” He’s a loser. And losers’ve got to be respected. They’re the backbone of my business. They’re my customers, and I take good care of my customers.”
Returning to the city of his birth for inspiration, legendary maverick director Robert Altman helms an evocative, bullet-riddled tribute to the music and movies of his youth in Kansas City, a Depression-era gangster flick as only he could make one.
Blondie O Hara (Jennifer Jason Leigh) resorts to desperate measures when her low-level hood husband Johnny (Dermot Mulroney) gets caught trying to steal from Seldom Seen (Harry Belafonte), a local crime boss operating out of jazz haunt The Hey-Hey Club. Out on a limb, Blondie kidnaps laudanum-addled socialite Carolyn (Miranda Richardson), hoping her influential politician husband can pull the right strings and get Johnny out of Seldom Seen s clutches.
Nominated for the Palme d Or at Cannes, and featuring a remarkable soundtrack performed live by some of the best players in contemporary jazz, one of Altman s most underrated and idiosyncratic films finally makes its long-awaited Blu-ray debut.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original 2.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary by director Robert Altman
Newly filmed appreciation by critic Geoff Andrew
Gare, Trains et Déraillement, a 2007 visual essay by French critic Luc Lagier, plus short introduction to the film narrated by Lagier
Robert Altman Goes to the Heart of America and Kansas City: The Music, two 1996 promotional featurettes including interviews with cast and crew
Electronic press kit interviews with Altman, Leigh, Richardson, Belafonte and musician Joshua Redman, plus behind-the-scenes footage
Four theatrical trailers
TV spots
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jennifer Dionisio
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collectors booklet featuring new writing by Dr Nicolas Pillai, original press kit notes and an excerpt from Altman on Altman
“Boston Strong” is the phrase that came out of the remarkable, resilient response of the people of Boston after the terrorist bombings at the 2013 Boston Marathon. “Boston Strong” spirit sparked admiration across the country, making the whole city seem heroic. STRONGER is a true-story drama about one of the survivors of that attack, Jeff Bauman. Bauman lost both legs above the knees to the bomb but he not only survived, he helped identify one of the bombers.
Jake Gyllenhaal gives a valiant performance by as Bauman, but director David Gordon Green gives the audience a different kind of story than they might be expecting. Green’s previous films include SNOW ANGELS (2007) and ALL THE REAL GIRLS (2003), and the director seems determined to fit this true story about a historic event into that dramatic mold.
The film is adapted from Bauman’s memoir by screenwriter John Pollono, and takes a hard, even harsh look at Bauman’s injury and recovery. As the film opens, Jeff Bauman (Gyllenhaal) is a kind of lovable screw-up who works as a chicken-roaster at Costco but whose real life centers on the local bar, where he drinks, fights and cheers on the Red Sox with his pals. Jeff has broken up yet again with his girlfriend Erin (Tatiana Maslany) but this time she says she is done for good. When he spots her in the bar, collecting donations to sponsor her run in the Boston Marathon, Jeff makes a big show about collecting money and boasts about how he is bringing a big sign to cheer her on at the finish line. Erin is not in impressed, she has seen this before, and doubts the hard-drinking, unreliable Jeff will even show up on race day. Of course, he does show up this time. Standing near the finish line with his sign, he loses both legs in the explosion, spotting one of the bombers shortly before it goes off.
Green walks us through Bauman’s injury and later recovery in frank, unblinking fashion. Surviving the bombing and helping the police earns Bauman praise as a hero and national media attention. Bauman is glad to accept thanks from the police but then wants to move on dealing with his own problems, expecting in some way to get back to his anonymous life. He is puzzled by strangers who want to shake his hand, and by being called a hero. He just wants to focus on figuring out how to walk again. Gyllenhaal is excellent in the role, realistically capturing the trauma Bauman is working through, his moments of determination and of despair. Maslany as Erin is just as good, as the only grown up in the room, in comparison to Bauman’s dysfunctional family.
