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Belle

Belle

Drama · 2013

Dido Elizabeth Bell, the illegitimate, mixed-race daughter of a Royal Navy admiral, plays an important role in the campaign to abolish slavery in England.

Movie details

Belle

“Based on the inspiring true story”

2013 Drama 1h 45m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

Dido Elizabeth Bell, the illegitimate, mixed-race daughter of a Royal Navy admiral, plays an important role in the campaign to abolish slavery in England.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Belle?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Skin

Skin

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Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era.

The Help

The Help

Drama · 2011

Aibileen Clark is a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson is an African-American maid who has often offended her employers despite her family's struggles with money and her desperate need for jobs; and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is a young white woman who has recently moved back home after graduating college to find out her childhood maid has mysteriously disappeared. These three stories intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help"; yet they are always kept at a certain distance because of racial lines.

A United Kingdom

A United Kingdom

Drama · 2016

The inspiring true story of Seretse Khama, the King of Bechuanaland (modern Botswana), and Ruth Williams, the London office worker he married in 1948 in the face of fierce opposition from their families and the British and South African governments. Seretse and Ruth defied family, Apartheid and empire - their love triumphed over every obstacle flung in their path and in so doing they transformed their nation and inspired the world.

Ghosts of Mississippi

Ghosts of Mississippi

Drama · 1996

A Mississippi district attorney and the widow of Medgar Evers struggle to bring a white supremacist to justice for the 1963 murder of the civil rights leader.

Victoria & Abdul

Victoria & Abdul

Drama · 2017

Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.

The Robe

The Robe

Drama · 1953

Drunk and disillusioned Roman, Marcellus Gallio, wins Jesus' robe in a dice game after the crucifixion. Marcellus has never been a man of faith like his slave, Demetrius, but when Demetrius escapes with the robe, Marcellus experiences disturbing visions and feels guilty for his actions. Convinced that destroying the robe will cure him, Marcellus sets out to find Demetrius — and discovers his Christian faith along the way.

Peterloo

Peterloo

History · 2018

An epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter’s Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history. The massacre saw British government forces charge into a crowd of over 60,000 that had gathered to demand political reforms and protest against rising levels of poverty.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Amma Asante

Written by

Misan Sagay

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Dido Elizabeth Belle

Tom Wilkinson

Tom Wilkinson

Lord Mansfield

Sam Reid

Sam Reid

John Davinier

Emily Watson

Emily Watson

Lady Mansfield

Sarah Gadon

Sarah Gadon

Lady Elizabeth Murray

Miranda Richardson

Miranda Richardson

Lady Ashford

Penelope Wilton

Penelope Wilton

Lady Mary Murray

Court is in session

Put Belle on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.