This was actually pretty good. A bit overplayed in parts, but the sentiment and actual historical backdrop evened out the melodrama. Here's the review I left on RT/Fandango:
It inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (played by Gugu Mabatha-Raw) who was the illegitimate daughter of a white Royal Navy Admiral and a black mother (who was probably a slave, although it has not yet been determined). The movie tells the story of how Belle came to live with her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (played by Tom Wilkinson), his wife (played Emily Watson), and their niece Elizabeth Murray (played by Sarah Gadon). Incidently, Belle's great uncle Lord Mansfield will also end up becoming the Lord Chief Justice, the highest judge in all of Britain, who presides over a monumental slavery insurance fraud case that could help end the system of slavery in England.
Belle and Elizabeth grow up together and become like sisters, only Belle can't eat dinner with the family when guests come over, nor can she be presented for consideration for marriage in open British society.
This was a very interesting tale because unlike most American movies about slavery and racism, it showed how peculiar and nonsensical racism is by telling Belle's story from her point of view. She's not caricature or puppet used to preach about the evils of racism and slavery. Belle a three dimensional character who is very connected to and loved by those who are complicit in the very system that denies her humanity. I really love how conflicted Belle is about her own identity and her place in the Mansfield home, and how her presence forced the people around her to grapple with their social mores and understanding of the world.
Gugu Mabatha-Raw, Sarah Gordon, and Tom Wilkinson were all excellent in their roles. And Tom Felton who plays Belle's future brother in law, James Ashford, and a rabid racist, fully embodies the ugliness of the time period and the irrational fear of tainted bloodlines. He was a bit scary, but very convincing. Belle's lover and eventual husband, John Davinier (played by a very sexy Sam Reid) was really great as a passionate lawyer-to-be who wants to change the world and love Belle in spite of the rules.
There were some big speeches, and they were a little heavy handed in parts, but they felt appropriate since the characters were involved in philosophical considerations that would eventually impact the law. But mostly, this movie was about standing up for what you believe in and daring to love regardless of the costs. If you're a romantic or like an underdog story, I highly recommend it.
for me. I can never just watch these kind of movies for the story without thinking about the majority of slaves lives who were terrorized, wasted, and destroyed by that shameful practice.
And the filth who ran and profited by it
and reads him. It was a cool moment. But I understand why many people would be turned off to the premise.