Right after the bombing, Bauman’s loud, argumentative family descends on the hospital, ready to fight with the doctors over his care. It seems like a caring impulse but the family seems as much a problem as anything. It is common to see working-class Bostonian like these folks portrayed in a stereotypical way, but Green goes way beyond that, with Bauman’s family depicted as angry, hard-drinking, foul-mouthed brawlers on a cartoonish scale. Miranda Richardson gives a bizarre, over-the-top performance as Bauman’s mother, a self-absorbed loud-mouth who both wants to protectively surround her son and fails to get him to physical therapy appointments because she is hung over. Surviving the bombing and helping the police earns Bauman praise as a hero and national media attention. Bauman is glad to accept thanks from the police but then wants to move on dealing with his own problems, expecting in some way to get back to his anonymous life. His mother wants him to be on Oprah.
Green depicts Bauman and his struggle to recover in harsh, even stark terms. When a stranger tells Bauman he is a hero and a symbol of the “terrorists not winning,” he quietly mentions that they scored some points, meaning the lost of his legs. When Bauman tries to walk on his prosthetic legs for the first time, Gyllenhaal’s face is pale and filled with pain, while his oblivious family cheer him on with platitudes. The only one who seems to acknowledge his pain is Erin, yet when she discovers she is pregnant, his reaction is appalling if believable for the character,one of several tough to watch scenes. Yet, at a certain point the film shifts its tone to a more conventional inspirational tone, as it stumbles to its conclusion.
Despite fine performances from Gyllenhaal and Maslany, STRONGER never really grabs the audience emotionally, and later in the film, falls into a hurried, perfunctory redemption arc and its happy ending. It almost feels like two films. The strong lead performances may carry the film with some audiences, but others may find its harsh. blunt approach make it a difficult film to embrace.
Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions have released the first poster for the upcoming drama STRONGER.
STRONGER opens in theaters September 22, 2017
STRONGER is the inspiring true story of Jeff Bauman, an ordinary man who captured the hearts of his city and the world to become the symbol of hope following the infamous 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Jeff, a 27-year-old, working-class Boston man who was at the marathon to try and win back his ex-girlfriend Erin (Tatiana Maslany). Waiting for her at the finish line when the blast occurs, he loses both his legs in the attack. After regaining consciousness in the hospital, Jeff is able to help law enforcement identify one of the bombers, but his own battle has just begun. He tackles months of physical and emotional rehabilitation with the unwavering support of Erin and his family.
It is Jeff’s deeply personal account of the heroic journey that tests a family’s bond, defines a community’s pride and inspires his inner courage to overcome devastating adversity. Filled with raw emotion, humanity and humor, STRONGER is the inspirational real-life story of the man who became the living embodiment of “Boston Strong.”
The film also stars Academy Award nominee Miranda Richardson and is directed by David Gordon Green.
STRONGER is the inspiring true story of Jeff Bauman, an ordinary man who captured the hearts of his city and the world to become the symbol of hope following the infamous 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions have released the first trailer for the film.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Jeff, a 27-year-old, working-class Boston man who was at the marathon to try and win back his ex-girlfriend Erin (Tatiana Maslany). Waiting for her at the finish line when the blast occurs, he loses both his legs in the attack. After regaining consciousness in the hospital, Jeff is able to help law enforcement identify one of the bombers, but his own battle has just begun. He tackles months of physical and emotional rehabilitation with the unwavering support of Erin and his family. It is Jeff’s deeply personal account of the heroic journey that tests a family’s bond, defines a community’s pride and inspires his inner courage to overcome devastating adversity.
Filled with raw emotion, humanity and humor, STRONGER isthe inspirational real-life story of the man who became the living embodiment of “Boston Strong.” The film also stars Academy Award nominee Miranda Richardson and is directed by David Gordon Green.
Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions will release STRONGER in theaters September 22, 2017.
