THE DUKE
****
Director: Roger Michell
Screenwriters: Richard Bean & Clive Coleman
Principal cast:
Jim Broadbent
Helen Mirren
Fionn Whitehead
Jack Bandeira
Matthew Goode
Anna Maxwell Martin
Country: UK
Classification: M
Runtime: 96 mins.
Australian release date: 31 March 2022.
The Duke, directed by veteran director Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Venus, and more recently My Cousin Rachel and Tea with the Dames), was selected as the opening night film of the 2021 British Film Festival and it was the perfect choice - it is a real charmer of a film with a top-notch cast. Described as a ‘true-crime caper and underdog tale,’ it reveals the incredible story of Kempton Bunton (magnificently portrayed by Jim Broadbent), a 60-year-old working class gentleman from Newcastle upon Tyne who, in 1961, was involved in the theft of Francisco Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington (which he regarded as “a half-baked portrait by a Spanish drunk”) from the National Gallery in London. It remains the only theft that has ever occurred there; he claimed that he was able to snatch the painting because he learnt that the alarm systems were de-activated while the galleries were being cleaned in the early hours of the morning. He said his motivation was his dissatisfaction with the way the elderly were treated by the government of the day (some would argue that nothing much has changed since then) and, in particular, he wanted television licence fees to be free for pensioners. The real story of how the painting was stolen and how Bunton came into possession of it was only revealed years later.
Bunton attempted to ransom the painting by offering to return it if the government was prepared to invest more money in caring for the elderly. He was a man of conviction who fought for the elderly, whom he firmly believed were unfairly disadvantaged and being denied access to basic comforts. His long-suffering wife, Dorothy (another brilliant portrayal by Helen Mirren), was always by his side but constantly frustrated by her husband’s outspokenness. His campaigning often led to him being sacked, so she was usually the breadwinner, working as a cleaner for the wife of a local councillor, Mrs. Gowling (Anna Maxwell Martin). The couple raised three children: Jackie (Fionn Whitehead), a boat-builder who lived with them, Kenny (Jack Bandeira), who worked in Leeds, and Marion, who’d died tragically at the age of 18, an event that caused a rift in the Bunton family ties and came to have some bearing on the events leading to the theft of the Duke of Wellington's portrait.
Broadbent and Mirren make an impressive couple, working from Bean and Coleman’s wonderful script, which exhibits just the right combination of humour, pathos and social commentary to engage with every viewer. Their dialogue exchanges are simply brilliant and lines like, “it was just a bit o’ biscuit…” delivered by Broadbent when he gags in reaction to something said on TV, are real crowd pleasers. The couple’s dowdy appearance is typical of post-war England and the film looks like an authentic ‘60s drama, shot as though it was made in the years in which it is set. Adding to this retro feel is the clever use of archival footage, with Broadbent as Bunton craftily integrated into some scenes. George Fenton’s score also adds depth to the historical ambience and even the split-screen opening credits pay homage to the period.
The Duke was Roger Michell’s final dramatic film (his documentary on the Queen, Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts will be released next month) because, sadly, he passed away in September last year at the age of 65, but what a fitting end to a storied career. There’s even a whiff of the great Ealing comedies about it, reminding you of classic films like The Ladykillers and The Lavender Hill Mob. Made in 2020, its release was delayed due to the COVID pandemic but it is now on general release around the country and definitely worth watching or even repeating the experience if you saw it at the festival last year. Take advantage of a rare chance to see two great British actors sharing the same screen together, doing some of their finest work. “It’s a feel-good film and I hope audiences will feel uplifted,” co-writer Coleman says. “It’s about the kind of person you would want to be around. In a world that often does feel so bleak, there are people who genuinely have hope and genuinely believe that they can change things for the better. If there were more people like Kempton Bunton, the world would be a happier place.”
Screenwriters: Richard Bean & Clive Coleman
Principal cast:
Jim Broadbent
Helen Mirren
Fionn Whitehead
Jack Bandeira
Matthew Goode
Anna Maxwell Martin
Country: UK
Classification: M
Runtime: 96 mins.
Australian release date: 31 March 2022.
The Duke, directed by veteran director Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Venus, and more recently My Cousin Rachel and Tea with the Dames), was selected as the opening night film of the 2021 British Film Festival and it was the perfect choice - it is a real charmer of a film with a top-notch cast. Described as a ‘true-crime caper and underdog tale,’ it reveals the incredible story of Kempton Bunton (magnificently portrayed by Jim Broadbent), a 60-year-old working class gentleman from Newcastle upon Tyne who, in 1961, was involved in the theft of Francisco Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington (which he regarded as “a half-baked portrait by a Spanish drunk”) from the National Gallery in London. It remains the only theft that has ever occurred there; he claimed that he was able to snatch the painting because he learnt that the alarm systems were de-activated while the galleries were being cleaned in the early hours of the morning. He said his motivation was his dissatisfaction with the way the elderly were treated by the government of the day (some would argue that nothing much has changed since then) and, in particular, he wanted television licence fees to be free for pensioners. The real story of how the painting was stolen and how Bunton came into possession of it was only revealed years later.
Bunton attempted to ransom the painting by offering to return it if the government was prepared to invest more money in caring for the elderly. He was a man of conviction who fought for the elderly, whom he firmly believed were unfairly disadvantaged and being denied access to basic comforts. His long-suffering wife, Dorothy (another brilliant portrayal by Helen Mirren), was always by his side but constantly frustrated by her husband’s outspokenness. His campaigning often led to him being sacked, so she was usually the breadwinner, working as a cleaner for the wife of a local councillor, Mrs. Gowling (Anna Maxwell Martin). The couple raised three children: Jackie (Fionn Whitehead), a boat-builder who lived with them, Kenny (Jack Bandeira), who worked in Leeds, and Marion, who’d died tragically at the age of 18, an event that caused a rift in the Bunton family ties and came to have some bearing on the events leading to the theft of the Duke of Wellington's portrait.
Broadbent and Mirren make an impressive couple, working from Bean and Coleman’s wonderful script, which exhibits just the right combination of humour, pathos and social commentary to engage with every viewer. Their dialogue exchanges are simply brilliant and lines like, “it was just a bit o’ biscuit…” delivered by Broadbent when he gags in reaction to something said on TV, are real crowd pleasers. The couple’s dowdy appearance is typical of post-war England and the film looks like an authentic ‘60s drama, shot as though it was made in the years in which it is set. Adding to this retro feel is the clever use of archival footage, with Broadbent as Bunton craftily integrated into some scenes. George Fenton’s score also adds depth to the historical ambience and even the split-screen opening credits pay homage to the period.
The Duke was Roger Michell’s final dramatic film (his documentary on the Queen, Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts will be released next month) because, sadly, he passed away in September last year at the age of 65, but what a fitting end to a storied career. There’s even a whiff of the great Ealing comedies about it, reminding you of classic films like The Ladykillers and The Lavender Hill Mob. Made in 2020, its release was delayed due to the COVID pandemic but it is now on general release around the country and definitely worth watching or even repeating the experience if you saw it at the festival last year. Take advantage of a rare chance to see two great British actors sharing the same screen together, doing some of their finest work. “It’s a feel-good film and I hope audiences will feel uplifted,” co-writer Coleman says. “It’s about the kind of person you would want to be around. In a world that often does feel so bleak, there are people who genuinely have hope and genuinely believe that they can change things for the better. If there were more people like Kempton Bunton, the world would be a happier place.”