The Duchess of Malfi (1972)

The 1972 BBC production of The Duchess of Malfi is available for free on YouTube, and I highly recommend giving it a watch (see if you can spot the brief appearance of Tim Curry in one of his first film roles!). Starring Eileen Atkins as the eponymous duchess and directed by James MacTaggart, the film is based on the play written by English playwright John Weber in the early-17th century.

The basic gist of the story is that the widowed and VERY rich Duchess of Malfi falls in love with a man far below her station and marries him to the outrage of her brothers, who then wreak total havoc on her, her husband, everyone around them, and themselves. It’s tragic Jacobean romance at its most violent, but is also very much a watchable 2-hours, not least of all due to the costumes by venerable costume designer John Bloomfield, whose credits include The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970), Poldark (1975-76), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1990), The Mummy (1999). and Being Julia (2004).

The costumes cling closely to England circa 1600, give or take a decade, rather than the early 16th-century Italy where the story is set, and they’re an excellent example of a very underrepresented period of costume history that usually gets stripped of its wackiness by Hollywood out of fear that the outrageous clothing will alienate moviegoers. Think big wheel farthingales, big sleeves, big ruffs, and tons of bling.

If you’re up for some old school BBC costume eye candy, look no further!

Have you watched The Duchess of Malfi (1972)? Tell us about it in the comments!