Cousin Bette

I was pleasantly surprised by Cousin Bette, a 1998 film directed by Des McAnuff, who is primarily a stage director. It pretty much sank like a stone upon release,  but I enjoyed its droll and mordant humor and cast.

Based on a novel by Balzac, Cousin Bette is one of those films that is heavy on corsets and scheming, and may remind one of Dangerous Liaisons. Set later than that film, in Paris just before the 1848 revolution, the film centers around an aristocratic family called the Hulots. The wife and mother, Geraldine Chaplin, is on her deathbed as the film begins, and she asks her cousin Bette (Jessica Lange) to make sure she takes care of her family after she's gone. Lange, who is a fortyish spinster and costumier at a theater, was given short shrift by the family, while Chaplin got everything. She intends to take care of the family through revenge.

Lange, who lives alone, has a crush on her upstairs neighbor, a penniless and starving sculptor (Aden Young). She nurses him to health and gives him money so he can work. She discusses him with Chaplin's daughter (Kelly Macdonald), who is intrigued by him. Macdonald ends up buying one of his statues, and the two meet and fall in love.

Meanwhile, the patriarch of the Hulots (Hugh Laurie) has spent the family into debt. He has a mistress, a singer at the theater where Lange works (Elisabeth Shue). Lange, befriending Shue, uses her and the richest man in Paris (Bob Hoskins) to spin her web of deceit and bring ruin upon the family.

This is a lot of fun, but in some ways is a little dry, especially comparing it to the much juicier Dangerous Liaisons. Lange, unnaturally dour, seems to be enjoying herself, and Shue is game playing a singer who can't really sing. I also enjoyed Laurie's performance.

The best part of the film is the script, by Lynn Seifert, that always manages to keep a devilish sense of humor about itself. This tone is set early on, when Chaplin remembers how Lange was mistreated: "Oh, how they beat you." Lange replies, "I really don't remember," while clearly lying and planning the destruction of Chaplin's family.

For those interested in costume dramas with a twist of malice, Cousin Bette is a pleasant way to spend two hours.