Check out our gallery of Emmy nominees in the leading and supporting acting categories in real life and in character.
Related lists from IMDb users
Title: Alias Betty (2001)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Sandrine Kiberlain | ... | Betty Fisher | |
| Nicole Garcia | ... | Margot Fisher | |
| Mathilde Seigner | ... | Carole Novacki | |
| Luck Mervil | ... | François Diembele | |
| Edouard Baer | ... | Alex Basato (as Édouard Baer) | |
| Stéphane Freiss | ... | Edouard | |
| Yves Jacques | ... | René the Canadian | |
| Roschdy Zem | ... | Dr. Jerome Castang | |
 |
Consuelo De Haviland | ... | Madame Barsky |
|
|
Yves Verhoeven | ... | Martinaud |
|
|
Annie Mercier | ... | Jacqueline |
|
|
Alexis Chatrian | ... | Jose Novacki |
|
|
Enzo Crebessegues | ... | Child |
|
|
Arthur Setbon | ... | Joseph Fisher |
|
|
Réva Rothstein | ... | Child |
Grieving after the death of her young son Joseph, novelist Betty Fisher enters a dark depression. Hoping to bring her out of it, her mother Margot arranges to kidnap another child, Jose, to replace the son Betty lost. Although she knows it's wrong, Betty accepts Jose as her new son. Meanwhile, Jose's mother Carole is looking for her son with the help of her boyfriend Francois and some of his criminal cohorts. Written by Sujit R. Varma
Looking for some great streaming picks? Check out some of the IMDb editors' favorites movies and shows to round out your Watchlist.
I can now understand why authors feel leery about letting screenwriters adapt a novel. First of all, a full length novel doesn't translate well to the screen. There are too many nuances and too many details, that trying to do them all, will humble the most talented scribe.
Take the case of the novel in which this film is based. The Tree of Hands by the magnificent British master of suspense, Ruth Rendell. The adaptation has nothing to do with the brilliant narrative she gave us with this novel. If anyone wants to see the best adaptation of a Rendell book, I would recommend to see Claude Chabrol's, "La Ceremonie".
Not only was that a superior film, but it reveals the essence of the book with little effort.
The problem with "Alias Betty" is Mr Miller's scenario. He has changed the basic premise of the book into something else. Now, don't get me wrong, it is a better film than some of the mediocrity coming from France lately.
The big problem is with the character of the mother. Nicole Garcia is out of her range here. Not only that, one never understands what's wrong with her, even though she appears to be schizophrenic. She's a loose cannon up to no good. In the novel she's even more so.
Betty is ambiguously played by Sandrine Kiberlain, which in a way, suits the character better. She is the only sane person around, even though she is unable to control the mother.
The minor side plots add to the story, but everything at the end is resolved so easily that one wonders if anything like that is possible in life. The films end in an upbeat note, even though it has nothing to do with the original novel.