The story is inspired by the portrait of Dido Elizabeth Belle Lindsay and her cousin Elizabeth Murray. The portrait is currently housed in the Earl of Mansfield's seat in Scone Palace, Perth, Scotland, and was formerly attributed to artist Johann Zofanny. It begins with Captain Sir John Lindsay becoming acquainted with his daughter Dido, his illegitimate child with a former African slave. Capt. Lindsay takes Dido and places her in the care of his uncle, the Lord Chief Justice and Earl of Mansfield, and his wife. Lord and Lady Mansfield have no children and already have their young niece Elizabeth in their care. Elizabeth is the daughter of their nephew and heir David Murray and was left to their care by her father after he remarried.
Dido and Elizabeth are raised together and become inseparable companions. They are both educated, accomplished and spirited young women. They are then thrown into the company and attentions of eligible young men, most notably James and Oliver Ashford. Their mother Lady Ashford sanctions the match for James and Elizabeth, assuming that Elizabeth is heiress to the Mansfield estate. In truth it is Dido who is an heiress while Elizabeth is a relative pauper, having been abandoned by her father. Oliver becomes attracted to Dido. Another young man, John Davinier, is introduced into the household as a protégé of Lord Mansfield. John, the vicar's son, is an ambitious, intelligent but impoverished young man who wishes to make law his profession. Lord Mansfield is set to rule over a legal case that is in the forefront of London society at that time - the Zong case (aka Gregson vs Gilbert), which involves the death of slaves on a ship bound from Africa. As Lord Mansfield takes him under his wing, John becomes involved in the case. Dido develops an interest in the case and she and John form a friendship. As Dido and Elizabeth embark on a trip to London for the season, Lord Mansfield prepares for the one of the most controversial cases of his time. Love inevitably follows them there as both young women discover that the path to love and marriage is often full of complications.
While this film includes all the necessary ingredients to make it a topnotch period drama - a brilliant cast, beautiful locations, sumptuous costumes, fine acting and high production values - what makes it stand out to me is how it is told from a very different point-of-view. Instead of one of our fine Jane Austen or Dickensian heroines, we have a young, strong-willed and intelligent bi-racial heroine. Dido faces the same challenges as other young ladies at the time in terms of social mores and customs as well as the inevitable necessity (at that time) of finding a suitable match. But her challenges are exacerbated because of the color of skin, as certain restrictions are placed on her and some in her society deem her "unsuitable" as a wife. Those that do find her suitable raise suspicion as to whether they love her for herself or for her wealth.
The storyline is one of the main reasons why I love this film. It is well told, inspiring and engaging. The other is the wonderful cast. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is the perfect Dido. She is lovely and with such a bright spark that makes her entirely convincing as the intelligent, engaging and strong heroine. Much like "Pride & Prejudice's" Elizabeth Bennet or "North & South's" Margaret Hale, her Dido is no shrinking violet. Sarah Gadon is charming and lovely as Dido's vivacious and lovestruck cousin Elizabeth (Bette). She is the yin to Dido's yang. The young ladies could not be more different and yet they share a bond and friendship as sisters would. One of my favorites, however, is Sam Reid who plays the idealistic, intelligent, ambitious John Davinier. John is no mere cipher. Sam infuses such passion, personality and charisma in his role that he commands the screen even as he goes up against Tom Wilkinson's formidable Lord Mansfield. Tom Wilkinson is always brilliant in whatever he does, and his Lord Mansfield is convincing as both the imperious Lord Chief Justice and the protective and gentle "Papa" to Dido and Bette. Emily Watson plays Lady Mansfield, who balances her motherly responsibilities to her nieces and is the rock and support for her husband. Penelope Wilton plays Lady Mary Murray (sister of Lord Mansfield) who has never married and takes charge of the Mansfield estate. Miranda Richardson is Lady Ashford, James and Oliver's mother, whose main objective is to seek eligible (i.e. wealthy) wives for her two eligible sons. Harry Potter's Tom Felton is James, who initially pursues Elizabeth, as the Ashford's assume that she is an heiress. James detests Dido while his brother Oliver (James Norton) feels otherwise. Matthew Goode has a small role as Dido's father, Captain Sir John Lindsay.
Credit to the strong screenplay, Amma Assante's directing and the talents of these actors that every one of the characters has a personality that jumps off the screen. And may I say that I love the chemistry between the two leads? You have all seen the trailer so it will not be a spoiler when I say that the electricity when Dido and John are on screen is palpable. Within the first few minutes of the movie, I knew I made the right choice in purchasing this film. It is engaging from beginning to end and I have to admit I watched and re-watched this many times since. I wish this movie was longer because I did not want Dido's story to end. If you enjoy period dramas such as Pride & Prejudice, BBC's North & South and Downton Abbey, then I highly recommend this movie. It has become one of my favorites in my British period drama collection and I hope this encourages others to see this film and take that chance as I have. I am so glad that I did.
