Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

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 I couldn't help but be drawn to that moment in "Lincoln" when they repealed slavery, the decision of Brown vs. the Board of Education, or even the passage of the Civil Rights Bill.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.

It's hard to look at films about slavery in the same way after the relentless physicality of 12 Years a Slave, especially when they're presented as costume dramas like Belle. Fortunately for us, it manages to tell its unique tale with enough conviction and passion to step out of 12 Years's shadow.The year is 1765. The four year-old Dido Belle is the daughter of an African slave and a British Royal Navy officer. After her mother dies, he entrusts her to his uncle, William Murray, the Lord Chief Justice, and his wife. Although he's hesitant, he agrees. Dido finds a companion in William's niece, Elizabeth and together they experience a happy childhood, free from the nasty truths regarding racial relations. Yet, in her gut, Dido always felt something was amiss, as when she noticed Negroes in paintings were always positioned in such a way as to seem insubordinate to whites. She grows up and marital possibilities are considered. The Ashford family contain suitable candidates for Dido and Elizabeth, but there's also John Davinier, a vicar's son who's William's apprentice. He learns of an incident where a group of slaves were thrown overboard for the sake of the ship. It's to go to trial, a trial considered to be a crucial step in abolishing slavery.After the emotional punishment viewers received at the hand of 12 Years's brutal treatment of slavery, Belle seems tame by comparison. Combining slavery with the costume drama genre the Academy loves so much screams 'award bait' at first glance. Yet, if anything, Belle is not tame. Clichéd occasionally, but never tame. In fact, it's the ever-growing emotional intensity of Dido coming to realize the truth about the world and her place in it that form much of the film's core. The script is key in this regard. It's jam-packed--perhaps too much so--with impressive scenes where characters opinionate with the kind of clarity only film can provide.As for the acting, much of the praise deserves to go to newcomer Gugu Mbatha-Raw who's very persuasive as Dido. The more Dido becomes aware of her societal position and that she has to take action, the better her acting gets.Naturally, since this is a film based on history, there's the question of how much of it is actually based on history. Apparently, Dido wasn't very much involved with the case of the slaves who were thrown overboard. The film suggests her bond with William Murray contributed to his eventual ruling in that case, but apparently, he only called for another hearing where new evidence would have to be presented. Even so, the film's intertwining of both Dido and the case makes sense, because it provides a buildup of tension and emotional release for Dido.It takes a while for Belle to get going, but once it does, it's pretty involving. Although it lacks the raw intensity of 12 Years a Slave, the intensity is definitely there, particularly during the scenes where Dido confronts others. Not a groundbreaking film, but definitely worth a watch.

The story of Belle has been filmed before (though I haven't either read into the actual story/painting nor have I watched any of the other movies made about Belle), but this seems to be a good place to start. Maybe it can be the only one to watch. You have to like period movies in general obviously too.Racism seems far away (or seemed before a couple of incident of late) in 2015. But it wasn't that unlikely in the period the movie is playing, even though our main character might not understand all of it and still has some luck in that overall crazy situation. All of which is rounded up by an incident, that has consequences on relationships and impacts a lot of lives ...

I loved "Belle" but also can clearly see that it's NOT a film for everyone. Let's face it--movies with explosions and that require very little thinking generally do the best. This is not meant to be fat-headed on my part--it's just that cerebral and period films just don't make all that much money compared to other sorts of pictures. "Belle" is set in the late 18th century, there are no explosions, no war and lots of dialog...so it probably is not everyone's idea of a fun time. With my love of history, however, the film was just what I like.The story is about Dido Elizabeth Belle, a most unusual young lady in her time. She was a rich upper class lady...yet her mother was black! Because of this, her place in British society was very problematic. The story concerns her life during the time just before she married and concerns her courtship as well the pressing issue of the Dido--a slaver ship that murdered at least 132 slaves and which then claiming compensation by their insurer after they tossed these people into the sea! Where all this goes is something you'll just need to see for yourself.Overall, there is a lot to like about this costume drama. The romance is sweet and charming, the costumes and sets are amazing and the story, though deliberately paced, is marvelous. A truly exceptional film, though in a few cases I wondered why a few details from Dido's life were changed--such as the composition of the famous painting as well as making her French husband British in the film. Regardless, this is some film.