It’s back to Cineworld again for another Cineworld Unlimited Screening and a chance to see the wonderful Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren in the very British, and very funny, comedy The Duke.
I had been looking forward to seeing the movie for a while after seeing the trailer some time back, The Duke is based on a true story and is set in 1961 and is the story of a 60-year old taxi driver called Kempton Bunton who stole Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London.
It was the first (and remains the only) theft in the Gallery’s history. Kempton (Jim Broadbent) sent ransom notes saying that he would return the painting on condition that the government invested more in care for the elderly – he had long campaigned for pensioners to receive free television.
What happened next became the stuff of legend. Only 50 years later did the full story emerge – Kempton had spun a web of lies. The only truth was that he was a good man, determined to change the world and save his marriage – how and why he used the Duke to achieve that is a wonderfully uplifting and rather comic tale.
The Duke is a wonderfully produced movie, the look and feel of the period are perfectly done throughout the movie, the set design looks superb as do the costumes for the cast. Not only that but there are some fantastic moments of Kempton in London with what seems to be original stock footage from the time used with Broadbent placed in the scenes of cars going by and even passing people in the streets as he ventured to steal, I mean borrow, the Goya from the Gallery.
But it’s now the scenery, costume or the story that stand out in this wonderful British comedy-drama but it’s the cast and in particular the casting of Jim Broadbent and Hellen Mirren in the key roles as Mr and Mrs Bunton.
Their on-screen connection is lovely to watch as they bounce off each other as the loving couple trying to get through life, with Dorothy (Helen Mirren) trying to make ends meet as a cleaner for a local councillors wife and Kempton (Broadbent) trying to fight the fight for the pensioners while driving a taxi, which after an altercation with his boss in a very funny scene he loses his job and has to find other ventures to help then, hence borrowing The Duke.
Roger Bean and Clive Coleman have brought a wonderfully written screenplay that not only shows off the acting talents of the cast of the movie but also shows the plight that the Benton’s were going through in the 60s, with the wonderful comedic moments and the moments that bring home the emotions that Dorothy and Kempton have after losing their daughter, which Kempton blames himself for.
Director Roger Michell (Notting Hill, My Cousin Rachel) has brought the screenplay to life on the big screen, the movie looks and feels great while you are watching with so much attention to detail to give you the feeling that you are back in the 60s during the movie. The soundtrack from George Fenton works brilliantly along with many tracks that you will probably know.
This is certainly a film that I will be going to see again, it’s lovely to see a down-to-Earth British made movie that gives you that feel-good factor from start to finish with lots of laugh-out-loud moments, mainly from Broadbent in some of the best court scenes that I’ve seen in a movie for a long time.
The movie stars Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead, Matthew Goode and Anna Maxwell Martin. The Duke was is in UK cinemas on 25th February and is out on Blu-Ray, DVD and Video on Demand from 13th June.
A wonderful and charming British Comedy Drama
Movie title: The Duke
Movie description: In 1961, Kempton Bunton, a 60-year-old taxi driver, steals Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London.
Date published: February 17, 2022
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 36m
Director(s): Roger Michell
Actor(s): Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Summary
The Duke is a wonderfully produced movie with a stellar cast and charming story to boot.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
