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Project Detail

The Duke

Synopsis

In 1961, Kempton Bunton, a 60 year old taxi driver, stole Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. It was the first (and remains the only) theft in the Gallery’s history. Kempton sent ransom notes saying that he would return the painting on condition that the government invested more in care for the elderly - he had long campaigned for pensioners to receive free television. What happened next became the stuff of legend. Only 50 years later did the full story emerge - Kempton had spun a web of lies. The only truth was that he was a good man, determined to change the world and save his marriage - how and why he used the Duke to achieve that is a wonderfully uplifting tale.
Official Selection Venice Film Festival 2020 - World premiere

Details

Year
2020
Type of film
Features
Running time
96 min
Director
Roger Michell
Producer
Nicky Bentham
Executive Producer
Cameron McCracken, Jenny Borgars, Andrea Scarso, Hugo Heppell
Editor
Kristina Hetherington
Screenwriter
Richard Bean, Clive Coleman
Director of Photography
Mike Eley
Production Designer
Kristian Milsted
Music
George Fenton
Principal cast
Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead, Matthew Goode

Genre

Comedy Drama

Categories

Fiction

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Neon Films

Sales Company

Pathe International

2, rue Lamennais
75008 – Paris, France

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