Again, I've heard a lot about the alleged steaminess of this film and, after finally catching up with it, I certainly am not disappointed in this respect. Sure, there are a few longueurs during the 185 minutes it takes to unfold but how can one complain when its radiant star, Beatrice Dalle whose first film this was, is seen stark naked practically every five minutes?
Dalle is excellent as the alluring Betty, a manic depressive whose volatile relationship with her long-suffering boyfriend Zorg (Jean-Hugues Anglade) is put to the ultimate test when she discovers a long-forgotten manuscript penned by him many years ago and convinces him to do whatever it takes to get it published. As the film progresses, however, so does Betty's mental deterioration which involves, among others, child kidnapping (after a failed pregnancy test) and self-mutilation. But, even though the film takes a tragic turn in its latter stages, it is nonetheless full of the quirkiness and irony one has come to expect from the maker of DIVA (1981). Even Dominique Pinon makes an appearance here as a dopey drug-dealer who gets conned out of his own supply! Gabriel Yared's melancholic score, then, beautifully captures every nuance of Beineix's emotional, rambling but compelling narrative. When BETTY BLUE was originally released in the U.S., it was severely cut down to 120 minutes although this did not hinder it from getting nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign-Language Film!
Having now watched 3 films from this inventive film-maker - including the charming circus fantasy, ROSELYNE ET LES LIONS (1989) - I look forward to catching the rest of his filmography, especially LA LUNE DANS LES CANIVEAU (1983; with Gerard Depardieu and Nastassja Kinski), IP5: L'ILE AUX PACHYDERMES (1992; which was Yves Montand's last film) and MORTEL TRANSFERT (2001; again with Jean-Hugues Anglade).
Dalle is excellent as the alluring Betty, a manic depressive whose volatile relationship with her long-suffering boyfriend Zorg (Jean-Hugues Anglade) is put to the ultimate test when she discovers a long-forgotten manuscript penned by him many years ago and convinces him to do whatever it takes to get it published. As the film progresses, however, so does Betty's mental deterioration which involves, among others, child kidnapping (after a failed pregnancy test) and self-mutilation. But, even though the film takes a tragic turn in its latter stages, it is nonetheless full of the quirkiness and irony one has come to expect from the maker of DIVA (1981). Even Dominique Pinon makes an appearance here as a dopey drug-dealer who gets conned out of his own supply! Gabriel Yared's melancholic score, then, beautifully captures every nuance of Beineix's emotional, rambling but compelling narrative. When BETTY BLUE was originally released in the U.S., it was severely cut down to 120 minutes although this did not hinder it from getting nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign-Language Film!
Having now watched 3 films from this inventive film-maker - including the charming circus fantasy, ROSELYNE ET LES LIONS (1989) - I look forward to catching the rest of his filmography, especially LA LUNE DANS LES CANIVEAU (1983; with Gerard Depardieu and Nastassja Kinski), IP5: L'ILE AUX PACHYDERMES (1992; which was Yves Montand's last film) and MORTEL TRANSFERT (2001; again with Jean-Hugues Anglade).