Well, looks like it’s time to take another break from the Summer movie multiplex mayhem and settle in for something a tad more staid and much more somber. Like last May’s FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD, this new release feels closer to an “end of the year” award and critics’ ten best contender. Like that earlier film, we’re back across the pond amongst the “veddy, veddy” British, plus it’s also based on a revered piece of literature. The time period is taken up about 50 years, so the horse-drawn carriages have given away to motorized vehicles (and lots and lots of trains). The big change is that this one doesn’t spring from the imagination of a writer, such as Mr. Hardy. Everything really happened to these very real people chronicled in an acclaimed memoir. Happily, like FAR, this new work balances rising young stars of cinema and TV alongside several familiar seasoned thespian pros in breathing dramatic life into the story of Vera Brittain’s TESTAMENT OF YOUTH.
We first meet Ms. Brittain (Alicia Vikander) dashing through the crowded celebratory streets of London at the end of the “great war” in 1918. Abruptly, the film speeds back four years, as Vera, in her late teens, leads a fairly idyllic life in an upper middle class two-story home, far from London, nestled amongst rolling green hills and meadows. She’s mortified, however, when she returns home from a lake swim with younger brother Edward (Targon Egerton), who’s home from school with classmate pal Victor (Colin Morgan), who’s not-so-secretly smitten with Vera. Father (Dominic West) and Mother (Emily Watson) have ordered a piano, so that Vera may practice her music at home while entertaining suitors. But Vera is not husband-hunting. She wishes to join Edward at Oxford (much to Mr, Brittain’s dismay). Her declarations are interrupted by the arrival of another of Edward’s schoolmates, Roland (Kit Harington). There’s an instant attraction between Vera and the budding poet. He shares his works with her, and after his departure, they begin an intense correspondence. This inspires her to take the Oxford entrance tests, which she passes. But fate conspires to keep the lovers apart as the clouds of war emanate from the east. When war is declared, Edward, Victor, and , yes, Roland heed the call. But Vera is compelled to assist and, much to the dismay of her supportive teacher Miss Lorimer (Miranda Richardson), she becomes a nurse, hoping that once the conflict ends, she and Roland can finally be together.
Vikander is a new international star who has made quite an impression with roles in A ROYAL SCANDAL, ANNA KARENINA, and, most recently, EX-MACHINA (and her work in the big, budget move remake of the TV classic THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. is just a few weeks away). She adds this new role to her resume, and ably carries the dramatic heft of this film. Her Vera is a tough, determined young woman who’s not sidetracked when in the throes of first love. More than anything, these new feelings sharpen her focus and ultimately they guide her towards her life’s work. Particularly memorable are her initial pangs of infatuation as she caresses the letters from her adored Roland. TV fan favorite (a heart-throb on HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), Harrington projects a smouldering intelligence, that is almost snuffed out by the war’s horrors. In a compelling scene set break from battle he actually seems more excited in seeing his schoolmates than his lady-love. Egerton is stalwart and sweetly supportive as brother Edward, while Morgan moons likes a lonesome puppy at the uninterested Vera. West is the often exasperated head of the house, careful not to show his true feelings, while Watson keeps him in check, until the outside world pushes her into fantasy and delusion. Richardson is superb as the academic mentor to Vera, eventually becoming a surrogate mother. Joanna Scanlan elicits a few smiles as the bewildered Aunt Belle who’s tapped into being a chaperone for Vera’s time with Roland (the lovers are always several steps ahead of her). Although she’s listed prominently in the film’s ads, the delightful Hayley Atwell (Agent Peggy Carter of the Marvel movie and TV universe) doesn’t show up until the film’s final hour as Vera’s startlingly upbeat supervisor Nurse Hope in a few scenes near the French war front (it’s closer to an extended cameo).
