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Created Mar 12, 2009 07:58PM PST • Edited Mar 14, 2009 02:36AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   OK 2.5

   Chick flik period piece about Princess Diana’s ancestral aunt and cultural predecessor, this well produced costume epic offers decent historical and cultural interest to those (like me) not taken with its marriage gone wrong storyline.

   I should probably give it three full beams based on the quality of acting and film making, but chick fliks just aren’t my cup of tea, so I can only muster two and a half.

4. Acting

   Good 3.0

   A little Keira Knightly goes a long way for me. Still, she was born for roles like this. Same with Ralph Fiennes: He’s a natural at these dour, foppish roles.

5. Male Stars Good 3.0

6. Female Stars Good 3.0

7. Female Costars OK 2.5

8. Male Costars OK 2.5

10. Film

    Good 3.0

    Well mounted, the movie looks spectacular. As costume epics go, this one is first rate.

11. Direction Very Good 3.5

12. Play Barely OK 2.0

13. Music Good 3.0

14. Visuals Perfect 5.0
15. Content

16. Edge

    Tame 1.3

    All very discreet, don’t you know.

17. Sex Titillating 1.6

18. Violence Gentle 1.0

19. Rudeness Polite 1.2

21. Reality

    Glib 1.2

    The movie plays down the ruinous extent of the Duchess’ gambling, since she apparently died deeply in debt due to her excesses at the tables. Otherwise, the movie seems remarkably true to the actual history, at least as far as Wikipedia would have it.

    Of more interest is the implication that British royalty have marital misbehavior in their blue blood, so we moderns shouldn’t be shocked at their ongoing indiscretions.

22. Circumstantial Glib 1.5

23. Biological Natural 1.0

24. Physical Natural 1.0