The Duke (2020)

The Duke is a quintessentially English movie with its roots in the Ealing comedies of the 50s and the northern grit films of the early 60s.

Ealing Comedies like The Lavender Hill Mob and League of Gentlemen were caper movies pricking the pomposity of the Establishment.

The Duke was slightly different as it’s the true story of a working class activist/failed playwright.

Francisco Goya’s portrait of The Duke of Wellington was stolen – not for gain, but to create a fund for free television licences for seniors.

[Spoiler alert: there is a twist on who stole it and Jeremy Hutchinson, one of the great barristers of our or any generation, exposed the flaw in the prosecution that – as Kempster Benton (played by Jim Broadbent) returned it – how could he be accused of seeking to deprive the owners permanently?]

Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren as his hard-boiled wife deliver terrific performances.

There is the back story of denial over the death of daughter Margaret in an accident.

Anna Calder Marshall, as Mrs. Denton, also provides a wonderful cameo.

Although only 90 minutes long the film drags its weight in the first half but revives with wit and tempo in the court scene at the end.

It’s a charming bittersweet comedy which is a welcome relief from the depressing news from Ukraine.