Do The Duchess

Alright, that's it!!! I'm taking a little break from my Salesperson Exam Prep Course which is quite a lot to cover still. As you may (or may not know) I'll be taking my Real Estate test next April 16th, it's on a Thursday morning, at 8 a.m. in downtown which means I probably won't be able to sleep the night before but I must do this one more time and prove to myself and the world that I can pass the test. I got my flashcards, my course in my iPod, I wake up with this large book in my hand so you better believe it, I need to pass this once and for all.
Now to the nitty gritty of this entry. So last weekend I went over to Dean's house after a looooonnng work week and decided we would watch his favorite DVD "The Duchess" starring Keira Knightley as Georgiana the Duchess of Devonshire married to Ralph Fiennes as the Duke. I'm particularly not very fond of period movies sometimes because they speak so eloquently and refined English that I can barely understand anything they're saying. But i was up for the challenge and seeing that Dean was so excited that he got this DVD as a present from his sister, I decided it was the right person to see it with. After all, Dean is infatuated with royalty and all so I decided he was the best person that would really appreciate this movie.
In this movie, Keira Knightley is a carefree teenager who likes to laugh and enjoy her life but always looks up to her mother, who in turn has arranged for Georgiana to marry the Duke, Ralph Fiennes, who is a very stone cold individual who has barely seen Georgiana from afar but agrees to marry her just to have her bare his son who is to inherit his riches. Georgiana is the kind of woman who is very opinionated and charismatic and immediately jumps at the chance to discuss politics and other matters at their dinner parties. The Duke, however, doesn't seem amused in the least and rudely gets up the table and leaves his wife alone with all the other men seating at the table. Georgiana is a bit concerned with this and, after following the Duke, she's told that he's just too bored for such trivial people and that she can go back and entertain their guests.
This is, of course, the beginning of her downfall. Georgiana gives the Duke two daughters, but all the Duke cares about is a son. All he really cares about is his dogs and that son who's yet to be born. The Duchess now feels as if anything she does is belittled by the Duke's attitude, his indifference and his infidelities. Georgianna watches how mistress after mistress come and go from their bedroom but she, however, decides to overlook all of this and instead she's seen getting involved in political rallies behind a handsome and young Englishman Charles Grey (played by Dominic Cooper, the groom from the movie version of Mamma Mia!) whom she inevitably is infatuated with. The Duchess has still moral values unlike her cheating husband and she endures all this misery with her chin up high. She even befriends Beth, whom the Duke seemed to be very fond of, and they become really close as well. In one scene, The Duchess and Beth get a little acquainted... in the bedroom, if you know what I mean... The Duchess however sees this as a sexual escapade which shall never be duplicated again.
Unfortunately for the Duchess, her friendship with Beth is short-lived and the Duke is quick to make her his mistress as well. He starts pushing the Duchess away and even starts treating Beth as if she was part of the marriage: she sits on the dinner table, along with his dogs, without any shame. Beth even brings over her children to live in this humongous mansion (which makes sense since there are so many empty rooms here anyways) and so the Duchess decides to escape from it all and run towards Charles Grey and getting it on with him. He truly loves the Duchess for who she is, and the Duchess for once realizes how being in love can be. Their meetings are more frequent now and more and more passionate as well until the Duke shows up in town where she was supposed to be, and not only he comes but also brings along her mother, who is always rooting for her daughter to stay with the Duke, no matter how awful he may be to her. Her mother is very shallow and can care less for her daughter's feelings over their reputation. The Duchess confesses of her affair but is given an ultimatum: she either stays unfaithful to the Duke and live her life of shame but loved or, the worst decision one can possibly have to make: you will come back home and be able to see your daughters.
You can just tell the Duke's got her good, she must make her decision of never seeing her lover ever again just to be able to have her daughters close to her. She goes back home defeated but glad to see her daughters once more. It's one of the most touching scenes in the movie where you realize she's really made the best choice even though she had to sacrifice her love for love of her daughters. Still there is yet another scene where she had to give up one of her most precious legacy: Charles Grey's newborn daughter Eliza. It's such a powerful scene shot in a foggy morning along the muddy road where she meets Charles Grey's father and must hand over her precious daughter over, luckily Beth had stayed with her in this remote cottage, taking care of the Duchess while she was nurturing Charles Grey's illegitimate child. The Duchess breaks down and falls to the ground once the baby has been handed over and a part of her leaves with the child as well.
Needless to say, this story kept me wanting more and more each time, I can't believe that they'd be so much drama as there was in this true story drama. In the special features they actually read the Duchess' diaries in which this story was based upon, from her young days to her maturity, it was a pretty interesting and compelling story that I was able to enjoy and a new appreciation for love stories. This story doesn't have a happy ending but it gives me a different perspective to what a love story should be about: love is about sacrificing yourself for others, it's giving up what you hold dearest to your heart for their own good...
And those wigs, those fabulous wigs, honey!!