Deception, Treachery and Revenge
Mlle Elisabeth "Bette" Fisher (Jessica Lange), a theatre seamstress, made many sacrifices in her life to assure that one female in her family "married well and successfully." When the Baroness Hulet (Geraldine Chaplin) summons Bette to her deathbed, Cousin Bette agrees to take care of the Baroness' family "as they deserve to be taken care of."
Bette assumes she will be married to the dashing Baron Hector Hulot (Hugh Laurie) but discovers instead that he wants her to be the housekeeper and surrogate mother to his nearly adult daughter, Hortense (Kelly Macdonald). Bitter Bette, however, continues with her seamstress work but becomes frequent companion to Hortense and hopes to share in the Baron's wealth.
Bette seeks to prove to Hortense that she is not a lonely spinster by telling Hortense of her young lover, Count Wenceslas Steinbach (Adan Young) who is actually a starving artist who lives in Bette's shabby apartment building in the theatre district. Bette literally saved his life, nourished him, nurtured him, and loaned him money so he could persue his sculpting.
Meanwhile, Bette discovers that the Baron has squandered his wealth on his constant affairs, the most recent of which is with the lovely actress and famed courtesan Jenny Cadine (Elisabeth Shue). Seeking to gain wealth again, the Baron looks to marry off Hortense to a rich man.
In the course of this process, the lustful, middle-aged Cesar Crevel (Bob Hoskins), the wealthiest man in Paris, desperately tries to woo Hortense into marriage -- or at least have her agree to let him see her naked for a very large sum of money. But Hortense doesn't want this leacherous man; she's decided she wants Cousin Bette's young lover instead.
As the years pass leading up to the French Revolution, it's time for Cousin Bette's sweet revenge!
This is an ambitious and truly funny film with a fabulous soundtrack with original music by Simon Boswell and excerpts from Vincenzo Bellini's opera "Adelson e Salvini."
Terrific direction by Des McAnuff. Based on a timeless novel by Honoré de Balzac.
Rated R for sexuality.
My personal rating: A-
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