Director: Amma Asante
Writers: Misan Saji
Starring: Matthew Goody / Gugu Mbata-Law / Laura Julian-Box / Alan McKenna / Penelope Wilton / Emily Watson / Tom Wilkinson / Sarah Garton / Miranda Richardson / James Norton / Tom Felton / Sam Reid / James Northcott
Genre: Drama
Country of Production: United Kingdom
Language: English
Release date: 2013-09-08
Duration: 104 minutes
Synopsis: It tells the story of Beyle, a mixed-race girl who was adopted by an aristocratic family and influenced the abolition of slavery. The heroine, Belle, is the illegitimate daughter of a British naval colonel and a Caribbean slave, and was later adopted by her father's uncle, Lord Murray. Although she grew up in an aristocratic family, her dark complexion was a constant reminder of her origins. And she used her own strength to promote the abolition of slavery in Britain.
01 Deep and painful historical background
The historical events of the film "Belle" take place in 18th-century England. At that time, Britain was the center of colonial trade, and behind the rapid economic development was a tragic chapter in human history - the ugly black slave trade!
Historical photographs of the black slave trade
The black slave trade, also known as the "triangular trade", took place in the 16th-19th centuries. The beginning of the slave trade was in Europe, where slave traders carried their own goods full of shipshafts to Africa, where they were replaced by slaves transported from the interior to the coastal areas by the natives, and during the long voyage, the blacks needed to be stripped naked and locked under decks, chained, and had limited access to food and water.
The interior of the Black Slave Ship
Black slaves were immediately propelled into the sea as soon as they got sick, so much so that for hundreds of years sharks had become accustomed to following merchant ships because of their stable food source. They stamped every black slave to prevent escape. They were then sold like beasts, and then these slaves were transported to the Americas, sold to local plantation owners, and in the Americas they received a large amount of gold, silver, tobacco, sugar and other goods to return with full loads.
The life of the black slave under the deck
This trade undoubtedly brought a lot of wealth and capital to Europe, but it was undoubtedly worse for Africa, which was already economically backward. For Africa, chronic labour and population deficits have led to slow economic development, and poverty and hunger have been sweeping across African countries. The massive population loss kept some West African countries from reviving for centuries to come, and many promising indigenous African civilizations were snuffed out in their cradles.
02 Inspiration for movies
The film "Belle the Lady" was inspired by an oil painting in Scone Palace in Scotland, in which a noble and elegant white lady sits under a large tree, next to a lively and cute black girl. Writer Misan said: "I was struck by the elegant beauty of the black girl, and there was a kind of frankness in her gaze, telling me something. As a writer, I feel there is a story in it. So after the writer Misan excavated, sorted out and created the story behind the photo, the story of the black girl Belle in the painting was revealed.
Film clip from Belle the Rapunzel
The heroine, Dido Bell Lindsay, is the daughter of British Admiral John Lindsay and a Caribbean slave, her identity is not glamorous, although she was adopted by her aristocratic uncle, but in the harsh social environment at that time, her upbringing was still thorny, and her inferiority has always followed Beyer. An important turning point that prompted Belle's life mentality to change was an ugly page in British history - the "Zonghao Cargo Ship" insurance fraud case, the owner of the "Zonghao" ship threw 132 sick black slaves into the sea to die for fraud insurance. This incident greatly touched Beyer, so Bell began to use her own strength to unveil the ugly veil of the British black slave trade through the "Zonghao Cargo Ship" insurance fraud case.
Turner's landscape painting "Slave Ship" was inspired by the "Zong no. Cargo Ship Case"
In 2007, in an exhibition commemorating the bicentennial of the abolition of the Slave Trade Act of 1807, the painting was exhibited with more information about Belle at Kenwood Manor, an English country house where she once lived. The female writer Misan once said: When we look at the history of Britain, we need to realize that black people have always been here. Indeed, looking back at the history of these two hundred years, they have been present at all levels and at different levels of society. Writer Misan compiled the painting into a story for circulation, while director Ama Asant transformed Misan's story into a visual screen work dedicated to more audiences to commemorate this brave woman, Beyle.
Director Amma Asante was born in London, England in 1969. In 2004, she won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts' Most Promising Newcomer Award for her first film, Lifestyle.
Directed by Amma Asante
In addition to the role of director, she is also an actor and screenwriter, so she has a more meticulous pursuit in the control of the story. It took her seven long years to find the story of Belle and Betty. In terms of the actor who played the role of Bel, she chose Gugu Mabata-Lao, because in this actor, Amma Asante found her "Bel".
03 The strength of the low-key actor
Like the character Belle in the play, British actor Gugu Mabata-Law is a mixed-race girl. His father was a South African doctor and his mother was a British nurse. Born in Oxford, England in 1983, she grew up in Witney, a historic market town near a tributary of the River Thames. This girl, who has been interested in singing, dancing and acting since she was a child, was admitted to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London at the age of 18. In 2009, she also starred in the stage play "Hamlet" with the famous British actor Jude Lowe, showing her outstanding theatrical stage skills.
Gugu Mabata-Lao
The name Gugu Mabata-Lao means "our pride" in the African Zulu language. Starring in "Belle" also brought her a whole new height in Hollywood. Both she and the film's director, Armagh Asante, were deeply influenced by the work of the British novelist Jane Austen, and have a deep understanding of this female figure that reflects 18th-century Britain and struggles with social norms and contradictions.
Gugu has shown a british actor trained in drama in the film Larry Crowe starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. With her solid musical theater foundation, she also played a charming and moving Grammy Award female singer in the movie "Beyond the Lights". In 2018, she was also awarded the British Medal of Merit in recognition of her contribution to the theatre career. UNHCR also recently announced the appointment of Gugu Mabata-Lao as a Global Goodwill Ambassador. Since 2018, she has been a prominent advocate for refugee rights as a celebrity partner with UNHCR. She has also contributed to the Film of Hope project, which she collaborated with unHCR to raise funds for the COVID-19 Solidarity Appeal.
Gugu visits refugee settlements in Uganda
This week's "Junlebao Film Appointment" lets us walk into the movie "Beauty Belle" adapted from real historical events and feel the sincere power of Belle.
Saturday's promotional version is live
Sunday film review version live