Prolific TV director James Kent makes his feature film debut with this often, uneven sprawling epic. It has the feel of a two-part mini-series stiched together (episode one “Vera Falls in Love on the Way to Oxford”, episode two “Vera Goes to War”). Aside from the beginning of a romance, the main characters never really spring to life, often seeming like animated “tintypes” and etchings. Instead of drawing us in, the film keeps the audience at a distance. We’ve seen these horrific medical war stories before, going all the way back to Best Picture winner ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT to countless versions of A FAREWELL TO ARMS, with elements of the TV and movie incarnations of M*A*S*H* (bloody tent operations and constant showers making miles of mud), and even the classic crane shot of the wounded from GONE WITH THE WIND tossed into the mix. Yes, war is awful, we’ve learned that from countless films. Considering the superb cast, it’s a true shame that film never surprises and instead lurches into the familiar. TESTAMENT OF YOUTH is full of lovely and sometimes heartbreaking images that never really merge into a drama that engages both the mind and heart.
A few months after 12 YEARS A SLAVE took home the Oscar gold as Best Picture comes another historical drama centering on the issue of slavery, but from a very different perspective. For one thing, it’s set in England where slavery was abolished nearly a hundred years before we “yanks” got with the program. Oh, and the person instrumental, according to this film, was a woman of mixed race. Let’s emulate Peabody and Sherman and jump in our cinematic “way-back” machine and drop in an a great debate spurred on in part by the beauty named, appropriately enough, BELLE.
About 100 years before Solomon Northrup went back to his family, an officer of the British Royal Navy, Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode) pays a visit to his uncle and aunt, William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield and the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales (Tom Wilkinson) and Lady Mansfield (Emily Watson). Sir John must leave his illegitimate mixed-race daughter, Dido Belle, with the couple while he returns to active duty (the mother recently passed away). The Murrays take in the child, who they call Dido, and she becomes the constant playmate of her same-age cousin, Elizabeth (whose father has remarried and begun a new family). More than a decade passes as the two cousins have blossomed into young beauties and so Lady Mansfield arranges a dinner with two prospective husbands (they’re men of property, so it’s more of a business rather than romantic meeting). Because of her heritage, Dido (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is not allowed to be part of dinner (she dines alone in a separate room). As she waits to join the guests post-meal, Dido walks the estate grounds and is startled by a young man emerging from the woods. It is John Davinier (Sam Reid), young law student and son of a local reverend who will be aiding Lord Mansfield as he readies his ruling on a most important case concerning a slave ship that tossed their captives overboard when the drinking water supply dwindled. Can they (the slavers) collect on the loss from the insurers? Dido soon joins the after-dinner party where she meets Lady Ashford (Miranda Richardson) and her two sons, Oliver (James Norton) and James (Tom Felton). James and his mum are repulsed by Dido’s dark skin, but Oliver is smitten by the exotic woman. She becomes more attractive to him after the news of Sir John’s passing (Dido inherits all his holdings). While Oliver courts Dido, the sheltered woman becomes fascinated by Davinier who hopes to sway Mansfield into ruling that human beings are not property. Will Dido choose a life amongst the upper classes with Ashford or join Davinier in the fight to end slavery in Great Britain?
