Directed by Amma Asante and written by Misan Sagay, British historical drama "Belle" premiered on Sept. 8, 2013 at the Toronto Film Festival. Since then, it was released in theaters on May 2 in the U.S. It will be released in theaters in the United Kingdom on June 13. Produced by Damian Jones, Robert Norris, and Jane Robertson, it was the first major British film shot on true-4K, using the F65 CineAlta digital production camera from Sony. Shooting for the film was carried out on the Isle of Man, in Oxford and in London. The film has so far received generally positive reviews in such publications as the Washington Post.

The Movie's Plot

"Belle" is based on the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the mixed-race illegitimate daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral. Lord Mansfield, her patrician great-uncle, and his wife raise her in place of her father. Due to her family's wealth and power, Belle is able to enjoy significant privilege, but she cannot participate fully in her family's social circles because of her skin color and her birth outside of wedlock.

Wondering if she will ever find a sense of belonging or someone who will accept her completely, she finds herself falling for John Davinier, an idealistic young lawyer whom Lord Mansfield thinks is beneath Belle and unworthy of her attention. Davinier stands with her in defiance of old customs as Lord Mansfield, who is Lord Chief Justice presiding over an important legal case that may have ramifications for the then-ongoing slave trade in England.

The Cast

  • Matthew Goode as Captain Sir John Lindsay
  • Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Dido Elizabeth Belle
  • Lauren Julien-Box as the young Dido
  • Cara Jenkins as the young Elizabeth
  • Tom Wilkinson as Lord Mansfield
  • Emily Watson as Lady Mansfield
  • Penelope Wilton as Lady Mary Murray
  • Sarah Gadon as Elizabeth Murray
  • James Norton as James Ashford
  • Miranda Richardson as Lady Ashford
  • Sam Reid as John Davinier
  • Timothy Walker as Wimbridge