Wonderful Dark Cabaret & Naughty Comedy
Added 1/26/2010
Being a Jessica Lange fan, I'm surprised this film went under the radar until a few days ago. Jessica L. may at first seem somewhat miscast in this move that revolves around her chracter's plot to wreck havoc on those who shabbily treated her because she was an insignificant in their eyes. It's not so much the make-up & dawdy clothes that make the actress' role believable, but Lange herself. She projects a dual characterization. On the surface she is soft & somewhat withdrawn--but just below, a burning tension & sexual frustration.
The plot was interesting, reminding me of DANGEROUS LIASONS.
What really made the movie above average for me (as well as Jessica L.,of course)were the dark cabaret scenes featuring Elisabeth Shue. I read one review that expressed dissatisfaction in Shue's singing, but I saw it very differently. Here was a woman who in every way lived by her not insignificant charms. It's natural that she would be featured on the public stage more for her beauty than her singing. I thought she was perfect.
Shue & Lange worked well together.
Why, oh, why do people take comedies so seriously?
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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I had already seen this movie on cable. It is a dark, funny movie. Good for when you want to sit with the girls and talk through a movie. Gets the gossip going. Fun!
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Cousin Bette
Added 1/29/2009
A marvellously interwoven plan of subtle revenge. Beware how you treat your poor relations.Jessica Lange was a supposedly helpful character
but so conniving at the same time, a magnificent performance. Also Bob Hoskins and Hugh Laurie were excellent and Elizabeth Shue played her role to perfection.I couldn't warm to Aden Young, something was lacking.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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A woman scorned
Added 10/24/2008
Balzac's novel about jealousy and revenge is set in Paris, in 1846, and concerns Baron Hulot, his daughter, and his deceased wife's cousin, Bette. Bette was always the plain one, the dependable workhorse who lived in the shadow of her prettier, more favored cousin. A lowly theatre seamstress, Bette had hoped to marry the Baron, but now she's pining for the handsome young sculptor who lives in the apartment upstairs.
This movie could have been great with a little more effort; instead, it's soap opera stuff and not very good soap at that. Jessica Lange plays the homely spinster Bette and does a good job, but her American accent destroys any illusion that we are in France. Hugh Laurie (House, M.D.) is very likeable as the snobbish and sensuous Baron; too bad he didn't try a French accent, either. Elizabeth Shue plays a singer who captures the hearts of both the Baron and the sculptor; she's really miscast with her Midwestern twang and off-putting crudeness.
The costumes and sets are lavish and the French locations are beautiful, but the script is too convoluted and it isn't sure if it's a comedy or drama. The whole thing lacks any semblance of class, so what should have been a classic is merely forgettable.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Scriptwriters skimmed the cliff notes
Added 7/17/2008
This clunky and confusing adaptation should not be called "Cousin Bette", as the scriptwriters have made Balzac's novel unrecognizable. Buy this movie only if you are interested in the actors, as, to echo another reviewer, this is a complete mess. To try to put a 500 page novel into a movie of 108 minutes seems to me to be an impossible task, and this sham of a movie is a glaring example of the kind of garbage that gets produced presumably because of a lack of good original scripts, as opposed to faithful adaptations that are conscientiously produced to try and give a great work of literature a worthy screen treatment. After struggling through this film, I was left wondering if the director, producers, or scriptwriters had even read the book at all. Examples include taking out two major, major characters from the story (Adeline Hulot and Madame Marneffe), and replacing the Marneffe character with Jenny Cadine, presumably because Cadine's job as a singer is more interesting to film in the eyes of the producers than Marneffe's role as a courtesan - one major problem with this is that Elisabeth Shue is not a good singer and her scenes on stage are truly awkward. The film's focus is also completely misaligned with that of the novel, where Madame Marneffe is pulling the strings for the majority of it and is an incredibly cunning and strong character, while Bette waits in the wings patiently for her opportunities. In the movie, Jenny Cadine is weak and almost absurd in her vanity, while Balzac's Madame Marneffe has uncommon charm, beauty and intelligence which all the men who encounter her find irresistible. While movie adaptations can never be completely faithful to the novels from which they are based, I think there should be an attempt to capture the spirit of a novel, and an attempt to stick to major plot points and not invent new ones. (Which this does as well). Otherwise give it another title and say "inspired by" or "loosely based upon".
Don't waste your time or money on this.
1 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Wonderful Dark Cabaret & Naughty Comedy
Added 1/26/2010
Being a Jessica Lange fan, I'm surprised this film went under the radar until a few days ago. Jessica L. may at first seem somewhat miscast in this move that revolves around her chracter's plot to wreck havoc on those who shabbily treated her because she was an insignificant in their eyes. It's not so much the make-up & dawdy clothes that make the actress' role believable, but Lange herself. She projects a dual characterization. On the surface she is soft & somewhat withdrawn--but just below, a burning tension & sexual frustration.
The plot was interesting, reminding me of DANGEROUS LIASONS.
What really made the movie above average for me (as well as Jessica L.,of course)were the dark cabaret scenes featuring Elisabeth Shue. I read one review that expressed dissatisfaction in Shue's singing, but I saw it very differently. Here was a woman who in every way lived by her not insignificant charms. It's natural that she would be featured on the public stage more for her beauty than her singing. I thought she was perfect.
Shue & Lange worked well together.
Why, oh, why do people take comedies so seriously?
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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I had already seen this movie on cable. It is a dark, funny movie. Good for when you want to sit with the girls and talk through a movie. Gets the gossip going. Fun!
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Cousin Bette
Added 1/29/2009
A marvellously interwoven plan of subtle revenge. Beware how you treat your poor relations.Jessica Lange was a supposedly helpful character
but so conniving at the same time, a magnificent performance. Also Bob Hoskins and Hugh Laurie were excellent and Elizabeth Shue played her role to perfection.I couldn't warm to Aden Young, something was lacking.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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