The Duchess: Win A Signed Poster & More

To celebrate the release of the absorbing historical drama The Duchess on 5th September, 50connect have joined forces with Pathé to give one lucky winner the chance to win an exclusive prize package including a signed poster, a copy of the book written by Amanda Foreman and a specially designed hand held fan, as Keira used during filming, plus another book and fan for a runner-up.

Directed by Saul Dibb and based on the best-selling biography Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman, the film stars Keira Knightley as Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire, who caused controversy in her extravagant political and personal life.

Like Princess Diana, her direct descendent, Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire (Knightley) was beautiful, glamorous and adored by the public. But while her beauty and charisma made her a household name, one thing always seemed to escape her: love.

Beneath Georgiana’s glamorous façade lay an intelligent, vulnerable woman stranded in a loveless marriage to the Duke (Ralph Fiennes), one of the richest men in England.

Frustrated by the limitations imposed on her by virtue of her sex and her class, she rebelled, entering into an intense relationship with the beautiful Bess Foster (Hayley Atwell) thereby upsetting the cool balance of her marriage to the Duke and leading to a complex ménage a trois.

Georgiana’s rebellion extended to the public sphere where she tore down the conventions, becoming a political campaigner for the liberal party and galvanising the nation.

In so doing she fell in love with Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper), the future Prime Minister, finally discovering the meaning of true love.

But could true love survive the strictures of the Duke, of Bess and of Society - the pressures of marriage and motherhood, of friendship and loyalty, of class and celebrity?

What followed was tragic, but Georgiana’s unquenchable spirit sustained her and, unlike Diana, she ultimately found peace.

Web Links

For more information on The Duchess, visit the official website: www.theduchessmovie.co.uk