Betty Blue

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However, as Betty becomes more unstable and begins her descent into insanity, this rage is increasingly turned inward into self-punishing and self-mutilating actions. Adapted from the hit novel 37°2 le matin by Philippe Djian, Jean-Jacques Beineix’s art-house smash—presented here in its extended director’s cut—is a sexy, crazy, careening joyride of a romance that burns with the passion and beyond-reason fervor of all-consuming love. My friend says he thinks the whole movie is in Zorg's mind, and the boiling pot at the beginning and the end brings the story together for this point.

We explore what makes a record, what makes a song and what they mean to the bands and artists that created them. Betty is both passionate and unstable, almost childlike, and initially it is outsiders who bear the brunt of her anger - the piggish owner of the seaside bungalows, for example, or the playboy publisher who rejects Zorg's novel. If you've ever owned a cat, you'll know that they like to sleep a lot, eat a lot, and brush up against your ankles when they're hungry. True it has one or two sex scenes too many -- as I hinted before -- but it is sex that means something and is about something.It certainly became ‘the thing’ for me, and it just sat there, growling, like a big black dog in the corner. Laying the foundation fellow Cinéma Du Look auteur Leos Carax would build on for his epic The Lovers on the Bridge, (1991-also reviewed) Beineix paints a sprawling romance atmosphere. It's also interesting for those approaching the film as art because Jean-Jacques Beineix and Robin plainly had a surfeit of visual ideas - all elegantly realised - that they couldn't fit into the original cut. As far as Betty Blue Eyes goes, the Second World War might be over, but rationing was still in force (rather vigorously, as this show would have it), and so people queued for their foodstuffs, with no guarantee they would actually be able to get what they were after.

By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. The loss of hope, a loss of something she never had, and the constant pressure of having to live up to men’s expectations pushed her over the edge.

Beautifully shot with amazing colours, quirky characterization, excellent acting and imaginative direction this movie is a delight for all of its 185 minutes (the director's cut is the one to go for).

The book works because it tells of a great but disturbed passion – the French have an excellent expression for it – amour fou which translates as mad love– and it works splendidly because of Djian’s wit, because he never lets the action flag and because Betty is such a wonderful literary creation. This movie sums up, for me, France; the geography (from the beaches of the Riviera to the streets of Paris)and the people (between Betty's neurotic femininity and Zorg's sullen ennui). Web icon An illustration of a computer application window Wayback Machine Texts icon An illustration of an open book. BETTY BLUE, the first of his books to be translated into English, was the basis for the award-winning film by Jean-Jacques Beineix. Richard Eyre has put together a fine, National Theatre-quality supporting cast, notably Ann Emery as Mother Dear.

The famous Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gives this low marks -- citing too much flesh being on display (among other faults) -- and this is sad given that he gave Kill Bill Part One top marks. To see someone you love violently erode away is painful and Robins' beautiful camera work with the slow tracking makes the visual experience stimulating.

But dip your toes in the water, and you will see that this film is a spectacle of beauty, passion, and obsession—ending with madness and sadness. The following day she is still angry at him because he doesn’t stand up for himself and throws several storing boxes out of the window. The opening sex scene between Betty and Zorg is filmed in one long shot: one angle slowly moving closer to their naked bodies, from the initial throes of passion to climax. This film certainly reflects the challenges women face, the expectations men lay upon them to act a certain way, and the double standards still widely applied to women across the world.The entire story of Betty Blue is told from the perspective of a first-person narrator who is at the same time the male protagonist. And he does so in the fashion of "Moulin Rouge" and "Lolita" by largely making it up, or effectively so. Even with this fresh start, a beautiful home and employment gifted to them, Zorg’s book still isn’t being published, and she cannot rest. And what you have here is a stunning film of love and acceptance of a strong life force entering a dull life and making that life realize that there WAS more to life than what he was living.