On B List of Movie Reviews
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The Betsy (1978)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
2/15, 1/25
2/15:
It's a surprise that many reviewers thought of The Betsy as a laughable, trashy soap opera.
On the contrary, I've found it to be a well-directed masterpiece, touching a lot of topics: incest, greed, adultery,
two-faced characters, homosexuality, murder, and selfish motives. Reminding me of
The Godfather Part III,
the intricate dealings of an automotive empire are deep. How keen is the fact that Daniel Petrie put all
the information together smoothly to tell a complicated story.
Additional pluses are The Great Gatsby-like garb, the rich in/exterior sets,
and the opulence. Thanks to the terrific acting, everybody is able to put in his or her two cents to advance the
plot. Several incestuous twists and turns are wild, marking the downfall of an automobile magnate's family.
At his villainous best with twinkling eyes, Laurence Olivier is delicious as the evil Wizard of Oz. Tommy Jones is
handsome while turning in one of the best performances of his career. Lesley-Anne Down is hot in a mild Joan
Collins way, hence the comparisons to Dynasty and Dallas. Robert Duvall has trunks for legs below
his tennis shorts, and Kathleen Beller bares all by going for a skinny dip.
All in all, The Betsy has to be seen.
1/25:
Reminding me of The Godfather Part III, The Betsy is
90% solid and the best film about an automobile magnate family.
Wealth, power, class, sex, and ruthlessness are the name of the game with some incest thrown in. Of course, it's
all trash. The film just needs to be converted into a miniseries to reach the epic territory. Laurence
Olivier steals the show. Tommy Lee Jones is terrific with nice supporting performances by Kathleen Beller,
Lesley-Anne Down, Robert Duvall, Jane Alexander, and Katharine Ross.
All in all, The Betsy consistently gets bad reviews, and they're completely undeserving.