Belle

Only recently has the truth been universally acknowledged that Sir Walter's fortune in 'Persuasion' almost almost certainly came from the slave trade. 'Belle', like most modern period films sugars it's pill with lavish decor and beautiful exteriors; but the emphasis as usual is on talk - much of it - about property, money and influence.

The elder women know to the nearest pound the value of potential suitors, to whom their daughters are sold off like cattle. There's an interesting subplot concerning the jettisoning of slaves by traders whose sole concern is the cash value of their cargo. An interesting subtext on which the film chooses not to elaborate is whether the fabulously wealthy heroine would identify any more with her black servant if she was just a commoner.