When tobacco fortune heiress Doris Duke died, she left her butler in charge of her huge charitable foundation. Just how the heiress and her butler went from an employee/employer relationship to something more is anyone’s guess. This Saturday night, HBO will premiere Bernard and Doris, a fictional version of the story of the relationship of Duke and her butler Bernard as it might have happened.
Since not much is known about the relationship between Doris Duke and her butler other than the fact that she left him in charge of her fortune, one can only speculate as to how the relationship between the two evolved. HBO’s film, Bernard and Doris does just that in this fictional drama that explores the relationship between these two very different people.
According to the synopsis on HBO’s website, Susan Sarandon plays the ridiculously wealthy Doris Duke and Ralph Fiennes plays Duke’s homosexual, alcoholic butler, Bernard. As I see it, the casting is the biggest selling point for the film. The premise of the story is interesting enough I guess but I’m thinking it’ll appeal more to people who already have an interest in Doris Duke’s life. I’m more interested in seeing what Sarandon and Fiennes bring to the roles.
Bernard and Doris premieres on Saturday, February 9 at 8:00 p.m. EST on HBO
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