Thora Birch Birch appeared in the fantasy comedy "Hocus Pocus" (1993) at the age of 10, opposite Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker. The film saw her play the younger sister of a teenage boy who inadvertently resurrects a villainous trio of witches. "Hocus Pocus" rated average with reviewers and made a modest US$39 million in the US, but became a cult film due to strong DVD sales and large television following. In the 1994 comedy "Monkey Trouble", Birch portrayed a girl who adopts a Capuchin monkey trained to pick pockets and burglarize houses. The movie had a mixed reception,
Cousin Bette celebrated by naturalist writers Émile Zola and Hippolyte Taine. Balzac's novel has been adapted several times for the screen. The first was in 1928, when French filmmaker Max DeRieux directed Alice Tissot in the title role. Margaret Tyzack played the role of Bette in the five part serial "Cousin Bette" made in 1971 by the BBC, which also starred Helen Mirren as Valérie Marneffe. The film "Cousin Bette" was released in 1998, directed by Des McAnuff. Jessica Lange starred in the title role, joined by Bob Hoskins as Crevel, and Elisabeth Shue as the singer Jenny Cadine. Screenwriters Lynn Siefert