The Duchess (2008) October 2, 2008

Like Princess Diana, her direct descendent, Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire in 18th-century England was beautiful, glamorous and adored by the public. But while her beauty and charisma made her a household name, one thing always seemed to escape her: love. Georgiana (Keira Knightley) was an intelligent, beautiful, vulnerable woman stranded in a loveless marriage to the Duke, one of the richest men in England. Frustrated by the limitations imposed on her by virtue of her sex and class, she rebelled, entering into an intense relationship with the beautiful Bess Foster, thereby upsetting the balance of her marriage. Georgiana's rebellion extended to the public sphere where she became a political campaigner for the liberal party and galvanising the nation. In so doing she fell in love with Charles Grey, the future Prime Minister. But could true love survive the strictures of the Duke, of Bess and of Society - the pressures of marriage and motherhood, of friendship and loyalty, of class and celebrity? What followed was tragic, but Georgiana's spirit sustained her and, unlike Diana, she found peace.