This
movie is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle in Britian of the
late 1800 and early 1900 centuries.
She was the mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Captain. Sir John Lindsay brought young Belle to
live with his great-uncle and his wife as his heir after the passing of her
mother. His family did take her in
and they called her Dido but they were taken aback because of her illegitimacy
and the fact her mother was of darker skin.
She has privileges because of the status of her father yet her skin prevents her full
participation in the traditions of her social standing. When her father passes away at sea, she
is awarded a yearly allowance which makes her more eligible for marriage. During the social coming out season for Dido
and her cousin Elizabeth, this inheritance will attract young noblemen without
money of their own. Elizabeth will be more desirable for marriage but the man will need to have his own money since she has no allowance.
Dido
is appalled by the way she is forced into a double standard only due to her
skin color. A suitor interested in
Elizabeth treats Dido abdominally.
He has his own money so he doesn’t need her allowance but his brother
does. How can she marry into a
family with one of the members loathing the sight of her? I was worried in the beginning that
this film would get too bogged down in the traditions and customs of this time
period. It does begin to move away
from this focus and gets better. 3*
(This movie is OK)
104
min, Drama directed by Amma Asante with Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Matthew Goode, Emily
Watson, Tom Wilkinson, Sarah Gadon, Miranda Richardson, James Norton, Tom
Felton, Penelope Wilton, Alan McKenna.
Note: Imdb 7.4 out of 10, 83% critic 83%
audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2 ½*.
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