BETTY BLUE/ 37.2 LE MATIN

France, 1986, 180 minutes, Colour.
Jean- Jacques Anglade, Beatrice Dalle, Gerard Darmon, Consulo de Haviland, Clementine Celarie, Jacques Mathou, Vincent Lindon, Dominique Pinon.
Directed by Jean- Jacques Beineix.

Betty Blue became something of an instant cult classic in 1986 when it was first released. It received wide acclaim, award nominations including formal the Oscar for Foreign Language picture. It made the career of its star, Beatrice Dalle, who continued her career though her personal life was very erratic. The male star of the film, Jean- Jacques Anglade had a very successful career in French cinema.

The director’s cut is 180 minutes longer than the original 1986 version.

The film shows the rather ordinary lives of some ordinary people, the jobs, the relationships, the disappointments, the challenges. Anglade portrays Zorg, a man who was a plumber, has jobs as a truck driver, but has also a written manuscript kept in several boxes. He likes writing but is self-deprecating. He also loves words.

Into his life comes a very young woman, vivacious but erratic, Betty Blue. She moves in with Zorg, and the film shows a great deal of the intimate passionate relationship, erotic scenes, a great deal of frank nudity, but highlighting the ordinariness of this couple. They have mixed experiences, aggravated especially by Betty’ moods, outbursts, insulting people, finally setting fire to the house in which they live.

They move in with friends and all seems to be becoming normal. Betty discovers the manuscript, reads it all night, decides to type it and submit it to publishers, which she does. At first there are no responses, then negative responses, including one editor who is accosted at home by Betty who slashes his face, Zorg then discussing the issues with a sympathetic policeman and using standover tactics to get the editor to withdraw his charges.

They live with another couple who are friends, work in the pizza restaurant, moving south when the mother of the owner of the restaurant dies. She sold pianos and Betty and Zorg move in, selling some pianos, making friends with neighbours, and Betty discovering she is pregnant to Zorg’s delight. However, she finds that she is not really pregnant, goes into further depression, gouges out an eye, is in hospital – and Zorg, who cannot live without her, smothers her in the hospital. He continues his writings.

The film was directed by Jean- Jacques Beineix, who had made an impact with Diva and followed this with Moon in the Gutter. In his later career move towards making documentaries.

1. The titles? The alternate title, Betty Blue? Nominations, Oscar nomination, acclaim? Cult film?

2. The version of 1986, 120 minutes? The Director’s cut, 180 minutes? The favourable comments for the Director’s cut?

3. A French story, ordinary people, that lives, jobs, relationships? Borderline sanity? Repercussions? Tragedy?

4. The cast, in French cinema?

5. The opening, the sexual relationship, erotic, passion, nudity, frank ordinariness? The repetition of sexuality scenes and nudity throughout the film?

6. Zorg, his age, experience, truck driving, hard work, transport? Betty coming into his life, the relationship? Living in the house, the interiors, the rooms? His bosses? The issue of the painting of the houses? Betty helping? The prospects? Discovering his manuscript, his love for writing, his talk, vocabulary, and his work as a plumber?

7. Betty, her age, experience, pressures on her as a waitress, her leaving, the bosses? Moving in with Zorg, loving him? Imposing, in the house, her work? The former boss, the relationship, Zorg’s new boss, insults, the paint over his car, her moods?

8. The domestic sequences, meals, tidying, her unpredictability, the decision to leave, setting fire to the house?

9. Her reading the manuscript, her response, enthusiasm, the hard-work in typing the manuscript, packaging, posting, waiting for the responses?

10. Her friendship with Lisa? Moving in? Life with her? Eddie and Lisa as a couple? His work at the pizza house? Their work, waiting, Betty and her tantrums with the customers, making the pizza from the garbage and watching?

11. Waiting for the responses, Eddie and Zorg reading them, unfavourable? Betty finding out? Confronting the editor, her attacking him, the slash? Zorg going to the policeman, sympathetic, wanting his own work published, listening? The law? Zorg’s idea, confronting the editor, the standover tactics, withdrawing the complaint?

12. Eddie, his mother dying, driving to the town, the funeral, the shop for pianos, playing the piano?

13. The decision to stay, Zorg and Betty moving in, their friendship with Bob, his wife and the baby, the shop and the customers? The wife, her advances on Zorg? Bob trying to deal with the situations?

14. The day of the sale of the piano, attention, the sale? The second sale, the need for the truck, the machinery, driving, the policeman holding them up, Zorg and his discussions with the policeman, sympathetic?

15. Betty, believing she was pregnant, Zorg welcoming this, caring for her, tenderness, the test, and not being pregnant?

16. The depression, gouging out her eye, in the hospital, Zorg visiting, the doctors and the staff, his desperation, no prospects for her life, his smothering
her, for love?

17. Zorg, going back to his typewriter, his talent, writing, drawing on his experiences…?