Jim Broadbent is utterly charming in his portrayal of Kempton Bunton, a working-class Geordie pensioner who wants to spark change.
The Duke follows the real-life story of the anti-hero Bunton campaigning for free TV licences in his hometown of Newcastle in 1961. His crusade leads him to London, where he meets people who have no time for him and his story.
The film is incredible in displaying Bunton’s refusal to be defeated as he concocts a plan to ‘borrow’ (as he phrases it) Francisco Goya’s painting, named The Duke of Wellington, from the National Portrait Gallery. His wife doesn’t approve of this crazy move, and Helen Mirren, who plays Dorothy, does an extraordinary job at playing the exasperated wife, exhausted by her husband’s crazy schemes.
When watching, it becomes impossible not to fall in love with Bunton and his hare-brained scheme because we see he ultimately has a good heart as he aims to fight injustice in all walks of life (even if it means he will lose a job or two which frustrates Dorothy to no end).
Bunton is also a playwright inspired by Chekhov. Writing plays as a way of processing his own grief concerning a late daughter of his. The undercurrent of a lost character that the family do not discuss creates even more tension between Bunton and Dorothy. Bunton’s ‘borrowing’ of the Goya really pushes their fragile relationship to the limit.
His enthusiasm for battling inequality even rubs off on his youngest son Jack. He is the first person Bunton tells when he returns home with the Goya. The two are very close-knit and try their best not to upset Dorothy with the news of the painting. Taking after his father, Jack also has big plans. He longs to get away via boat and see more of the world.
Although his hometown doesn’t seem quite enough for him, Newcastle is represented in a very positive light in the film. The two brothers are seen drinking Newcastle Brown Ale, and there are some very familiar streets shown in the film. Being from Newcastle, I felt very proud to see my city on screen. They even cracked a joke about my hometown of Whitley Bay.
Watchers of the film are not the only people to fall in love with Bunton. At his hearing, where he is tried for the theft of the Goya, people fill the public viewing stands.It truly is touching to see how many people believe in one man and what he is advocating. Even though The Duke follows the story of Kempton Bunton, he is not alone on the courtroom stand.
Edited by Jemma Snowdon