The Duchess

A story of a woman's struggle against her inner self. Georgiana Cavendish is a woman in constant search of love. And when she found it, it was short lived coz she opted to sacrifice for the sake of her children and the man he truly loved. Her story is bittersweet. Sweet coz she have adorable kids yet bitter in the sense that she still longs for love until her death. Despite being adored by everyone, she is referred to as 'loved by entire England, except her husband'.

The Duchess is based on the life of Georgiana Spencer who became Grorgina Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire. Married at a young age of 17 to the older Duke of Devonshire, who was blatantly unfaithful. She is spirited and adored by the public for her beauty and charisma. She became a fashion icon, a doting mother, a shrewd political operator and loved by the common people. But her marriage is a disappointment. She is defined by her duty to produce a male heir and the Duke's philandering attitude.

At first, she was insensitive to the infidelity if her husband but came a point that she caught her husband and best friend, Bess (Lady Elizabeth Foster) having a lifelong affair. Despite her anger, it ended up as the three of them living together in one household since her husband threatened to take away her children if she insists that Bess should go. She explores her attraction to Earl Charles Grey, with whom she socialized and to whom she was attracted before marriage, and finds that the attraction is mutual. Earl Grey is the future Prime Minister. She brings the situation to a head by proposing a 'deal' to the Duke : she will not object to his continuing to have Bess live with them, if he will not object to her engaging in an affair with Grey. The Duke, not surprisingly, rejects the proposal, pointing our that he does not make 'deals', and that all of the power in the situation belongs to him. He upbraids Georgiana for failing in the two things that he demands of her: bearing him a male heir and remaining loyal to him. She is outraged by his attitude and refusal to break of his affair and flees him. He chases her down and rapes her.

After the rape, Georgiana appears alcohol induced at her social gatherings until it is learned that she is pregnant. She delivers a boy. Having done her "duty," Georgiana goes to Bath, where she finally consummates her passion for Grey. They live blissfully in Bath until the Duke arrives unexpectedly. He accuses of her of being indiscreet and demands that she drop Grey and return with him to Devonshire. He warns her that, if she does not, both she and Grey will be cut off entirely from their wealth and positions in society, Grey will lose his political position, and she will never see her children again. After the Duke leaves, Georgiana races back to Devonshire, realizing that she cannot live without her children.

Bess and her children are still at Devonshire. Georgiana informs Bess and the Duke that she is pregnant with Grey's child. At the Duke's command, she moves to the countryside to await the birth. She delivers another girl, Eliza, and immediately is forced to give the baby up to Grey's family. Georgina returns home and her husband took her to a party where Grey is sure to attend. Grey and Georgiana discussed where she has been the past year but did not mention anything about their child. Grey told Georgiana that he is soon to be engaged so they part in humble goodbyes.

Heartbroken, she returns to Devonshire, where she continues her social circle, but with none of the vivacity and verve for which she was known before. She remains with her husband, Bess, and her children, with secret visits to her daughter until her death. After her death, the Duke marries Bess with Georgiana's blessing. Grey goes on to become Prime Minister.

Cast

• Keira Knightley as Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
• Ralph Fiennes as William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire
• Hayley Atwell as Lady Elizabeth 'Bess' Foster
• Charlotte Rampling as Countess Spencer, wife to Earl Spencer
• Dominic Cooper as Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

A very dark story of a person who's in search of his own odor, ironically, in search for his own identity. It tells us that too much of something is bad enough. But my heart is torn into two - my sympathy goes out to him but i can't empathize with his madness. The story itself is unpredictable. Grenouille's ending is unpredictable. I never thought his life would easily end that way. The entire film is superb. I'll give 6 stars out of 5.

Grenouille (French for "frog") is an unwanted Parisian orphan who, having little personal scent, is rejected by others because they are disturbed by his lack of odor. He has an extraordinary power to discern odours, and comes to loathe the scent of other people. He becomes apprenticed to a tanner at the age of eight, and after work explores the city. One day he smells a divine scent and follows it, and is shocked to find that the source of this beautiful scent is a young woman. He kills her to get a better smell of her scent, but after death the scent ceases. He dedicates his life to preserve this perfect scent.

In his quest to isolate and preserve scents, he becomes apprenticed to a great perfumier, Baldini, and proves a talented pupil, making Baldini the most popular perfumier in Paris. But Baldini cannot teach him how to isolate the scent of glass and iron. He falls ill with small pox but, on discovering that techniques other than distillation can be used to preserve such odours, he miraculously recovers and resolves to journey to the city of Grasse to further his quest.

On his way to Grasse, Grenouille becomes so disgusted by the scent of humanity that he spends seven years in a cave on top of the Massif Central. One day he wakes with a start from a nightmare of being suffocated by his own body odour, and realises with a shock that he has no personal scent at all.

Grenouille journeys to Montpelier where an amateur scientist, the Marquis de La Taillade-Espinasse, uses Grenouille to test his thesis of the "so-called fluidium letale". The Marquis combines a treatment of decontamination and revitalization for Grenouille, and subsequently, Grenouille looks like a clean gentleman for the first time in his life. Grenouille in turn tricks his way into the laboratory of a famous perfumier. There he creates a body odour for himself from ingredients including "cat shit," "cheese," and "vinegar", whereupon he is accepted by society.

Moving to Grasse, Grenouille once again becomes intoxicated by the scent of a young woman, Laure. He decides that she is not quite mature and resolves to kill her in two years time. Meanwhile he embarks on a career of serial murder of beautiful virgins to form a base for the scent he will make from Laure, while at the same time refining his powers until he can preserve any smell.

Eventually, Laure's father pieces together the pattern of murders and realises that Laure is to be the next victim. He flees with Laure but Grenouille pursues them and kills Laure, capturing her scent.

He is eventually apprehended and sentenced to death, but on the day of his execution the intoxicating scent of Laure combined with the backdrop essences of the twenty-four virgins he murdered, overwhelms all present, and instead of an execution the whole town becomes a massive orgy.

Grenouille is pardoned for his crimes, and Laure's father even wants to adopt him. But the experience of the power has dissatisfied Grenouille, because he is not loved for himself, but for the perfume which he created. He realises that he had always found gratification 'in hatred, in hating and being hated', not love. He decides to return to Paris upon finding that the satisfaction that he initially felt has transformed itself into hatred and disgust.

In Paris, Grenouille approaches a group of low-life people (thieves, murderers, whores, etc), who do not notice him approaching. He deliberately douses himself with the perfume he created, while among the group. Overcome with desire, they tear him to pieces and devour the remains. They feel slightly disgusted having just eaten a human being, but they feel overwhelmed with happiness. They are "uncommonly proud. For the first time they had done something out of Love." - "Love" is deliberately capitalized which is open to interpretation.

Actors
Ben Whishaw	Jean-Baptiste Grenouille
Dustin Hoffman	Giuseppe Baldini
Alan Rickman	Antoine Richis
Rachel Hurd-Wood	Laura Richis
Corinna Harfouch	Madame Arnulfi
John Hurt	Narrator
Karoline Herfurth	The Plum Girl