Bernard and Doris
| Bernard and Doris | |
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Advertisement for the HBO broadcast
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| Directed by | Bob Balaban |
| Produced by |
Bob Balaban Dana Brunetti Jonathan Cavendish Adam Kassen Mark Kassen C. Cory M. McCrum-Abdo Mark Olsen Kevin Spacey Glen Trotiner |
| Written by | Hugh Costello |
| Starring |
Susan Sarandon Ralph Fiennes |
| Music by | Alex Wurman |
| Cinematography | Mauricio Rubinstein |
| Edited by | Andy Keir |
| Distributed by | HBO Films |
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Release date
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Running time
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103 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
Bernard and Doris is a 2006 film directed by Bob Balaban. The teleplay by Hugh Costello is a semi-fictionalized account of the relationship that developed between socialite heiress and philanthropist Doris Duke and her self-destructive Irish employee Bernard Lafferty later in her life.
The film premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 17, 2007 and was broadcast by HBO on February 9, 2008. It has been released on DVD.
In 1987, Doris Duke, considered the wealthiest woman in the world, hires Bernard Lafferty, who lists Elizabeth Taylor and Peggy Lee as former employers on his résumé, as her majordomo. He explains a six-month gap in his employment history was due to "health issues," a euphemism for time spent in rehab to deal with his addiction to alcohol. He assures Doris, who immediately suspects the truth, he is capable of performing his duties without any problems. As Bernard moves in, the viewer can quickly tell he is a little neurotic, first putting portraits of his former employers, Taylor and Lee, in his bedroom, then informing the rest of the staff he is now "Miss Duke's eyes and ears" and demanding they listen to him. Despite Bernard's growing affection for Doris, the brash and often crude Doris thinks little of him, not even remembering how to correctly pronounce his name. However, their situation slowly evolves into a more emotionally intimate but non-physical relationship as Doris returns from a plastic surgery center one evening, drunk and on painkillers, and is aided by Bernard who stays with her through the night.
Doris teaches Bernard about horticulture, especially the care of orchids, and he takes control of the operation of her various households during her frequent long absences. Bernard himself enjoys tending the home and making sure things are in their correct order. The first time his sexuality is questioned is when he peers at Doris's much younger lover playing the piano in his underwear. In the greenhouse, Doris flirts with him, telling him belly dancing is a form of seduction and then performing a dance for him. Bernard tentatively informs her that he "swings in the other direction." Doris encourages him to tone down his severe dress and wear brighter colors. Doris begins to take Bernard with her on her world tours and convinces him to pierce his ear. During this time, they grow closer, and Doris begins to favor him among everyone else. Also, whenever Doris is mentioned in newspapers, we see Bernard cutting them out of the newspapers and keeping them for himself.
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