THE DUKE

 Jim Broadbent     Dame Helen Mirren     Fionn Whitehead

Heather Craney     Matthew Goode     Aimee Kelly     Craig Conway

            This is a strangely seductive movie, showing a British family with a rather daft though good-hearted Kempton Bunton (Broadbent), his wife Dorothy Bunton (Mirren), and younger son Jackie (Whitehead) not communicating very well with one another.  Dorothy is extremely critical of Kempton (for some good reasons), which makes him more secretive at times, and Jackie torn between taking sides with one then the other.  An older son appears about midway through, but doesn’t appear to have much in common with the rest of his rather straitlaced family.  Dorothy is especially offended by his frequent swearing.

            Much about the family is a dramatization, but the story is loosely based on an actual theft of the Goya painting entitled “The Duke of Welllington” from the National Gallery of London.  Reference is made to it in a number of plays and movies ever since.

            In the movie, Kempton is currently protesting paying the government a television license (which everyone was required to pay) since he cannot get the BBC and he feels strongly that everyone should be able to watch television as a public service.  After serving some time, he thinks he has solved the problem by taking the BBC tube out of his set.  He is not only against paying the license himself but feels strongly that everyone should receive television as a public service.  

            When the theft of the  Goya painting is in all the news, it suddenly appears in the Bunton household, with Kempton and Jackie making sure it is hidden even from the ever-cleaning Dorothy.  

            Much intrigue occurs around the painting, around Kempton’s temporary jobs, and the death of Jackie’s sister.  Towards the end, after the viewer has become more and more sympathetic to and interested in the family, there is a surprising shift, which makes the Roger Michell’s direction and screenplay by Richard Bean and Oliver Coleman impressive in its subtlety and its shift from an account of a zany man to a heart-warming story of community and care for others. 

            Jim Broadbent’s acting skills have made him a famous and favorite British actor.  Here, he makes his character so convincing one surmises that he is one with the kindly Kempton Bunton.  The same for Helen Mirren who after we so often see her now so elegantly dressed and coifed nowadays in the media we can see how easily she pulls off playing a frumpy housewife with firm opinions.  Fionn Whitehead and Matthew Goode as Kempton’s solicitor contribute to the appeal and quality of The Duke.

 

This is an engaging British production that pulls you in, makes you think, and have good thoughts about humankind.

 

Grade:  A                              By Donna R. Copeland

MY COUSIN RACHEL

Rachel Weisz     Sam Claflin     Holliday Grainger     Iain Glen     Pierfrancesco Favino

      The film begins on an intriguing note, with the character Philip (Claflin) asking questions of himself:  “Did she?”  “Didn’t she?” “Who’s to blame?”  Then the setting moves to the country estate in Cornwall, where Philip manages his guardian’s landed property.  He supervises the help competently, and seems to be beloved.  But social skills are at a minimum, as he was orphaned at a young age and now lives and works primarily with men.  He is close in a male-male kind of way with his godfather Nick Randall (Glen), who frequently brings his daughter, Philip’s cousin Louise (Grainger), along.  It’s Randall’s hope that there will be a match between Louise and Philip.  But there is little chemistry between the two; Louise is supportive of Philip, giving him subtle hints, and attempts to playfully tease him, but he is oblivious.

     Intrigue sets in when Philip receives messages from his guardian Ambrose [who has moved to Italy and married a woman named Rachel (Weisz)] who thinks he is being poisoned…by Rachel].  Philip instantly flies to Italy, only to find that Ambrose has died and Rachel has departed.  The only person he meets is an oily character named Rainaldi (Favino) who seems to be taking care of Ambrose’s affairs.

     Intrigue is heightened when Philip gets word that Rachel—whom he has never met—is coming to visit.  Clever storytelling reveals more of Philip’s personality in his naïveté about women and his jumping to conclusions about Rachel, based on little information.  He’s ready to read her the riot act…and then he meets her.  She is beautiful, first of all, but kind, thoughtful, and attentive as well.  He is clearly not equipped to see her in an objective light.  He welcomes her and begs her to continue living on the estate.

     Up to this point, I was taken in by the film (based on Daphne du Maurier’s novel, with a screenplay by Director Roger Michell) with its suspense and sumptuous cinematography (Mike Eley).  Unfortunately, at this point, the characterization goes into the absurd, especially in regard to the character Philip.  Granted, infatuation with a beautiful person can make both men and women seem fools at times, but the ensuing turn of events stretches plausibility.  The film tries to “explain” Philip’s obsession (orphan, lack of experience with women) and leave the ending scenes ambiguous but still plausible, but it didn’t carry me along.  One clue was that the screening audience laughed at scenes that were supposed to be serious. 

     The set-up of this film was wonderful, it’s just too bad it couldn’t follow through with clever intrigue and turns of events.  And we were in no way prepared for the ending, not in the sense that it threw us for a loop, but that it had a hint of a deux ex machina quality to it (i.e., we’ll just throw this in to make you scratch your heads).  I haven’t had the privilege to read du Maurier’s novels, but I would guess she managed to end her stories better than this one did. 

      On the other hand, Rachel Weisz is a supreme actress who is able to convey beauty, sincerity, mysteriousness, and depth of character in all her roles, and keeps us captivated.  Sam Claflin (Me Before You, Hunger Games) is well cast and shows his ability in portraying a flawed character with the best of intentions.  Holliday Grainger, Iain Glen, and Pierfrancesco Favino provide fine supporting work.

A beautifully filmed, mostly engaging story of an ill-fated character.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland