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The Lady and the Duke

Play trailer Poster for The Lady and the Duke PG-13 2002 2h 3m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
72% Tomatometer 71 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
The tale of a beautiful, royalist English gentlewoman living perilously in France during the Revolution, and her sometimes affectionate, sometimes tempestuous relationship with Philippe, Duke of Orleans, a cousin of King Louis XVI but nonetheless a supporter of revolutionary ideas. The Lady manages to persuade the Duke to rescue an outlaw, but fails to keep him from voting for the King's execution.
The Lady and the Duke

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Visually stunning, The Lady and the Duke uses current technology to elegantly bring the past to life.

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Critics Reviews

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Susan Stark Detroit News Sep 27, 2002
3/4
Leave it to Rohmer, now 82, to find a way to bend current technique to the service of a vision of the past that is faithful to both architectural glories and commanding open spaces of the city as it was more than two centuries ago. Go to Full Review Geoff Pevere Toronto Star Jul 26, 2002
4/5
Nothing short of a technical marvel and a ravishing movie to look at. Go to Full Review Liam Lacey Globe and Mail Jul 26, 2002
3/4
Whenever the subtleties of political morality get a bit overbearing, there's a respite in the painterly streets of Paris, where, we are reminded, the past was another city, strange and resistant to present-day adornments. Go to Full Review Eve Tushnet Patheos Jul 31, 2023
What comes out in the storytelling is the way our actions emerge from a tangle of sympathies, personal loyalties or debts owed, preexisting relationships we take for granted, and professed ideologies. Go to Full Review Mark Halverson Sacramento News & Review Aug 7, 2008
3/5
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Feb 14, 2007
B-
Though not one of Rohmer best films, it's worth seeing for the acting and the dialogue which magnify the glory of the French language. Amazingly, at 81, Rohmer continues to be productive; rejection of film by Cannes Festival stirred controversy in 2001 Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Oct 8, 2014 Eric Rohmer embraced the new technology to create an absorbing and astute costume drama film. Because of his innovative ideas regarding depth of field and production design, we can now enjoy exquisite masterworks as Hugo (Martin Scorsese) or The Great Gatsby (Baz Luhrmann) See more Apr 15, 2010 Period piece misses the mark. The film makers probably realized it was a disaster but knew someone would always be interested in period pieces..so they took their chances. Not worth the effort to find. See more Mar 22, 2010 Le moins qu'on puisse dire avec ce film, c'est que la Nouvelle Vague est tout a fait morte. See more Sep 5, 2009 One of the better period movies I have seen, particularly of those set around the time of the French Revolution. It is difficult to find a good word describing the brilliant acting here...though "delicate and understated" might just cut it. See more Aug 14, 2009 After having exclusively viewed contemporary cinema over the past 3 weeks and all the inherently "unsure" cinema that such an exercise involves, watching the total and complete confidence of old man Rohmer was like mana from heaven. Rohmer finally lends his conservatism to didactic political prominence with this vicious attack on the horrors of the French Revolution. It owes everything to Rossellini's historical films, and, sadly, Rohmer is probably the only director today still looking directly to Rossellini's historical films for inspiration. See more Jul 19, 2009 The episodic nature through the French Revolution period can be a bit of a distraction to the story of adversity of an Englishwoman in France, however the plot does make for an interesting costume drama. See more Read all reviews
The Lady and the Duke

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Cast & Crew

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Éric Rohmer

Director

Lucy Russell

Grace Elliott

Jean-Claude Dreyfus

Le duc d'Orléans

François Marthouret

Dumouriez

Leonard Cobiant

Champcenetz

Caroline Morin

Nanon

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The Lady and the Duke

The Lady and the Duke (2001) Eric Rohmer, The Director. Lucy Russell as Grace Elliott. Jean-Claude Dreyfus as Le Duc d'Orléans. Lucy Russell as Grace Elliott, Night Scene. Revolution Scene. Lucy Russell as Grace Elliott. Jean-Claude Dreyfus as Le Duc d'Orléans and Lucy Russell as Grace Elliott. Lucy Russell as Grace Elliott. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis The tale of a beautiful, royalist English gentlewoman living perilously in France during the Revolution, and her sometimes affectionate, sometimes tempestuous relationship with Philippe, Duke of Orleans, a cousin of King Louis XVI but nonetheless a supporter of revolutionary ideas. The Lady manages to persuade the Duke to rescue an outlaw, but fails to keep him from voting for the King's execution.
Director
Éric Rohmer
Producer
Françoise Etchegaray
Screenwriter
Éric Rohmer
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Rating
PG-13 (Some Violent Images)
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters)
May 10, 2002, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
May 13, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$329.8K
Runtime
2h 3m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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