Review: Belle

Dido Elizabeth Belle. Not much is known about this 18th century noblewoman, who may have inspired the abolition of slavery in England. Framing Belle's story as a Jane Austen narrative, director Amma Asante and screenwriter Misan Agay take the little that is known and weave a moving historical fiction.

Dido (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), as she is called in the film, could indeed be an Austen heroine but for the fact that she is biracial. The illegitimate yet acknowledged daughter of a British naval officer and an African slave, she is raised alongside her cousin Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) by her father's uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson). Though raised with the privileges afforded to her birthright, she is still subject to society's conventions noting that she is "too high to dine with the servants but too low to dine with my family."

Mulatto or not, she is a woman first and foremost and society defined woman's worth by her eligibility for marriage. Dido's considerable dowry and the Mansfield name make her a prime target for the social-climbing Lady Ashford (Miranda Richardson), who means to secure Dido for her son Oliver (James Norton). Her other son James (Tom Felton) is repulsed by the notion: "One does not make a wife of the rare and exotic. One samples it on the cotton fields of the Indies."

Belle concerns itself with the business of marriage until the introduction of John Davinier (Sam Reid), who opens Dido's eyes to the harsher realities of her race when he sets to sway Lord Mansfield's impending ruling on the Zong massacre, nominally a case in which the owner of the Zong ship filed with his insurance company for his losses: 142 slaves who were intentionally thrown overboard on captain's orders so that the remaining crew could survive on the little water they had at hand. It is greatly supposed that Mansfield's affection for Dido may have influenced his ultimate decision.

Belle does an extremely fine job of taking what could have been a standard costume drama and expanding it to serve as a commentary on race, gender and class. It's interesting which factors come into play in society's assessment of one's value. Dido may be biracial and illegitimate, but she also has money. Her cousin Elizabeth, equally lovely and talented, may have the right colour and class but finds her stock decreased by her penniless stature (Gardon does an excellent job depicting the dimming of Elizabeth's radiance as her prospects diminish). Davinier may have the passion and morality but is the mere son of a vicar.

There's that and so much more to chew over in the film - the increasing complexity between Dido and the Mansfields as she asserts herself more and more, the offhand way girls are taught to hold their tongue ("Mind you don't end up a spinster."), the casual but resonant reminder of how women - regardless of race or station - are property.

Asante's assured direction, Agay's thought-provoking script, the uniformly excellent cast, and a strong central performance by Mbatha-Raw make Belle well worth watching.

Belle

Directed by: Amma Asante

Written by: Misan Agay

Starring: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson, Sarah Gadon, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Sam Reid, Tom Felton, James Norton, Matthew Goode