Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Michael Ledo Belle is a hard movie not to love. It is a historical romance as well as a film about social justice. Through circumstances, Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), a "mulatto" whose father was of some means, is raised at the manor of her great uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson). Lord Mansfield has raised his grand niece in a proper fashion, but is aware of "the nature of order" and keeps her away from company at former dining. She is raised as a sister with her cousin Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon), whose father has less means. Belle acquires an inheritance and suitors while Elizabeth's financial status puts her at risk of being able to marry into her rank. Elizabeth points out to Belle, that all women are property.Belle develops a mutual attraction for John Davinier (Sam Reid) a man beneath her in status, the lowly son of a vicar. He aspires to be an attorney. He is currently at odds with Lord Mansfield, the Chief Justice of the country. A court case concerning the sailing vessel "Zong" threw its cargo of slaves overboard claiming lack of supplies. The insurance company claims fraud and does not want to pay. The decision rests with Lord Mansfield, a traditionalist.The film was well done. It will be hard for the Academy to ignore this one, especially in an off year of films. I couldn't help but be drawn to that moment in "Lincoln" when they repealed slavery, the decision of Brown vs. the Board of Education, or even the passage of the Civil Rights Bill. Also a good performance by Emily Watson as Lady Mansfield and Tom Felton returns as a screen bad guy.

l_rawjalaurence I wish something more positive could be said about Amma Asante's film. It is so eager to please with its sumptuous sets and costumes, its use of historic locations (including London's Kenwood House), and its precise attention to historic detail.Yet there is a fatal flaw at its heart. The reason is that the director does not seem to know whether they are making a love-story, a piece of social commentary with direct significance to today, or a heritage film, or all of them. Dido (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is a mixed race girl living in a bourgeois household under the protection of Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson). Although theoretically free, she is denied most of the privileged due to her white relatives and remains the butt of casual racism from a variety of sources, including Lady Ashford (Miranda Richardson), and her son James (Tom Felton). She finds a sympathetic ear in John Davinter (Sam Reid) who after a series of debates with Lord Mansfield, eventually wins him over and they live happily ever after.Yet that love plot is complicated by the politics, centering over a legal case trying to determine whether some ship-owners were directly responsible for the death of a group of slaves. This is a true story, the outcome of which precipitated significant reform in the anti-slavery laws at the end of the eighteenth century. For contemporary viewers the topic has particular significance as it evokes similar sufferings experienced by contemporary refugees as they desperately board boats in an effort to escape their war-torn states, only to find themselves exploited by unscrupulous profiteers.Yet DIDO perpetually shirks this issue in favor of visual clichés - the lengthy walk by costumed characters, the pretty-pretty sites of green landscapes lovingly photographed at sunset, the clip-clop of horses' hooves along immaculately soiled cobblestones. It is as if director Asante were deliberately trying to placate a readymade audience. In truth several of these sequences are boring, holding up what might have been a complex plot and thereby diverting our attention.

kyrahjordan This movie had an amazing storyline.. It was a beautiful story that all people should hear.. This movie showed me a piece of history that's not talked about, that I feel should be because not only did the actors make you feel what the movie was about they also made you think about what it was like back then.. This is a movie I will gladly recommend for others do watch.. I know once I have children this will be in he list of must sees that's just how much I loved itOver all this movie was hands down the best I've seen in my life... Officially my favorite movie... And I plan on naming my daughter after the beautiful and strong Dido Belle.. I know this review is all over the place but I didn't know how else to get 10 lines

HelenMary Belle by name and belle by nature... this film was beautiful, costume, sets/locations, script and general production were brilliant. The film, inspired by a true story and a stunning and ground breaking portrait, tell the story just before the abolition of slavery in England and the judge's ruling that started the legal process. Unusually for the late 1700s to show such varied opinions of racial difference it was exciting to see people having changes of heart and waking up to the (obvious to us) realisation that no matter what the skin colour we are all equal.Special mention in this film must go to costume design - the clothes were beautiful and whilst some overly pedantic reviewers may point out miniscule inaccuracies in various aspects of the film (ie the piano "goof") who cares!? I don't know how accurate they were but I thought they seemed in keeping with the age of the film and were fitting to the story. Belle's dresses were stunning, but then Mbatha-Raw could probably wear a bin-bag and make it look beautiful.The acting and direction, and editing, weren't always on point, hence only 7/10 rating. Mbatha-Raw, Watson and Wilton were perfect but I felt that the usually amazing Wilkinson was a little off and almost falling in and out of character in places, a little weak in performance. Sam Reid - Davinier - was well cast (prev saw him in The Railway man) but again a little watery and without some conviction, as were Tom Felton and James Norton as the Ashford brothers - unfortunately they were not up to their acting company despite playing brutish and stupid well respectively. Felton seemed to be overacting - a little pantomime - and I'm not sure that I was particularly inspired by Gadon's performance as Elizabeth Murray as I felt it was too one dimensional. It was perhaps unfortunate that the trailer for the film showed her in greater prominence and with a far more varied role.The story itself is inspirational and ground-breaking in it's time and I loved it, so happy to see more documentation of the open minded white people and brave (and in Belle's case, very intelligent) people of colour who stood up and were counted and ended the atrocity of slavery.