Ken & Ericka Osen/H&A Studio
Command Sergeant Major
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2005
- Messages
- 2,113
Ok, Ken & I went to see The Duchess the other night. I was prepared to be disappointed. It had all the ingredients needed to take a period piece and completely ruin it. It had big name stars (Keira Knightly and Ralph Fiennes), hollywood backing, a big release, period clothing and based on a true story. A classic recipe for a disastrous movie.
But I was pleasantly surprised, even shocked at how good a film it was. It is set in London & Bath circa 1790's. First off, those that know me know that I am a historic clothing nut. Bad period clothing and hair will ruin a movie for me. The period clothing in this movie is magnificent! If you like period clothing, this is your movie. It even shows the subtle variation and advancement of style as time progresses. The attention to detail that is found in this movie is astounding! The wig maker should be given an oscar. The details of the houses, meals, carriages- everything is bang on. Lovely.
But what is more astounding is that they did a great job of conveying the social etiquette, mores and basic life assumptions of the times. These are hard things to convey in 2 hours time. Hard things to convey in even a semesters time, yet this movie does it. And it does so without pity, modern assumptions and without making those that used the system in place, and to their advantage, complete villains.
I think I will need to see it again, and on the big screen. So, if it is playing in your neighborhood or even a bit of a drive, go and see it. It is worth the price of admission.
All the best,
Ericka
PS- just to let you know, it is not a complete "chick flick". My Dad, retired military officer, weapons collector and lover of all things John Wayne even enjoyed it!
But I was pleasantly surprised, even shocked at how good a film it was. It is set in London & Bath circa 1790's. First off, those that know me know that I am a historic clothing nut. Bad period clothing and hair will ruin a movie for me. The period clothing in this movie is magnificent! If you like period clothing, this is your movie. It even shows the subtle variation and advancement of style as time progresses. The attention to detail that is found in this movie is astounding! The wig maker should be given an oscar. The details of the houses, meals, carriages- everything is bang on. Lovely.
But what is more astounding is that they did a great job of conveying the social etiquette, mores and basic life assumptions of the times. These are hard things to convey in 2 hours time. Hard things to convey in even a semesters time, yet this movie does it. And it does so without pity, modern assumptions and without making those that used the system in place, and to their advantage, complete villains.
I think I will need to see it again, and on the big screen. So, if it is playing in your neighborhood or even a bit of a drive, go and see it. It is worth the price of admission.
All the best,
Ericka
PS- just to let you know, it is not a complete "chick flick". My Dad, retired military officer, weapons collector and lover of all things John Wayne even enjoyed it!