Dido and Elizabeth are raised together and become inseparable companions. They are both educated, accomplished and spirited young women. They are then thrown into the company and attentions of eligible young men, most notably James and Oliver Ashford. Their mother Lady Ashford sanctions the match for James and Elizabeth, assuming that Elizabeth is heiress to the Mansfield estate. In truth it is Dido who is an heiress while Elizabeth is a relative pauper, having been abandoned by her father. Oliver becomes attracted to Dido. Another young man, John Davinier, is introduced into the household as a protégé of Lord Mansfield. John, the vicar's son, is an ambitious, intelligent but impoverished young man who wishes to make law his profession. Lord Mansfield is set to rule over a legal case that is in the forefront of London society at that time - the Zong case (aka Gregson vs Gilbert), which involves the death of slaves on a ship bound from Africa. As Lord Mansfield takes him under his wing, John becomes involved in the case. Dido develops an interest in the case and she and John form a friendship. As Dido and Elizabeth embark on a trip to London for the season, Lord Mansfield prepares for the one of the most controversial cases of his time. Love inevitably follows them there as both young women discover that the path to love and marriage is often full of complications.
While this film includes all the necessary ingredients to make it a topnotch period drama - a brilliant cast, beautiful locations, sumptuous costumes, fine acting and high production values - what makes it stand out to me is how it is told from a very different point-of-view. Instead of one of our fine Jane Austen or Dickensian heroines, we have a young, strong-willed and intelligent bi-racial heroine. Dido faces the same challenges as other young ladies at the time in terms of social mores and customs as well as the inevitable necessity (at that time) of finding a suitable match. But her challenges are exacerbated because of the color of skin, as certain restrictions are placed on her and some in her society deem her "unsuitable" as a wife. Those that do find her suitable raise suspicion as to whether they love her for herself or for her wealth.
The storyline is one of the main reasons why I love this film. It is well told, inspiring and engaging. The other is the wonderful cast. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is the perfect Dido. She is lovely and with such a bright spark that makes her entirely convincing as the intelligent, engaging and strong heroine. Much like "Pride & Prejudice's" Elizabeth Bennet or "North & South's" Margaret Hale, her Dido is no shrinking violet. Sarah Gadon is charming and lovely as Dido's vivacious and lovestruck cousin Elizabeth (Bette). She is the yin to Dido's yang. The young ladies could not be more different and yet they share a bond and friendship as sisters would. One of my favorites, however, is Sam Reid who plays the idealistic, intelligent, ambitious John Davinier. John is no mere cipher. Sam infuses such passion, personality and charisma in his role that he commands the screen even as he goes up against Tom Wilkinson's formidable Lord Mansfield. Tom Wilkinson is always brilliant in whatever he does, and his Lord Mansfield is convincing as both the imperious Lord Chief Justice and the protective and gentle "Papa" to Dido and Bette. Emily Watson plays Lady Mansfield, who balances her motherly responsibilities to her nieces and is the rock and support for her husband. Penelope Wilton plays Lady Mary Murray (sister of Lord Mansfield) who has never married and takes charge of the Mansfield estate. Miranda Richardson is Lady Ashford, James and Oliver's mother, whose main objective is to seek eligible (i.e. wealthy) wives for her two eligible sons. Harry Potter's Tom Felton is James, who initially pursues Elizabeth, as the Ashford's assume that she is an heiress. James detests Dido while his brother Oliver (James Norton) feels otherwise. Matthew Goode has a small role as Dido's father, Captain Sir John Lindsay.
Credit to the strong screenplay, Amma Assante's directing and the talents of these actors that every one of the characters has a personality that jumps off the screen. And may I say that I love the chemistry between the two leads? You have all seen the trailer so it will not be a spoiler when I say that the electricity when Dido and John are on screen is palpable. Within the first few minutes of the movie, I knew I made the right choice in purchasing this film. It is engaging from beginning to end and I have to admit I watched and re-watched this many times since. I wish this movie was longer because I did not want Dido's story to end. If you enjoy period dramas such as Pride & Prejudice, BBC's North & South and Downton Abbey, then I highly recommend this movie. It has become one of my favorites in my British period drama collection and I hope this encourages others to see this film and take that chance as I have. I am so glad that I did.
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