Director:    Wash Westmoreland

Cast:    Keira Knightley, Dominic West, Denise Gough, Fiona Shaw, Eleanor Tomlinson, Robert Pugh, Ray Panthaki, Aiysha Hart, Shannon Tarbet, Rebecca Root

Rating:    M

Running Time:    111

Australian Distributor:     Transmission Films

Keira Knightley has polarised audiences over time with her sometimes ditsy performances, often in attractive, young female roles. Colette puts to rest any prejudices there may have been against her. The real life tale of how Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (Knightley), the prodigiously talented writer, who through both naivety and loyalty agrees to publish the now famous Colette of Paris under the byline of husband Willy, comes to the screen.

Willy (Dominic West) and Colette are quite the couple of their era. They bring to life their ambitions and fantasies in a tumultuous relationship which was the talk of the town (Paris) at the time. All the while most of Paris was reading their racy tales of fiction known as The Claudine novels, some of which reflected their own spicy life together. This is a fascinating cinema ride; an A grade costume drama accentuated by the performance of Knightley which may well attract Oscar attention.