BELLE: 'You Are Beneath Him'

A discussion between Dido (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and her beloved cousin (Sarah Gadon) turns ugly when the intentions of Lord Ashfield (Tom Felton) are brought up in Amma Asante's period drama BELLE.

[renesmeecullen]

I love the way Belle talks back to her at the end of the clip. She says "At least I am acknowledged." Something like that.

[JMac]

I don't think Bette was ever going to say "Negro". Reason being is because it is not within her character nor was she raised in such a manner. But I'm sure she knows exactly why James doesn't like Dido but dismisses it. Remember back then illegitimacy cuts just as deep as racial issues. For a person to have an illegitimate child, whether rich or poor, is considered an embarrassment not only to the individual themselves but also to the family & their reputation. Ever wondered why the royals & or rich people sent their illegitimate child(ren) abroad for years at a time? So even if Belle was White she would still be considered an embarrassment. She just wouldn't have to deal with the obstacles of being a woman of color...

[jamoniarnold]

I don't think Bette said "illegitimate" in place of "Black/Negro" I think the point of this scene was to show how disillusioned Bette is to the separate struggles Dido has to face as a black woman. It shows how close a white person and a black person can be and how Bette (the white person) and still has that simple "privilege" of never have to encounter/acknowledge this particular aspect of society, the way Dido is forced to. Bette has never been told by their parents she may never find a respectable marriage because or her race/skin color. Bette has never been assaulted by a man, while he specified his disdain for her was due TL her skin color. Bette and Belle have been side by side Growing in with their uncle and she genuinely does not realize what Belle experiences because it is literally not apart of her reality in the same way. This shows how Dido has to live under certain rules and live with micro aggressions, and Bette will honestly believe it all boils simple down to illegitimacy and has nothing to do with race. This can also be transferred to race relations today.

[Marguerite]

I feel sorry for Dido in this scene because her cousin doesn't want to believe a word she says about James Ashfield being the wrong man to marry. Her cousin shouldn't deny the fact that James laid a finger on Dido. It was even wrong for Bette to say to Dido that she is illegitimate. But at least Dido spoke back at her. She said to her. "My father and mother never married, you are correct. But my father acknowledged me as his child! It is YOUR father who refuses to legitimize your position! And that is why you are poor! And that is why it is NOT me who is beneath Mr. James! It is not me." After she said those truthful words, Bette is about to cry as she walks away from Dido.

[SeizethedayRa]

This movie is everything. I cried for 2 hours and a week later Im still not over this. Im so happy this movie was made. Amazing acting. Everyone was amazing.

[agenttheater]

She'll go back begging Dido for forgiveness some day, when she realises James is beneath both of them in everyway possible.

[kayrup]

I also think Elizabeth loved Belle so much as a sister and wouldn't want to hurt her, even in anger

[Epodmusic]

I love Elizabeth for this. She had an opportunity to completely degrade her sister/cousin. However, no matter how angry she was, her love for Dido prevents her from stooping that low. It made her seem admirable in my eyes.

[yvettecolebourn]

I like how Bette sees Dido as family and nothing else.

[MediaSearch]

This movie was beyond awesome! The costumes, the history, the scenery: simply breathtaking! I regret not staying through the credits. (I was told there was something at the very end after the fact.)

[kathiarequena]

I always thought the point of the scene was to show how much bet loved dido because she never realized how she was different

[ericofthewest]

is it bad of me to think she was going to say the "N" word and not illegitimate?...

[ohsnapitspat]

Belle told her off in an intelligent manner.👍

[kerrimchayle]

Everyone is forgetting that unlike America, Europe had the Moores. They were used to dark skinned people dating back from a long time. History gets so skewed it seems. And moreover, we look at history these days from an extreme perspective. It's odd.

[madisoned]

Love makes us blind and Elizabeth was so eager to fall in love

[handeaykan]

I don't think she ever said that to Dido. She get upset because what she told her. She loves her cousin and she gentle soul. Even when they fighting she still doesn't wanna hurt her that way.

[xyPERSON]

I realize this is just a film but let's be real here for those of you trying to excuse and justify Elizabeth's behavior in this scene. Yes... she was Belle's cousin and loved her like a sister but there is an ugly truth in this one scene that a lot of people simply choose to ignore. No matter how much she loved Belle, Elizabeth still viewed her as a colored woman who would never measure up to societal standards because of her color. Even in this argument she did not say the N word but it was painfully obvious to me that it took everything she had to fight the temptation of saying that word. Sadly it is the same today. A lot of white people are well-meaning and decent at heart but they still cannot get past seeing color when it comes to blacks.

[beverlywaits]

I rewind this scene 3 times just to watch Dido extraordinary but truthful comeback on Beth horrible statement!😁👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾💯💯💯💯

[narnilawson]

Poor Bette, all she wanted was the love, affection and acknowledgment of the men in her life and all they did was let her down.

[videopokergal]

That was an unfortunate scene. I love this movie!💖