The Duchess (film)

The Duchess
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Saul Dibb
Screenplay by	Jeffrey Hatcher Anders Thomas Jensen Saul Dibb
Based on	Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman
Produced by	Gabrielle Tana Michael Kuhn
Starring	Keira Knightley Ralph Fiennes Charlotte Rampling Dominic Cooper Hayley Atwell Simon McBurney Aidan McArdle John Shrapnel
Cinematography	Gyula Pados
Edited by	Masahiro Hirakubo
Music by	Rachel Portman
Production companies	BBC Films[1] Qwerty Films[1] Magnolia Mae Films[1]
Distributed by	Pathé Distribution (France and United Kingdom) BIM Distribuzione (Italy) Paramount Vantage (United States)
Release dates	5 September 2008 (2008-09-05) (United Kingdom) 10 October 2008 (2008-10-10) (United States) 12 November 2008 (2008-11-12) (France) 23 December 2008 (2008-12-23) (Italy)
Running time	110 minutes
Countries	France Italy United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Budget	£13.5 million[2]
Box office	$43.3 million

The Duchess is a 2008 historical drama film directed by Saul Dibb, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jeffrey Hatcher and Anders Thomas Jensen, based on the 1998 book Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman, about the late 18th-century English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. She was a distant relation of Diana, Princess of Wales, where the quote "There were three people in her marriage" in the promotional poster comes from. The Duchess was the older sister of Lady Diana's great-great-great-grandfather, George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer.

The Duchess was released on 5 September 2008 in the United Kingdom. The film received generally positive reviews from critics. It won the Best Costume Design and was nominated for Best Art Direction at the 81st Academy Awards.