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Movies: Also Opening

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 9, 2008

Updated:

THE DUCHESS ***

The cinched corsets, the mountains of upswept hair, the richly textured, intricately detailed costumes. Sure, "The Duchess" is a lavish exercise in style over substance, but it's a well-crafted, superbly acted one.

Keira Knightley brings her usual bright energy and sly charm to the role of Georgiana Spencer, the Duchess of Devonshire, and she manages to find the subversive humor within the unassuming, artistically solid direction from Saul Dibb. Unsurprisingly, the star of "Pride & Prejudice" and "Atonement" seems perfectly comfortable in yet another period piece; this one begins in 1774 England, when Georgiana was a 17-year-old bride.

But the filmmakers - and the movie's marketing machine - are obviously trying hard to make the picture seem contemporary by pushing the idea that Georgiana was the first "It Girl," with her elaborate parties and influential fashion sense. It also doesn't hurt their argument that she was an ancestor of Princess Diana, who similarly was trapped in a loveless royal marriage and found herself the topic of endless gossip. It's a smart tactic: Considering our all-consuming obsession with celebrity, such a connection, unfortunately, doesn't seem too tenuous.

Working from the 1998 biography "Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire" by Amanda Foreman, Dibb and fellow screenwriters Jeffrey Hatcher and Anders Thomas Jensen play up Georgiana's glamour and the tragically soapy elements of her life, all of which makes for compelling viewing.

PG-13 (sexual content, brief nudity and adult themes); 105 minutes

Christy Lemire,

The Associated Press

THE EXPRESS

Ernie Davis didn't carry a placard or attend sit-ins or register black voters in Alabama.

He became a figure in the civil rights movement simply by running the football better than anyone else in college.

"The Express" follows Davis from childhood to his early death from leukemia only a year after becoming the first African-American to win the coveted Heisman Trophy. A blend of elements from "Brian's Song" and "Remember the Titans," Gary Fleder's film is less about football than about mortality and race.

Charles Leavitt's screenplay (based on Robert Gallagher's nonfiction book) runs on parallel tracks. First there's the football career of Davis (Rob Brown) - a sweet, quiet guy miles away from today's showboating players. He endured the racial slurs, indignities and dirty play (sometimes from his own teammates) with dignity, getting his revenge by being the best on the field.

The second track is his relationship with coach Ben Schwartzwalder. Dennis Quaid is almost pitch-perfect as the gruff, old-school mentor who becomes his surrogate father.

Because it has more on its mind than the usual sports movie cliches - and because we know it's a true story - "The Express" packs an emotional punch. It will make you care even if you don't like sports.

PG (adult themes, violence and profanity involving racism and for brief sensuality); 129 minutes

Robert W. Butler,

McClatchy Newspapers