La cousine Bette

The appeal of the Honoré de Balzac original as a subject for film adaptation is hard to fathom. This grim late silent French version is a remarkably ugly production even with it's giggle worthy moments. The glamorous Josepha is particularly grotesque.

Poor Alice Tissot wreaks her vengeance on the relatives who have deprived and marginalised her at great length. The odd Paris location intrudes into the ponderous studio simulations. There is money on the screen but none of it seems to have been well spent.