For the majority of the film Ms. Mbatha-Raw makes a most compelling (and beautiful) 1700’s heroine. Particularly effective are the sequences in which her eyes are opened to the injustices of the world outside her plush estate. It’s only in the romantic triangle sub-plot that she makes some debatable performing choices. Her wide-eyed, overdone fluster at meeting Davinier nearly veers into “silent movie-style’ emoting when a more subtle approach would have worked better. It’s a minor mis-step that almost takes the viewer out of the drama. The same could be said of the equally radiant Sarah Gadon as Dido’s blonde cousin Elizabeth as she goes from supportive confidant to jealous, petulant adversary. Over-the-top theatrics are also indulged by the actors, particularly Felton who seems to have retained the constant sneer from his days at Hogwarts and from abusing the primate heroes of RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. His look of distaste around Dido gives way to one of lustful avarice as it appears that she will be his sister-in-law. Reid often seems strident and condescending rather than determined as he expresses his beliefs to Dido and her uncle. Later he begins to loosen-up a bit, but he still seems to be more of a teacher than suitor to Dido. As for the elders, Watson is a sympathetic mother figure to both young women, but is pragmatic in arranging the courtships. Richardson is her flip side, only concerned about matching her sons for property rather than love. Penelope Wilton provides both comedy relief and a bit of tragedy as Dido and Elizabeth’s single aunt Lady Mary Murray who rejected society’s rules in order to stay true to herself and no pays the price. But the film’s rock is the always terrific Tom Wilkinson as the master of the house. He projects a keen intelligence while presiding over his court, while at home he can let his guard down to display a warm, fiercely protective fathely spirit towards his nieces. A follow-up feature focusing on the life and career of Lord Mansfield starring Wilkinson would be most welcome.
Actress turned director Amma Asante does a commendable job of moving the story along at an elegant pace. Unfortunately the script by Misan Sagay struggles to find the right mixture of historical drama and swooning romance almost becoming one of the paperbacks that Philomena Lee would recommend. The introduction of John to Dido comes perilously close to a “rom-com meet cute”. This forced whimsy never really meshes with the slavery debates. So soon after 12 YEARS and LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER, the film feels too timid and safe. Fans of the period romance will enjoy the magnificent sets and colorful costumes, but those wanting to know more about the reasons England ended the slave trade long before the states will leave the cinemas wanting. Yes, BELLE is quite the beauty, but it appeals more to the senses and much less to the mind.
Watch a brand new clip and go behind the scenes in this first featurette from director Amma Asante’s BELLE. The upcoming film stars Gugu Mbatha Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Sam Reid, Sarah Gadon, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Tom Felton, James Norton, Matthew Goode And Emily Watson.
Check out the latest photos from the groundbreaking movie HERE.
Written by Misan Sagay, BELLE is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed race daughter of Admiral Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode).
Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson), Belle’s lineage affords her certain privileges, yet her status prevents her from the traditions of noble social standing.
While her cousin Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) chases suitors for marriage, Belle is left on the sidelines wondering if she will ever find love. After meeting an idealistic young vicar’s son bent on changing society, he and Belle help shape Lord Mansfield’s role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in England.
The film’s cinematography is by Ben Smithard (MY WEEK WITH MARILYN), editing by Pia Di Ciaula (TYRANNOSAUR) and Victoria Boydell (THE AWAKENING), music from Rachel Portman (EMMA), costume design by Anushia Nieradzik (HUNGER) and production design by Simon Bowles (HYDE PARK ON HUDSON).
From Fox Searchlight, BELLE opens in select theaters on May 2.
Fox Searchlight has released 11 new images from director Amma Asante‘s BELLE.
BELLE is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral.
Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson), Belle’s lineage affords her certain privileges, yet the color of her skin prevents her from fully participating in the traditions of her social standing.
Left to wonder if she will ever find love, Belle falls for an idealistic young vicar’s son bent on change who, with her help, shapes Lord Mansfield’s role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in 18th century England.
“The power of Gugu, for me, is that she is able to reach inside the character and allow anyone to understand Dido’s unique experience,” says the director. “What she wants is equality. It’s not that nothing is good enough for her, it’s that she wants to be seen as equal to Elizabeth and the other ladies of her status and class at the time. Gugu puts that across fantastically. I knew she would be a good comrade in the process of recreating this 18th century black heroine.”
Standing between Dido Belle and what she wants – both in love and in the changing of the laws that support slavery – is the man who raised her: her great uncle Lord Mansfield, a hugely influential figure right at the peak of the battle against the British slave trade. On the one hand, he is a man devoted to law, order and preserving the British state. But on the other, he is a loving man with a deeply human impulse to treat Dido as he would any family – even if that means controlling who she marries.
