The Duchess steps out of Diana's shadow

2 months ago 06th Sep 08:15

'The Duchess', a film based on the life of Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, caused controversy long before it was released.

Starring Keira Knightley as the title character and Ralph Fiennes as her husband the Duke of Devonshire, with co-stars including Hayley Atwell as the Duke's mistress Bess and Dominic Cooper as Georgiana's lover Charles Grey, the film adaptation of Amanda Foreman's critically-praised book was always sure to be a hit.

However, the marketing campaign's comparison between the life of Georgiana and that of the late Princess Diana (who are distantly related) is causing a stir.

While there are undeniable similarities - the two women in question were beautiful, fashion icons, politically aware and reportedly the victims of their husband's affairs - it is claimed the advertisers decided to employ the comparison in a bid to encourage viewers to watch the movie.

Director Saul Dibb explains the decision was out of his hands, but may result in higher box office numbers in a world which is still obsessed with the death of Princess Diana - more than 10 years after the tragic event. "It would be naïve to say that no-one's aware of them, Amanda Foreman's book - which never referenced Diana specifically - every review of that book drew those parallels," Saul said.

"The reality is there are the filmmakers which is all of us making the film, and then there's the marketing of the film afterwards. They're two different things. We had the freedom to make our film and they have the freedom to market the film. It cost them a lot of money and they want to get as wide an audience in.

"What they've done, I think, is made explicit what would have been written about by everybody anyway. In a sense they've cut out the middle man and gone directly to it. It doesn't represent us and our approach to the film but for them to make their choice is up to them. If it gets more people in to see the film which stands on its own then perhaps they're right."

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