Review of Belle (2013) by Susan W — 08 Jun 2014

Admittedly, I often cry while watching a movie and I was on the verge of tears throughout this film. I finally cried at the end, when the romance resolved itself.

My feeling is that had Jane Austen written To Kill A Mockingbird, the result would have been this film which delineates the 18th C concerns with finding a suitable mate while offering a penetrating examination of racism and the everyday life of a family. It is at once a very traditional and a very contemporary film.

The role of Lord Mansfield could only be played by the versatile and excellent Tom Wilkinson. Had the equally versatile and excellent Richard Briers not died last year, he would have been a good choice for the role, although he may have been a little too old for it. The rest of the cast matches Wilkinson in portraying a sense of reality. You have no doubt that this is a real family, although composed much as a modern family would be composed. Each member of the cast strongly connects with the others, presenting a believable chemistry among the five principles.

It is a shame that so little is known about the real Dido, although it seems that she was not very different from the thoughtful and intelligent woman portrayed in the film. It is remarkable that she became the secretary to her great-uncle who was indeed a remarkable Lord Chief Justice.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw is not just a beautiful young woman but a skilled and sensitive actress who fleshes out the fictional biography, making Dido a dignified, sympathetic, and above all, real person.