Film: Belle

I liked the look of the trailer for Belle, but, as usual, it depended on how it was rated on IMDB. And, while it had a good rating, it just wasn't good enough last week - 7.3, where I was struggling to get through the films rated 8 and above! And then, its rating rose to 7.4, and more to the point, I eliminated 44 films from the top of this week's film list, because they weren't showing today! not at a time I could make, anyway. And so, I was down to Belle.

It's showing at my local Vue cinema, so I could walk. It's been mild all day, but overcast, and sure enough, when I opened the door to leave for the cinema this evening, it was raining. Never mind, I had a hood - and was going to be late if I changed. So off I went. My coat was nicely wet by the time I got there, but what the hey. I handed in a Vue voucher when I was getting my ticket - didn't realise it was the expired one, but she took it anyway and gave me a replacement. So now I have two.

Despite having chosen my seat, I still preferred the one beside it. Go figure. Anyway, the place was quite empty. I was just in time for the trailers - nothing caught my eye. And then we were into the film. Based on real-life events, this is the story of (Dido Elizabeth) Belle, the illegitimate daughter of a British naval officer and a black woman, born c. 1761. Her father brings her back to England, to the care of his uncle, Lord Mansfield, the Lord Chief Justice - played by Tom Wilkinson. He and his wife - Emily Watson - take her in as a playmate for their other great-niece - Sarah Gadon, also seen in The Moth Diaries, where she played Lucy, and A Dangerous Method, where she played Jung's wife. She's about the same age, and has lived with them since the death of her mother. They have a liberated attitude towards "mulattos" and have her educated to the highest standards - in all respects, they treat her just like her cousin.

Until the girls grow up, of course, and Belle's cousin is in the marriage market. Belle, however, is in a tricky position - she is not considered good enough to marry into her father's family's class, but too good to marry beneath it. And what she most fears is ending up like Lord Mansfield's spinster sister - Penelope Wilton - who keeps house for him, but leads a lonely life. But things start to look up when the sons of Lady Ashcroft - Miranda Richardson - start to show an interest in the girls. Also hovering in the wings is a young man by the name of John Davinier. In real life, he was a gentlemen's steward - here, he's an ambitious young lawyer working with Lord Mansfield, who's currently considering the important case of the massacre of slaves aboard the trading ship Zong.

Firstly, it looks stunning. The sets, the grand houses, the costumes, are breathtaking. While the manners of the film at first seem stilted, they are true to the period, and are soon lost in the drama of events. Minor liberties are taken with the facts - as I say, John Davinier wasn't a lawyer. Also, Belle's cousin was hardly penniless, as in the film, and Belle, in real life, received not a penny from her father - it was Lord Mansfield who provided for her. But, you know, why let the truth get in the way of a good story? And this is one such. You get a vivid sense of how frustrating it must have been for her - leading a privileged life, but unable to participate in it fully. The only others of her colour that she saw were of a much lower social standing. Her story plays out against the backdrop of the abolition of slavery in the United Kingdom - exciting times, and you do get a sense, in this film, of being on the brink of something very new.

Absolutely better than your average corset-and-wig drama. Recommended.

With standing tickets only available for Skylight for the next couple of days, it's a film again tomorrow - I have a choice of two. The winner, I think, will be Camille Claudel, the story of Auguste Rodin's lover, who went mad. The 1988 version with Isabelle Adjani and Gérard Depardieu - not the remake with Juliette Binoche, which isn't supposed to be as good. A long film, but promising. And I get it for free - it's only showing at the Odeon Panton Street, and I've earned enough Odeon points for a free film. Finally..