{"id":24693,"date":"2022-04-28T22:58:02","date_gmt":"2022-04-29T05:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=24693"},"modified":"2022-04-28T22:58:02","modified_gmt":"2022-04-29T05:58:02","slug":"the-duke-steals-some-chuckles-and-leaves-viewers-feeling-warm-and-cozy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=24693","title":{"rendered":"THE DUKE Steals Some Chuckles and Leaves Viewers Feeling Warm and Cozy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This film from Sony Pictures Classics opens in San Diego cinemas on April 29th<\/sup> and will be released in other markets over the next few weeks.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the time, priceless works of are targeted by criminal\ngroups and master burglars. But one of the most famous stolen painting cases in\nGreat Britain involved a much more common and eccentric figure. The Duke<\/em>\ntells this notable true story. While the movie does deal with a major theft, it\nisn\u2019t really a heist movie. It is primarily focused the eccentric individuals\nin a family, their history and the deeper reasons behind the crime itself. There\naren\u2019t a lot of big surprises in this simple tale and the screenplay is more\nthan a little sentimental, but the cast are so charming that film still makes\nan impression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Set in the early 1960s, the movie introduces viewers to Newcastle\nnative Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent). He is a self-educated 61-year-old idealist\nwho spends most of his time writing unsolicited stage plays and protesting eccentric\ngrievances like a television ta. His defiance impresses his youngest son Jackie\n(Fionn Whitehead), but it often results in prosecutions and minor jail time. The\nonly person more frustrated by Kempton than local officials is his wife, Dorothy\n(Helen Mirren). When the government announces that they have purchased the\nFrancisco Goya painting Portrait of the Duke of Wellington<\/em> for the hefty\nsum of \u00a3140,000, Kempton is immediately incensed that his tax money has gone to\nthe picture and not seniors like himself. An unusual series of events follow in\nwhich the famous piece of art disappears from the National Gallery in London and\nends up in his possession. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The lead is very passionate about a great many issues, but\nalso prone to troublemaking, getting himself fired and leaving his family in constant\nfinancial trouble. This could be a very grating character, but Broadbent\u2019s manner\nand delivery of verbal jabs at the expense of those around keep him likable. This\nis particularly true when he is being grilled during a trail. The performer\ncontinually responds to questions in a blunt and direct, yet unhelpful manner\nas he is bombarded by prosecutors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while most films of this genre would focus on an elaborate\nscheme to break in and obtain the valuable art, the robbery itself is presented\nin a straightforward manner. This simplicity is amusing in and of itself, and\nthe movie gets more comedic milage out of those investigating the crime, who won\u2019t\nbe convinced that the thief isn\u2019t anything but a cunning genius. And things get\neven more humorous as the protagonist spends much of his time with Jackie trying\nto keep the painting hidden from his wife. The movie also adds a little unexpected\ntwist to the story (for those unfamiliar with the case) thanks to some clever\nediting. This turn also helps emphasize that, while he isn\u2019t always reliable,\nthe protagonist still has nothing but the best motivations for his behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The supporting turns are also helpful in keeping the film amusing\nand adding a bit of gravitas, especially with the conflict between Kempton and spouse\nDorothy. Mirren\u2019s character does have fun moments as she reacts to her husband\u2019s\noutrageous pranks, but also manages to eke out some drama as she and her husband\nare forced to acknowledge and discuss a past tragedy. Additionally, Kempton\u2019s\nbarrister Jeremy Hutchinson (Matthew Goode) makes an impression as he cleverly uses\na technicality to try and help his client. His closing argument may be a bit exaggerated\nand sentimental, but the cast all ultimately sell the material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As mentioned, there isn\u2019t any searing drama in this feature,\nnor is there intrigue or great deal of tension in regards to the heist. But that\nis what helps differentiate it from other titles with a similar subject. And this\nfilm does paint a clearer picture of Kempton Bunton. It is a sweet, likable and\ngood-natured effort that details a few more interesting facts about a very unusual\ncrime. As such, The Duke<\/em> is a warm and cozy film that ultimately managed\nto steal some chuckles from this reviewer. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This film from Sony Pictures Classics opens in San Diego cinemas on April 29th and will be released in other markets over the next few weeks. Most of the time, priceless works of are targeted by criminal groups and master burglars. But one of the most famous stolen painting cases in Great Britain involved a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":24694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[209,1849,3559,4660,4910,6251,7590,9020,10687,12578,14611,15652,16281,19127,19129,20555,20556,20557,20559,23321,23469],"class_list":["post-24693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie-reviews","tag-209","tag-art-theft","tag-british","tag-comedy","tag-crime","tag-drama","tag-fionn-whitehead","tag-helen-mirren","tag-jim-broadbent","tag-london","tag-national-museum","tag-painting","tag-portrait-of-the-duke-of-wellington","tag-stolen","tag-stolen-painting","tag-the-duke","tag-the-duke-film-review","tag-the-duke-movie-review","tag-the-duke-review","tag-true-story","tag-uk"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24693"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24693\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}