The Duchess of Malfi

"Desire. Corruption. Cruelty."

2014 2h 30m EN

🤯

8.5

MASTERPIECE

★8.5TMDB · 12

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The widowed Duchess of Malfi longs to marry her lover, the steward Antonio. But her rancorous brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal, are implacably opposed to the match. When their spy, Bosola, discovers that the Duchess has secretly married and carries Antonio’s child, they exact a terrible and horrific revenge.

“Desire. Corruption. Cruelty.”

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Cast

Gemma Arterton
The Duchess of Malfi
Giles Cooper
Silvo
David Dawson
Ferdinand
John Dougall
Castruccio / Doctor
James Garnon
Cardinal
Sean Gilder
Bosola
Denise Gough
Julia
Sarah MacRae
Cariola

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dominic Dromgoole
Writers: John Webster
Languages: English

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 150 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 12 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dominic Dromgoole, shot by Ian Russell. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Claire van Kampen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gemma Arterton and Giles Cooper and David Dawson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Desire. Corruption. Cruelty.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt3773058 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dominic Dromgoole directs. Ian Russell behind the camera. Claire van Kampen scores. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 150 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
2Released 12 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Dominic Dromgoole, shot by Ian Russell. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Claire van Kampen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Gemma Arterton and Giles Cooper and David Dawson carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Desire. Corruption. Cruelty.".
8IMDB entry: tt3773058 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 12 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.