Dido Elizabeth Belle (2013)

Dido Elizabeth Belle: Directed by Amma Asante. With Matthew Goode, Lauren Julien-Box, Natasha Williams, Alan McKenna. The mixed-race daughter, Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), of Royal Navy Captain Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode) is raised by aristocratic Great-uncle Lord William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) in eighteenth century England.

“u003culu003eu003cliu003eA love story and the value of being honest to yourself is what Belle is about. This movie transports you to the 1700s England. Based on the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle u0026quot;Belleu0026quot;, this tale is about a young mulato girl named Belle that is brought into her fatheru0026#39;s house and caretaker of her great-uncle Lord Mansfield a honorable Chief Judge and wife. Belle has all the rights and privileges of upper society but her face reflects her slave mother and the prevailing social prejudice keeps her from being totally accepted into the formal social circles. At the same time, she befriends her cousin, who she considers a sister and is also given residence to this estate after her mother dies and her father abandons her. This story is beautifully layered with the issues of equality and slavery but is not preachy. It merely shows how the matters of the heart canu0026#39;t be prevented by the color of your skin. This coming of age story is masterfully told. I saw this film as part of the Atlanta Film Festival.u003c/liu003eu003c/ulu003e”