I love me a good period piece. Medieval, primordial, if it comes from another time, another place, I’m there, especially if it’s a rags to riches type story in Victorian England. If there’s one time period that I would love to be rich in, it would be that one.
Belle is an independent film based on the true story of a bi-racial woman, born the illegitimate daughter of a navy sea captain and a slave woman from the west indies. During a time when imperialist England was colonizing the entire world, practically, Dido Elizabeth Belle grows up in the house of her uncle, a judge in the English courts. As a member of an elite English family, she wasn’t treated like a slave but being black, she wasn’t totally treated as an equal … at least, not when they had company over. A famous painting of Dido and her cousin Elizabeth shows this dichotomy of family love and acceptance hindered by propriety. At the same time, it is also interesting to see that Dido seems to have more freedom to show her personality while her cousin appears stiff with conformity.
Victorian England had a lot of really jacked up rules about women and people with dark skin. Dido was a walking contradiction. But she is credited with being the inspiration for a landmark court ruling that led to the abolishment of slavery in England. Pretty big stuff. Can’t wait to see it.
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