Bernard and Doris (2006)

Director:

Bob Balaban

Writer:

Hugh Costello (writer)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

Plot:

The story of the twilight years of tobacco billionairness Doris Duke and her relationship with her gay butler, to whom she left her entire fortune.

Plot Keywords:

Butler | Gay | Fortune | Orchid | Rehab

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 23 nominations

Cast

Susan Sarandon	...	Doris Duke
Ralph Fiennes	...	Bernard Lafferty
Peter Asher	...	First Butler
Don Harvey	...	Security Guard
Chris Bauer	...	Chef
Monique Gabriela Curnen	...	Paloma
Marilyn Torres	...	Nancy
Nick Rolfe	...	Ben
James Rebhorn	...	Waldo Taft
Dominick Dunne	...	Board Member
Thomas J. McGrath	...	Board Member
Gene Parseghian	...	Board Member
Henry S. Schleiff	...	Board Member (as Henry Schleiff)
Calvin Trillin	...	Board Member
Kunnath P. Namboodiri	...	Swami

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Norway:10 (TV rating) | Norway:11 (self applied) | Singapore:M18 | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Trigger Street Independent

Trivia:

After being shown at a film festival, "Bernard and Doris" was sent directly to cable television rather than premiering in movie theatres.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: "She said it was important. 'Perhaps I will get the feeling back ..." It's the same body of a newspaper article for two different articles. Around 23 minutes into movie. One article had headline of Doris Duke attending opening with Leonard Bernstein. The second headline was her buying a Boeing 737 for $25 million.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Doris Duke: Ugh! What is this?
First Butler: Cantaloupe, ma'am.

Movie Connections:

References Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Soundtrack:

I Love the Way You're Breaking My Heart

Sarandon is excellent....

and the pairing of Ralph Fiennes as Bernard Lafferty, her trusted butler and confidante is quite interesting. I have read the biography "Too Rich, the story of Doris Duke", and this film seems by far, more accurate and even amusing (as life often is). If we for example, compare this to the mediocre Lauren Bacall version, which does not portray Lafferty as human, rather as a murderous bottom-feeder. Too extreme, and probably unrealistic.

Yes, Ms. Duke did apparently have a very unusual life, but we see her here, as Sarandon plays here, she also enjoyed and cherished life. We see her working fervently on her orchids, all the foundations she was passionate about, and her general intelligence. She was clearly a brilliant businesswoman, as Lafferty interjects.

This film portrays real people, yes, she had an issue with drinking, as did Lafferty. However there was a tenderness and relationship which seemed to have developed between the two. Overall an interesting commentary with excellent performances and lush cinematography, attention to set decoration. 9/10.