Billed on the boxcover as an "erotic romance", this is one of the most sumptuously mounted out-of-costume dramas you're likely to see in quite a while. Imagine the film Gigi (actually based - loosely-- on the same story) by way of Henry and June-- decadence and bisexuality in the city of eternal passion.

Brandauer plays Willy, a Parisian publisher who covets Gabrielle Colette (radiant Mathilda May) the daughter of one of his country-dwelling authors. Faster than you can say "naive waif flowering into womanhood", he charms the girl and whisks her away to the Big Croissant, where absinthe and amour are synonymous.

Naturally, her paramour proves to be a duplicitous dog who carries on with Polaire (Virginia Madsen), while sinking heavily into debt. When Gabrielle shows a hidden talent for writing erotic literature, Willy seizes the opportunity and puts his own name on the fiction. The profits from the popular books are plowed back into lavish parties hosted by Polaire.

Lesbian deflowering is always better in softcore, and Madson nearly steals the show as the hoydenish seductress. The scene where she and May shotgun a hit of opium-- smoke sensuously drifting between their lips, a prelude to a kiss-- is one of the most sensual encounters of its kind.

Tasteful is the word for Becoming Colette-- perhaps too tasteful for the average softcore crowd. Viewers requiring "X" number of seduction scenes per minute will be disappointed, but Madsen and May do bare their boobs at the essential moments.

For the art crowd, the story is unchallenging-- the plot breaks hymens but no new ground. As Gabrielle outgrows Willy, he becomes a moody, shameless philanderer. Her triumph is bittersweet. At the Publisher's meeting, Willy exposes his own fraudulence by distributing the latest novel, unaware that Gabrielle has submitted and empty sheath of papers.

Directed by Danny Huston (John's son), Becoming Colette is a triumph of craftsmanship -- locales, costumes, and acting are all top-notch. Recommended mainly for movie lovers.