A painting of the real Dido Belle and her cousin Elizabeth, circa 1779.Belle (2013)
Certified: PG
Duration: 104 minutes
Directed by: Amma Asante
Starring: Gugu Mbatha-Raw,Tom Wilkinson, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Sam Reid, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson, Sarah Gadon, Tom Felton, Alex Jennings, James Norton, James Northcote
KRS release
Belle is set in England in the 18th century. Dido Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is the illegitimate daughter of Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode), an officer of the Royal Navy. The issue is not only that she is illegitimate, which was taboo in those times, but that she is also black.
She ends up living with her father’s uncle and aunt, Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and Lady Mansfield (Emily Watson), where she is given the chance to be an integral part of the family along with her cousin Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) and her aunt Lady Mary Murray (Penelope Wilton). The only exceptions are that she cannot dine with guests and, as was the tradition of the upper class at the time, could not be presented for marriage.
Belle knows that being black is an impediment in life and this frustrates her. At one point her father dies and she gets a sizeable fortune. This leads to her gaining the attention of Oliver Ashford (James Norton). However, his brother James (Tom Felton) does not approve of the relationship, while his mother Lady Ashford (Miranda Richardson) is simply greedy. This could be an ideal match up, however Belle is in love with John Davinier (Sam Reid), the son of a vicar and a law student.
Meanwhile, Lord Mansfield, who is also the Lord Chief Justice, is dealing with a case that today is known as the Zong Massacre, where a ship’s crew had drowned its slave cargo as these were sick and considered to be “worthless property”. John gets more and more involved with this case while also getting more and more involved with Belle.
Belle is a well-produced costume drama and a historic and romantic film. At its core is a well-rounded character that is an anachronism of a Britain that at the time was not just a huge colonial empire but also a centre for the slave trade.
Under the direction of Amma Asante, the film is inspired from the painting of the real Dido Lindsay and Elizabeth Murray which is reputed to be the first painting that had a black and a white subject sharing the same eye line, as up till this painting, black subjects had always been placed at a lower level. Asante shows a smooth control of the camera as she follows Belle becoming an adult and transforming into a woman with plenty of character.
This film has plenty to say about slavery but it also has a lot to say about how women were treated. A woman was seen as a passage to her father’s wealth; they were considered as property and marriages were very much a business contract.
It is a film where the female characterisations are particularly strong and actors like Miranda Richardson and Emily Watson are given quality screen time and they really run away with their supporting roles.
Asante directs the film with different levels of intimacy as the film juggles between various subjects and reveals eye-opening moments, especially when the film starts to delve deeper in to the Zong case.
It’s this variety of shades that is injected into the film that gives Belle its importance as it tackles so many tough issues successfully.
This is a movie that begs to be seen as besides being a thing of ravishing eye candy, it also makes quite a few valid points about race, gender and individual freedom.