“Lord Mansfield is a fascinating character because he really straddles the point of change that is happening at the time we come into this story,” says Amma Asante. “He is a man of conditioning, a man who definitely feels that the world is a better world if rules are in place. But he is also a man of progress, who is able to look forward when many of his peers cannot.”
Asante found it a wonderful historical surprise that Mansfield treated Dido as he did.“He didn’t choose to make Dido a servant, he didn’t choose to hide her – he chose to make her a central part of the family, to enshrine her in the painting that still exists today,” notes Asante. “There aren’t the words for me to express that. I’m in awe of the level of courage that must have taken.”
When Lord Mansfield died in 1793, he left in his will the statement, “I confirm to Dido Elizabeth Belle her freedom,” suggesting the importance of making her status absolutely clear to the world.
Belle passed away tragically young even for those times at age 43 – a few years after the slave trade was abolished — of unknown causes. Her last traceable relative, Harold Davinier, died in 1975, ironically a free white South African living in the era of apartheid.
BELLE had it’s World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festivallast September, it’s New York Premiere as the Opening Film at the 2014 Athena Film Festival in early February and the United Nations recently screened the film along with Amma Asante and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Watch the video HERE.
Written by Misan Sagay, BELLE’s cast includes Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson, Academy Award nominee Emily Watson, Sarah Gadon, Penelope Wilton, Academy Award nominee Miranda Richardson, Tom Felton and Matthew Goode.
Check out the official trailer for Amma Asante’s BELLE starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sam Reid, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson, Tom Felton, Miranda Richardson and Matthew Goode.
Scheduled for a May 2014 release, the film was shown at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival to positive reviews.
Justin Chang (Variety): “The pleasures of Jane Austen and the horrors of the British slave trade make a surprisingly elegant fit in Amma Asante’s handsome period piece.”
John Oursler (Sound on Sight): “Amma Asante’s Belle, a new entrant in the genre, strikes all the right notes.”
John DeFore (The Hollywood Reporter): “Moviegoers should respond well when Fox Searchlight brings it to theaters next spring.”
I can’t wait to see this. Being a fan of period-piece dramas, BELLE looks to be the perfect blend of courage, love and history.
BELLE is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral. Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson), Belle’s lineage affords her certain privileges, yet the color of her skin prevents her from fully participating in the traditions of her social standing.
Left to wonder if she will ever find love, Belle falls for an idealistic young vicar’s son bent on change who, with her help, shapes Lord Mansfield’s role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in 18th century England.
The film is written by Misan Sagay (THE SECRET LAUGHTER OF WOMEN) and produced by Damian Jones (THE IRON LADY).
Director Amma Asante adored the idea of bringing a revealing new twist to the sense and sensibilities of a romantic period film – adding to the mix of attraction, marital maneuvering, class, and gender a series of still provocative questions about race, bias and justice.
“I’ve never seen a film about the Jane Austen elements we know so well – the marriage market, the lives of girls growing up into society ladies, the romantic longing – combined with a story about the end of slavery,” says Asante.
The love story in BELLE brings two people together against all odds and changes Dido Belle’s whole outlook on the world. “Dido transforms from a girl who says, ‘As you wish, sir,’ to a woman who says, ‘As I wish – this is what I need, this is what is important to me,’” says Asante.
“She does so not because she is a privileged young woman who wants more, but because she is a woman saying, ‘I want equality in my household and in the world.’”
Amma Asante went in search of an unusual actress – someone who could embody the dual worlds Dido must navigate while trying to understand her own heart.
After a long search, Asante and producer Damian Jones saw exactly what they were seeking in British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who has been seen on Broadway in Hamlet with Jude Law and on the television series “Touch” with Kiefer Sutherland.
“The power of Gugu, for me, is that she is able to reach inside the character and allow anyone to understand Dido’s unique experience,” says the director. “What she wants is equality. It’s not that nothing is good enough for her, it’s that she wants to be seen as equal to Elizabeth and the other ladies of her status and class at the time. Gugu puts that across fantastically. I knew she would be a good comrade in the process of recreating this 18th century black heroine.”
