Knightley Nails It

Us Brits are pretty good at the period drama thing and recently we've been getting even better. The Duchess is proof that this is one genre we've pretty much got in the bag. It helps, of course, that we've got actors like Ralph Fiennes and Keira Knightley who take this film from beautiful BBC drama to worthy cinematic feature.

It sounds like a familiar role for Knightley - donning a corset and speaking with her perfect clipped English – but Oscar and BAFTA nominations prove that she does do it rather well and in The Duchess, she's better than ever.

The film follows Georgiana from an innocent teenager excited at the prospect of marrying into one of the most powerful families in the country into a woman who becomes the most notorious celebrity and fashion icon of her time and finally someone who has become a prisoner to her own disenchanted life.

If you've watched the trailer you may be wondering where Princess Diana is in all of this and the simple answer is: she isn't. Though they were related and there are certainly many parallels between the stories of the two women, The Duchess has absolutely nothing to do with Diana. Even the tagline which tries to ram the similarities down our throat: “There were three people in her marriage, ” doesn't tell the whole story - there were four.

The love triangle refers to the relationship between the Duchess, the cold and introverted Duke (Ralph Fiennes), and her best friend and his lover Lady Elizabeth (Hayley Atwell). But it is the passionate relationship the Duchess shares with Charles Gray which is the most genuine, and ultimately most moving, of the film.

For those who enjoy period dramas, The Duchess is a beautifully executed story with stunning costumes and cinematography. However, if period dramas put you to sleep The Duchess won't convert you. Whether or not you're rivetted by corsets it would be a struggle not to feel moved by Knightley's performance and astounded by wigs that make Amy Winehouse's beehive look tame.