The illegitimate daughter of Captain Sir John Lindsay of the Royal Navy and an enslaved African woman, Dido Elizabeth Belle was recognized by her father and sent to live in the home of her powerful and wealthy great-uncle, William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield. As vigorous debate regarding the morality of the slave trade swept Britain, she came of age as a gentlewoman, existing in an unusual social grey zone: she, for instance, could not dine alongside her family and their guests, but could join them for conversation and music afterward. She is perhaps remembered best for a painting of her and Elizabeth Murray, her white cousin and close confidant. In the painting, Dido is portrayed as exotic and mysterious while the porcelain Elizabeth is more accessible at the fore, but neither is shown as above or below the other.

What is known of the life of Dido's life is the subject of Belle, a modest period drama which is gentle, romantic, and thoughtful. As the title character, relative newcomer Gugu Mbatha-Raw anchors the film with a confident and subtle performance. She never overplays her hand, using her eyes and controlled movement to quietly convey the spiritual journey toward empowerment in motion beneath a surface of rigid propriety. She also generates a warm energy in her many scenes with Sarah Gadon as her aforementioned cousin. For her part, Gadon is given a reprieve from her status as icy Cronenberg-family muse and reveals a lighter, more enchanting side of herself as another woman who has a more complex understanding of her environment and its systems of gender and race than her jubilant exterior may indicate. And though their peripheral roles here may not prove career-defining, acting heavyweights such as Miranda Richardson, Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson, and Penelope Wilton infuse their respective parts with authenticity and cannot help but generate a certain courtly and distinguished air, though I fear the extraordinary Watson, capable of perfectly portraying almost any character, is becoming typecast as steely matriarchs.

If Belle has a notable flaw as a film, it is its bid to blend the personal and the political, which is not always as convincing and graceful as the rest of the film. Much of the unfortunate heavy lifting in this regard falls to Sam Reid as a too-dashing-by-half clergyman's son turned lawyer and social activist whose burgeoning devotion to Dido ignites his activities as an abolitionist. After a few too many fiery and righteous speeches, his character, a novel-perfect suitor, verges on exhausting rather than endearing. Otherwise, though, this is a delight, including its sumptuous costume and production design, and it is elevated a step further by the inherent fascination of its real heroine: an individual whose very blood invited her into a certain rarefied world while also complicating its ethics and practices on the eve of grander social change.

B+

She's pretty hot. Do you see her naked?

If she does I think it will be the first PG rated flick with nudity

No, only PG-friendly heaving bosoms.

She looks like Kerry Washington mixed with Keira Knightley on that poster. I figured since Keira gets naked in all of her period pieces this would be no different.

Sam Reid looked a lot like Henry Cavill in this, was very distracting (in a good way)

The film is solid.

Gugu is strong here and drives the film well. Wilkinson does a fine job as well. The story itself is effective but there is no surprise or much of a hook to intensify events throughout the film that it's merely a passable journey through a small period of history.

Very enjoyable film. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is great. After this and Beyond The Lights she is a definite star. I see big things from her. I also found Sam Reid really charming.

8/10 (B+)

Belle's 18th century British setting provides a pleasant change from the American perspective on historical race issues. This true story allows for a finely modulated take on how race fit in among the other dividers of the time such as class and illegitmacy. Gugu Mbatha-Raw does a fine job in the title role, though perhaps leaming on her doe eyes a tad too much. Tom Wilkinson and Emily watson are solid as always. *B+*