the-duchess-of-discontent/#comment-74 Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:29:54 +0000 http://femspotter.wordpress.com/?p=220#comment-74 Thank you for your points. I don’t agree. I really loved the film aside from what I discussed in my post. And I think the film does show her wit and intelligence. I think her interactions with the politicians demonstrate that she can converse and joke with the boys; and I think they respect her. I like her speech about freedom as absolutism. I like when she tells the Duke that women wear elaborate clothes as a means of self expression and he looks at her like he didn’t expect there to be thoughts inside her head. I admire her compassion for Charlotte, the illegitimate child who comes to live with them. I agree with you that Fiennes is terrific. As you point out, it would have been easy to let that character be a flat villain. My objection to the Dargis review is that it trivializes some of the more grotesque things Georgiana must endure. If she weren’t such a respected critic, I might think she didn’t see the entire film.

]]> By: gaiusc http://thefemspot.com/2008/10/11/no-sympathy-for-the-duchess-of-discontent/#comment-73 Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:50:21 +0000 http://femspotter.wordpress.com/?p=220#comment-73 “Maybe she isn’t a feminist. What bothers me about her review of the film is her unsympathetic assessment of this intelligent, passionate and ultimately compassionate woman of an earlier era.”

I don’t disagree with you that she was an intelligent woman in an impossible position but that’s not what the film shows. The film needs to be examined on it’s own merits as well as dis-merits. Those are:
-A really weak performance from Dominic Cooper. It dragged the entire movie down.
-A spirited performance from Knightly but her character is ultimately unsympathetic. Cavorting and living the party-going life makes her look like an earlier version of Paris Hilton, rather than a genuine mould breaker.
-Beautiful sets.
-An excellent performance from Fiennes. It would have been all too easy to depict the Duke as a cartoon villian but his nuanced performance added depth.
-Poor script. Some of the lines were desperately clunky.

]]> By: faemom http://thefemspot.com/2008/10/11/no-sympathy-for-the-duchess-of-discontent/#comment-72 Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:34:37 +0000 http://femspotter.wordpress.com/?p=220#comment-72 Excellent critic. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I can’t wait. Ha, poor little rich girl. Obviously someone doesn’t know her history. You nailed it with saying that we, here in the 21st century, wouldn’t want to trade places with Georgiana.

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