#Amma assante archive

She eventually ends up with a true gentleman, Davinier (played with amazing vulnerability and passion by newcomer Sam Reid), who loved all of Dido Elizabeth Belle Lindsay, including her history. This film does not present Dido Elizabeth Lindsay in an overly sexualized manner, but rather as a gracious and skilled young woman who had her choice in suitors. And yet, she was not allowed to eat with the family when guests came to dine which was the protocol of this time period. Belle lived in the Kenwood House not as a house-slave, but as a family member and lady’s companion to her cousin, Lady Elizabeth Murray (Sarah Gadon). While most major films succumb to the “tragic mulatto” stereotype when depicting mixed-race women, or images that only present the history of the descendents of Africa to be “in chains” Belle gives an honest depiction of the life of a beautiful aristocrat, whose background (her mother was a slave) presented challenges as well. It definitely does not hurt that both the director and screenwriter are women.

#Amma assante archive

Amma Asante and the writer of the screenplay, Misan Sagay, archive the history of this woman’s life with great attention to detail and with intuitive sensitivity towards history. This film presents an eloquent and intelligent portrayal of a mixed race woman who is the heir to a portion of her father’s money and who lives as a family member within the royal home of her father’s relatives. Lord Mansfield, the Chief Justice, is depicted as deeply fond of his niece, Dido, and it has been said that the events in his personal life influenced how he presided over many historical events that would later affect the future of slaves and the entire slave trade. Belle lived in the 18th century in the royal Kenwood House under the guardianship of her great uncle William Murray, the First Earl of Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson). Belle is inspired by the real life story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the beautiful mixed-race illegitimate daughter of Royal Navy Admiral Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode). Amma Asante’s Belle, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, is film perfection.