Belle (2013)

The mixed-race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral is raised by her aristocratic great-uncle in 18th-century England.

Director:

Amma Asante

Writer:

Misan Sagay

Stars:

Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson

14 wins & 27 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Goode	...	Captain Sir John Lindsay
Lauren Julien-Box	...	Young Dido
Natasha Williams	...	Poor Woman
Alan McKenna	...	Harry
Penelope Wilton	...	Lady Mary Murray
Cara Jenkins	...	Young Elizabeth
Emily Watson	...	Lady Mansfield
Tom Wilkinson	...	Lord Mansfield
Sarah Gadon	...	Elizabeth Murray
Gugu Mbatha-Raw	...	Dido Elizabeth Belle
Miranda Richardson	...	Lady Ashford
James Norton	...	Oliver Ashford
Tom Felton	...	James Ashford
Timothy Walker	...	Wimbridge
Sam Reid	...	John Davinier

Storyline

BELLE is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Captain. Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson), Belle's lineage affords her certain privileges, yet the color of her skin prevents her from fully participating in the traditions of her social standing. Left to wonder if she will ever find love, Belle falls for an idealistic young vicar's son bent on change who, with her help, shapes Lord Mansfield's role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in England.

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Plot Keywords:

england | slavery | 18th century | f rated | portrait | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements, some language and brief smoking images

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 June 2014 (UK)

Also Known As:

Belle - Die Nichte des Lords

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$10,900,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$106,578, 4 May 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$10,726,630

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,538,759

Company Credits

Production Co:

DJ Films, Isle of Man Film, British Film Institute (BFI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Matthew Goode and Penelope Wilton on would both later star in Downton Abbey (2010).

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Goofs

Around four minutes into the film, Captain Sir John Lindsay says he is due to captain a "longditude experiment" (note the "d" inserted within "longitude") in the Indies. You'd think a ship's captain would be able to pronounce "longitude" correctly.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Captain Sir John Lindsay: How lovely she is. So much of her mother. Do not be afraid. I am here to take you to a good life. A life that you were born to. Here.
[offers a candy]
Young Dido: [tries it with curiosity]

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Connections

Referenced in Film '72: Episode #45.4 (2016)

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Soundtracks

Fugue No.8 in E Flat Minor, BWV 853
(Well Tempered Clavier, Book 1)
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

Mbatha-Raw drives the film

In years hence, audiences will be able to point to this film, as the moment the world knew Gugu Mbatha-Raw was going to be big. Belle is Amma Asante's feature-length directorial debut, and her work here is astonishingly confident. Tackling a period piece may seem daunting to most, but in Asante's case, she has the benefit of a top-notch cast, and a truly fascinating story. Loosely based on the story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, Dido was the daughter of an enslaved African woman and an English admiral.

As the film begins, although she is born illegitimate, Dido's father (Matthew Goode, Stoker) gives her over into the care of his great-uncle, William Murray, the first Earl of Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson), who acts as the Lord Chief Justice of the British courts. As she grows into a young woman, Dido's life at the palatial estate of Kenwood is full of mixed blessings. While her uncle and aunt (Emily Watson, Breaking the Waves) treat her as if she were their own—they raise her alongside their other niece, Elizabeth Murray (Sarah Gadon, A Dangerous Method)—social conventions of eighteenth century society are immovable; no matter how much they love her, Dido feels the sting of being forced to eat with the servants, when company comes calling.

The greatness of the film comes in its intricate plotting, and in the parallels drawn between gender and race. Author Jane Austen dealt with the position of women in English society through the use of dry humor—though the rage at a young woman being forced into marriage in order to secure a safe future was always very much present. In Belle however, there is no satire to soften the blow. As Elizabeth comes out, venturing to London in search of a husband, she points out to Belle the inherent unfairness of a system that allows women to be treated as male property. Dido doesn't necessarily have the problem of a search for a husband, as the inheritance of her father's fortune ensures that she is financially secure; but for a radiant young woman in the prime of her life, her uncle's insistence on keeping her out of sight understandably rankles her.

Matters are complicated by the arrival of John Davinier (Sam Reid), the son of a local clergyman. Ambitious and wide-eyed, John wants to try to rise in station, training with Lord Mansfied to become a lawyer. His outspoken, radically abolitionist views on a notorious legal case Lord Mansfield is trying annoy the Lord considerably; but he rouses all the passionate feeling in Dido that she has been forced for so long to suppress.

As Lord Mansfield, Wilkinson (Batman Begins, Michael Clayton) plays the exasperated father figure with the correct touches of humor and warmth. As a judge, he projects the inner conflicts of a man with the weight of the entire economic system on his shoulders; you can see him try to deflect from the strong-arming of local politicians, who want to ensure that the presence of the "mulatto" in his house will not affect his ruling on the case. As Elizabeth, Gadon takes what could have been a very stereotypical role of the flighty, romantic English girl, and brings a deep sense of hurt to it. Having been left with her uncle after her new stepmother successfully wrote her out of her father's will, Elizabeth's cheery exterior hides an emotionally hurt young girl.

And finally, there is Mbatha-Raw. As Dido, the engine that drives the film, you may deeply feel her two-fold frustration as a woman, and as a person of color. You will be carried away by her passion—her belief that things should not remain the same. On a more general level, the camera absolutely adores her. She moves and projects with a vitality and ease that forces one to stop at several points. Her characterization and her performance are so accomplished, that her independent-minded heroine could stand toe-to-toe with the multiple incarnations of Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennett. If Belle is any indication, and if there is any fairness in this world, there should be more great things to come from her.

-Nick Kostopoulos - See more at: http://www.mediumraretv.org