COUSIN BETTE

US, 1998, 108 minutes, Colour.
Jessica Lange, Elisabeth Shue, Bob Hoskins, Hugh Laurie, Aden Young, Kelly Macdonald, Toby Stephens, Geraldine Chaplin, Laura Fraser, John Sessions.
Directed by Des Mc Anuff.

Cousin Bette is an oddity, a lavishly mounted and costumed piece set in 1840s Paris, a picture of intrigue and social decay calling for another revolution and finishing at the barricades. It is based on a Balzac novel. Jessica Lange glowers as impoverished and imposed upon Bette who sets herself to destroy (after using) her relatives and the young sculptor she encourages and loves. However, the treatment of these themes and the other performances are in the farcical 'Tom Jones' mode, irreverent and bawdy, symbolised in the final images. While Balzac's Paris seems remote and artificial, some of the themes are relevant to today's quests for money and power. Period oddity.

1. The adaptation of Honore de Balzac’s novel? 19th century French literature? A perspective on France in the first half of the 19th century? Society, standards, hypocrisy? The build-up to the 1848 revolution?

2. The sardonic tone of the film, cynical? Exploitation of others?

3. The sumptuous look, the levels of society, the wealthy and their style, poor relatives and apartments, the world of the arts? Theatre, music halls? Paris and the variety of styles of living in the 1840s?

4. The title and the focus, Bette as the poor cousin? Her place in the family, as servant, her bitter attitude towards her wealthy sister? Envy? Her capacity for exploitation? Her high expectations after her sister’s death, their not being fulfilled, her reaction, bitterness? Her life and her look, the black clothes? Her decisions, her plots, cover-up, seemingly nice? The confidante of so many characters? Her work in the theatre, the clothes? Her discovery of Wenceslas, saving him, her hold over him, her ambitions for his art, the sexual relationship? His moving away from her, her anger, his marrying Hortense? Her reaction to Baron Hulot, his money and his offering her the job of caretaker? Hortense, Wenceslas’ marriage to her, Bette’s anger? Hortense and her being used and humiliated? Victorin and his management of the finances?

5. The revelation of Bette’s character, her age, beauty, mystery? Her smooth manner, navigating all channels? Her passion for Wenceslas, the scenes at home, her growing jealousies? Her satisfaction at his destruction? Her meeting with Jenny, designing the clothes, sharing their background, being Jenny’s confidante, also enabling Jenny to have the sex appeal by removing the piece of material from her dress? Her destruction of her victims while shaping their lives?

6. By the end of the film, what had Bette achieved, for herself, and her plans?

7. The household, Adeline and her lingering illness, her death? The money, her will? Hector and his life and style? Snobbery? Contempt for Bette? His spending the money, his mistresses, giving up Jenny, developing the infatuation, lavishing everything on her? The clashes with Crevel? The rivalry? His setting up Jenny, his discovery that he had no money, the collapse, in hospital?

8. Victorin, serious, his analysing the accounts, wanting to borrow?

9. Wenceslas, his background, illness, Bette helping him, his response? His art? Hortense, marrying her, the ceremony, Bette’s presence? The possibility of money? His being idle, the grant to do the sculpture, the block, doing nothing, eventually chipping away at the marble? The dedication, the old military presence, the condemnation, his failure? Infatuation with Jenny, going to the theatre, his infidelity? Jenny spurning him on advice from Bette? Hortense, her anger, killing her husband?

10. Jenny, her performances, the lyrics, the sex appeal, Bette in her clothes, the revelation – and the mockery with the girls dressed as nuns and then turning round? Bette and her exploiting her?

11. Crevel, his place in society, money, women, Jenny? Hector and his wanting to borrow? Crevel and his control? Wanting to marry Hortense?

12. The ultimate vengeance? The family ruined, Wenceslas dead, Hortense in jail?

13. The scenes of the oncoming revolution – memories of 1789, the barricades, and the attack on the wealthy and the bourgeoisie?