Can we learn from what happened so long ago?
Gugu Mbatha-Raw as BELLE
Belle is a movie based on actual events and far more than a period piece of manners and costumes. It examines the issue of a free black woman in the heavily striated British society of the late 18th/early 19th centuries.
This is the story of an illegitimate mulatto child magnificently acted by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who is raised in affluence with an excellent education and, à la Jane Austen, once she’s an adult, provided with interesting marriage prospects. Coincidently, her uncle (Tom Wilkinson) is a judge who is hearing a case based upon the question of whether slaves are humans or things, a recurring backdrop of freedom and restriction.
This movie is far more than a costume drama as it is both intelligently written and well-acted, with the result a beautiful cinematic experience which is both intellectually and emotionally stimulating.
104 minutes,
Thank you to this movie’s sponsor
MUSKOKA CONCERT ASSOCIATION
Many years ago, in response to a need for excellent musical artistry in cottage country, the not-for-profit Muskoka Concert Association was formed. Since then, many world-acclaimed musicians have performed at the classic Gravenhurst Opera House much to the delight of all area music lovers. The 2014-15 season of four excellent and diverse performers begins on October 24, and our benefit concert, “Oscar Peterson, the Jazz legend and the Man I knew”, with Lance Anderson of Orillia performing will take place on October 3rd. For more information, go to:www.muskokaconcertassociation.com, or click on the logo above.
Thanks for supporting Muskoka’s Movie culture!
