‘Belle’ misses chance to examine British slave past
By Peterson, Kevin | |
Proquest LLC |
'Belle' misses chance to examine British slave past
Worlds seem to collide in "Belle," which is the latest in a series of movies about slavery released to American audiences in recent years.
Cinematic offerings like "12 Years A Slave," "Django Unchained" and "Lincoln" compare somewhat to "Belle" thematically, covering a similar story line: evil whites persecute blacks but somehow - through wits, or human perseverance the slave finds a way to freedom.
Where these films differ is how they reach their destination, as "Belle" is a movie which is, unfortunately in this case, mostly about romance - only half-heartedly focusing on the momentous subject matter upon which it is historically based.
"Belle," a 2013 British drama, was presented at a special screening at
The setting is 18th century
Against a plotline so important, "Belle," written by Misan Sagay and directed by Amma Asante, fails terrifically as the film's protagonist
Here is how the story goes: Dido is the "illegitimate" daughter of a British Admiral officer,
Dido, raised with her cousin,
Dido eventually falls in love with a "commoner" abolitionist, John Davinier (
The worlds that collide are slavery, gender and class as they briefly surface enough for the audience to just absorb them in all of their weightiness. In the end, issues sublimate to tissue paper treatment in favor of a love story, which in some other movie would be welcomed, but not in this one.
The cost of downplaying the tragic history of slavery is disappointment. Unfortunately, this film favors soap opera over historical realities.
There is so much more to say about how race, gender and class meet - particularly as
In "Belle,"
British drama "Belle" stars
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Wordcount: | 589 |
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