Like many Americans, my introduction to Honoré de Balzac was in "The Music Man" when the ladies of River City used his name as the ultimate example of the "dirty books" to be found in the Madison Library. Alma mentions Chaucer and Ethel names Rabelais, and then Eulalie Shinn pronounces the name of "Balzac" as the punctuation mark to the argument. There is also the point in Act I where Mrs. Paroo points out to Marion: "When a woman's got a husband, and you've got none, why should she take advice from you? Even if you can quote Balzac and Shakespeare and all them other high-falutin' Greeks." Of course, Balzac was French and his books, such as "Cousin Bette" were not dirty, they were simply adult, which is why these 1998 film adaptation ends with a different set of punctuation marks...



Cousin Bette (Jessica Lange) is an old maid of 40 who started getting the short end of the stick in her family when it was decided that what resources there were would be spent on elevate only one of the girls, her cousin Adelaide (Geraldine Chaplin), who married Baron Hector Hulot (Hugh Laurie). As the film begins Adelaide is dying and after the funeral Bette fully expects that she will now marry the Baron and finally enjoy a little bit of the happiness and prosperity that has been denied her for so long. Instead, he intends to keep her on as a governess to his daughter, Hortense (Kelly MacDonald). After all, she is family. That means he would have to feed her and house her, but not to pay her.



An incensed Bette refuses the position and returns to her hotel room in theater district of Paris in 1846. She works as a seamstress for Jenny Cadine (Elisabeth Shue), the sexy star of one of the bawdier theater houses who also happens to be the mistress of the Baron. But with all of his expenses the Baron is finding it difficult to keep his relationship with Jenny exclusive and when what should have been a job ending display of cheek suddenly makes her Jenny's intimate, Bette sees an opportunity to get her revenge on everybody, including Count Wenceslas Steinbach (Aden Young), the young Polish artist who also desires Jenny. The key is that the likes of Hulot and Wenceslas want money more than they do women, and this becomes the means to exploiting the situation, with Jenny the ax that Bette wields against them.



We have seen such tales before, set in the same century on that side of the Atlantic, and despite the competence of the performers and the lush cinematography of Andrzej Sekula there is nothing that really makes "Cousin Bette" stand out. Her manipulations of the situation are fairly straightforward and in the end it is a tragic twist of fate that brings her game to an early conclusion rather than her own diabolical design. Wearing dark hair while looking cold and harsh, Lange is clearly trying to play the role, but she still portrays such strength that her victory seems inevitable, especially in comparison to her prey, whom are universally worthless human beings propped up by borrowed money. This makes the likes of Cesar Crevel (Bob Hoskins), the wealthiest man in Paris, an honorable man by default. When he offers Hortense money to see her naked, at varying rates depending on her circumstances, he is certainly being more honest than anybody else in the film.



Those who apparently should know say that the film is funnier than Balzac's novel, which may well be the case. This was director Des McAnuff's first film behind the camera and after this he made "The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle." I point this out because I am sure it means something, but cannot quite put my finger on it at this point. I thought that maybe McAnuff was going for more of a black comedy, but "Cousin Bette" does not quite rise to that level. Lange's performance is fine, and both Hoskins and Laurie are in fine form, but Shue does not succeed in making Jenny the siren of desire the plot requires her to be. Still, I like period pieces well enough and this one has its moment (I liked the unveiling of Wencelas' commissioned military statue), so if you like such things as well getting around to this one would not be a bad idea.