Synopsis

In 1840s Paris, impoverished seamstress Bette Hulot is repeatedly humiliated by her prosperous relatives. After the family takes away the young sculptor she loves, years of resentment harden into a calculated campaign of revenge. Using secrets, seduction, and the weaknesses of the Hulot household, Bette turns the family's vanity and infidelity against them.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is loosely based on Honore de Balzac's 1846 novel, part of his vast literary cycle La Comedie humaine.

• Lynn Siefert and Susan Tarr substantially condensed Balzac's sprawling narrative for the screen. Their adaptation also removes Valerie Marneffe, one of the novel's central characters.

• The screenplay takes a more overtly modern and comic approach than the source novel, emphasizing Bette's revenge as a dark comedy of manners.

• Cousin Bette was released in the United States on June 12, 1998, by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

• Principal filming took place in Bordeaux, France, helping provide the period locations for the Paris-set story.

• The production runs approximately 108 minutes and was photographed in the widescreen 2.35:1 format.

• The film received mixed critical notices on release, with reviewers divided over its stylized combination of period drama, satire, and contemporary sexual humor.