Betty Blue

Zorg, a handyman living in a rundown French seaside resort, has written (and nearly forgotten) an unpublished, unsubmitted novel. Going nowhere fast, he lacks the initiative to achieve anything beyond a mere subsistence. Enter Betty: a fiery, dark-haired beauty who will lovingly cook a meal one moment, and toss everything but the kitchen sink through the window the next. Or throw a can of pink paint over the boss' sports car. Or rake a metal comb across an unenlightened publisher's face. Betty, you see, has decided that Zorg is a genius, and though her behavior would not pass muster with Miss Manners, we admire her for her fierce, if rather antisocial, loyalty bred of love. That's the theme, in a nutshell; and the plot basically serves to move Betty and Zorg from one job to another. Betty Blue has the same penchant for eccentric characters that marked director Beineix's two earlier films (the smash hit Diva, and the disastrous Moon in the Gutter). Unlike those previous films, however, the leads in Betty Blue--superbly played by first-time actress Bea trice Dalle and Jean-Hugues Anglade--are obsessed with each other. Handled badly, an obsessive love story like Betty and Zorg's could have left viewers feeling claustrophobic or empty (recall the lifeless DeNiro/Streep vehicle Falling in Love). But, in Betty Blue, the vibrant sights, sounds, and colors of young lovers grappling with healthy bodies and damaged psyches is unreservedly shared. This uninhibited look at love's creative aspects as well as its potential for destruction will shock and embarrass some; others will be grateful for the glimpse into the abyss--safely. Sure to be a controversial film, the Oscar-nominated Betty Blue is, nevertheless, highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [DVD Review--October 5, 2004--Columbia TriStar, 185 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, $24.95--Making its debut on DVD in an extended edition, Jean-Jacques Beineix's 1986 Betty Blue: Unrated Director's Cut bows on an extra-less disc that sports an anamorphic widescreen transfer with minor but disappointing flaws (some grain and scratches) and Dolby Digital surround audio. Bottom line: enjoying something of a cult following, demand for the DVD release of Betty Blue should be high, especially since this extended version--previously unavailable--is nearly a whole hour longer, nicely fleshing out Betty's gradual descent into madness. Highly recommended.] [DVD Review—Dec. 8, 2009—Cinema Libre, 185 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, $24.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD, 1986's Betty Blue sports a nice transfer. DVD extras include audio commentary by director Jean-Jacques Beineix, an interview with Beineix by MovieMaker magazine publisher Tim Rhys (18 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an excellent foreign film.] [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Dec. 17, 2019—Criterion, 185 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: 2 discs, $29.95; Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 1986’s Betty Blue features a great transfer with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray release of the full-length director’s cut. Extras include a 'Blue Notes and Bungalows' making-of documentary (65 min.), director Jean-Jacques Beineix’s 1977 short film 'Le chien de Monsieur Michel' (16 min.), a 'making-of' featurette (13 min.), a 1986 segment from a French TV program with Beineix and star Béatrice Dalle (8 min.), a screen test with Dalle (8 min.), and an essay by critic Chelsea Phillips-Carr. Bottom line: a contemporary edgy romantic classic sparkles in this handsome Criterion edition.]