Belle (DVD REVIEW)
Belle
DVD Review by Kam Williams
Biopic Inspire by Painting Chronicles Life of Slave-Turned-Aristocrat
Born in the West
Indies in 1761, Dido Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) was the product of
the taboo union of Mary Belle, an African slave, and John Lindsay (Matthew
Goode), a British ship captain. Upon Mary’s death, the concerned father brought
his 8 year-old daughter to England
to see whether his well-heeled aunt and uncle might be willing to take her in.
After all, Lady (Emily Watson) and
Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson).
had
just adopted another niece whose own mom had passed away. Plus, since Dido and
Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) were about the same age, the orphaned girls could
conceivably keep each other company.
Captain Lindsay further argued that
his daughter was entitled to live on the family estate by virtue of her noble
birthright. This prompted a skeptical Lady Mansfield to speculate about whether
skin color ranked above or below bloodline in polite society.
Ultimately, she did agree to raise
Dido, and the young cousins proceeded to forge a close friendship that would
last a lifetime. In fact, proof of their enduring bond would be preserved for
posterity in a striking portrait of the pair commissioned in 1779.
That famous painting apparently
served as the source of inspiration for Belle, a mesmerizing biopic based on a
speculative script by Misan Sagay. Directed by Amma Assante, the riveting
historical drama continues the recent cinematic trend of reexamining race from
the black perspective, ala Django Unchained, The Retrieval and Oscar-winner 12
Years a Slave.
Here, the picture focuses primarily
on Dido and Elizabeth’s
coming-of-age against the backdrop of a country increasingly uneasy about its
involvement in the slave trade. After being fairly protected during childhood,
racism rears its ugly head when the boy-crazy girls start entertaining the
overtures of appropriate suitors outside the safe confines of the family manse.
Meanwhile, tension builds around a
legal decision set to be handed down by their uncle in his capacity as Chief
Justice of England’s Supreme Court. The case revolved around a trading company
that was seeking compensation from its insurance company for the loss of over a
hundred Africans who had been deliberately drowned.
The question Judge Mansfield was
being asked to settle was whether or not slaves should be considered human or
mere cargo that could be thrown overboard for financial gain at the whim of the
owner. The longer he agonizes over the ruling, the more pressure he feels to
issue a far-reaching, landmark opinion likely to signal the death knell of an
odious institution.
An 18th C. tale of race and romance told in a sophisticated
fashion reminiscent of the best of Jane Austen.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated
PG for smoking, mature themes and ethnic insensitivity.
Running
time: 104 minutes
Distributor:
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Blu-ray
Extras: Belle: The Story; Gugu Mbatha-Raw Breakout Role; The Power of Belle;
From Painting to School; The History behind the Painting; and a stills gallery.
To
see a trailer for Belle, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTz5VjBscGk
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