Throughout portraying Dido Belle, Mbatha-Raw was grateful to collaborate so intimately with Asante. “Amma is just a force of nature. She really is,” summarizes the actress. “She knew this character so deeply and she was so invested in this story. All the relationships in the story were personal to her. It was also wonderful to work with a female director. It brings a very different kind of energy to the set – and obviously, it’s still a rarity.”
Executive producers are Steve Christian (MISS POTTER), Julie Goldstein (LOOPER), Ivan Dunleavy (DOM HEMINGWAY), Steve Norris (ME AND ORSON WELLES), Phil Hunt (TRISHNA), Compton Ross (BRINGING UP BOBBY) and Christopher Collins with Jane Robertson and Robert Norris as co-producers.
The filmmaking team includes Director of Photography Ben Smithard BSC (MY WEEK WITH MARILYN); production designer Simon Bowles (HYDE PARK ON THE HUDSON); costume designer Anushia Nieradzik (HUNGER); music by Oscar® nominee Rachel Portman (DUCHESS), editors Pia Di Ciaula (TYRANNOSAUR) and Victoria Boydell (THE AWAKENING) and make-up and hair designer Marese Langan (THE IRON LADY).
In her first leading role, Gugu Mbatha-Raw is featured in these images from director Amma Asante’s BELLE.
The film is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed race daughter of Admiral Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode).
Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson), Belle’s lineage affords her certain privileges, yet her status prevents her from the traditions of noble social standing. While her cousin Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) chases suitors for marriage, Belle is left on the sidelines wondering if she will ever find love. After meeting an idealistic young vicar’s son bent on changing society, he and Belle help shape Lord Mansfield’s role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in England.
In July Fox Searchlight Pictures announced that the company had acquired most worldwide rights, including North America and the United Kingdom, to BELLE. BAFTA Award winner for A WAY OF LIFE, Asante said of her latest film, ” We’ve worked hard to turn historical facts of the life of a true pioneer into a compelling and moving cinema experience.”
BELLE will have it’s World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and will be released in theaters May 2, 2014.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw as “Dido Elizabeth Belle” and Sam Reid as “John Davinier”
In a recent article in the Daily Mail, the actress and director spoke about how they approached the period drama.
‘It has this Jane Austen feel to it, but it’s grounded in a political and social context,’ Gugu explained.
‘There are things going on other than this “Who shall we marry?” fluff.’
The director added: ‘Me, Gugu and all the other black girls who are involved in the film have watched all the film adaptations of Austen’s stories.
‘We’ve dreamt of either playing one of those heroines, or being able to direct a film — and yet we need to be able to hang our hat on a hook where it makes sense.’
Written by Misan Sagay, BELLE’s cast includes Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson, Academy Award nominee Emily Watson, Sarah Gadon, Penelope Wilton, Academy Award nominee Miranda Richardson, Tom Felton and Matthew Goode.
Cinematography is by Ben Smithard (MY WEEK WITH MARILYN), editing by Pia Di Ciaula (TYRANNOSAUR) and Victoria Boydell (THE AWAKENING), music from Rachel Portman (EMMA), costume design by Anushia Nieradzik (HUNGER) and production design by Simon Bowles (HYDE PARK ON HUDSON).
The film was produced by Damian Jones (THE IRON LADY) and was developed by the BFI Film Fund which also backed production, alongside Isle of Man Film, Pinewood Pictures, Head Gear Films and Metrol Technology.
Sarah Gadon as “Elizabeth Murray” and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as “Dido Elizabeth Belle”
Miranda Richardson as “Lady Ashford,” Penelope Wilton as “Lady Mary Murray,” Sarah Gadon as “Elizabeth Murray,” and Emily Watson as “Lady Mansfield”
