Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the film when Georgiana is talking with her mother about her engagement, the curl running down the back of Georgiana's neck disappears and reappears multiple times.
The Duchess (2008)
Directed by: Saul Dibb
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Keira Knightley, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper
Trivia: In real life, Georgiana was only nine years younger than her husband, the Duke. She was seven years older than Charles Grey. The film portrays her as being much younger than her husband and closer in age to Charles.
Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire: I am her mother. After all, she is only a girl.
Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire: He loves me?
Lady Spencer: Yes, of course.
Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire: I have only met him twice.
Lady Spencer: When one truly loves someone, one doesn't have to know them well to be sure, Georgiana. One feels it right away.
Duke of Devonshire: I love you in the way I understand love.
Question: When the Duke says that he "cannot" ask Lady Bess to leave his home (after the Duchess discovers their affair), does he simply not want to or is there some reason that he feels he cannot?
Question: Why did the Duke refuse to divorce Georgiana and marry Bess, as Georgiana herself even suggested? They lived in the 1700s. Henry VIII divorced multiple wives in the 1500s. It was possible for a nobleman to end a marriage if he wished.
Answer: Marriage was far more complicated at that time and divorce was rarely an outcome. Henry VIII, being king, could more easily break conventional rules without suffering the same consequences others would face. Historically, marriages were seldom about romantic love and were unions that were arranged by the families. In upper classes, a marriage contract was drawn and a substantial dowry by the bride's family was bestowed to the groom. It was also about forming advantageous social, economic, and political alliances. Dissolving a marriage purely to marry someone else that you preferred could result in forfeiting whatever was gained from matrimony.
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Answer: He is ignoring the Duchess' request by saying that he cannot ask her to leave. He does not want her to go, nor does Lady Bess wish to leave.
raywest ★