Belle

Description

Johan Zoffany’s 18th-century painting of two relatives, mixed-race Dido Elizabeth Belle and her white cousin Elizabeth, the great-nieces of William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, inspired this lush period drama. The daughter of Royal Navy Admiral John Lindsay (Matthew Goode) and a Caribbean slave, Dido (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) grows up in the high society world of Kenwood House under the care of her great-uncle, Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson), the family patriarch and Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. Director Amma Asante and screenwriter Misan Sagay (Their Eyes Were Watching God) deliver a romantic alternative to Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, powered by Mbatha-Raw’s engaging performance, one that balances delicate beauty, fiery passion and worldly intelligence. There are shades of Pride and Prejudice, as well, in a drama that blends themes of social justice involving the British slave trade with a tale of a young woman who is both part and outside of society—and whose wealth assures that she will have no end of suitors. Belle’s historic backdrop and lavish costumes recall Merchant-Ivory’s classic dramas while a courtroom subplot involving England’s slave trade adds extra emotional weight. –Steve Ramos

Trailer

//player.vimeo.com/video/90581827?autoplay=1

Film Details