I saw a couple of episodes of Cousin Bette in the early 70's on a cheap b/w TV, and now the chance has come to see it again digitally restored and in colour. What splendid entertainment it is. The sets and costumes are not out of the top drawer, and the lighting is occasionally wayward, but the performances are excellent, especially those of Margaret Tyzack as Bette and Helen Mirren as Valerie. The melodrama which is essential to most Balzac stories is given its full value here: there is even a professional poisoner to whom one character has recourse in a desperate moment.
The secondary roles are well filled. Oscar Quitak, looking like Ian Holm in a villainous part, is good as Marneffe, the man who rises in the world by renting out his beautiful wife. Thorley Walters, John Bryans and Edward de Souza are the three men who can't get enough of the lovely Valerie. Walters is fascinating as the man whose sexual drive has catastrophic consequences for his family.
The secondary roles are well filled. Oscar Quitak, looking like Ian Holm in a villainous part, is good as Marneffe, the man who rises in the world by renting out his beautiful wife. Thorley Walters, John Bryans and Edward de Souza are the three men who can't get enough of the lovely Valerie. Walters is fascinating as the man whose sexual drive has catastrophic consequences for his family.