Betty - DaaVeeDee

Betty (DVD) (*)

~~$20.99~~ $14.97

Screened, competed or awarded at:
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Subtitles )
French ( Mono )

Product Origin/Format:
France ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
99 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.66:1)

Special Features:
Commentary
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 1992 and produced in:
France ( France, Benelux )

Directed By:
Claude Chabrol

Written By:
Claude Chabrol
Georges Simenon (novel)

Actors:
Marie Trintignant ..... Betty Etamble
Stéphane Audran ..... Laure
Jean-François Garreaud ..... Mario
Yves Lambrecht ..... Guy Etamble
Christiane Minazzoli ..... Madame Etamble
Pierre Vernier ..... Le médecin
Nathalie Kousnetzoff ..... Odile
Pierre Martot ..... Frédéric
Thomas Chabrol ..... Schwartz
Yves Verhoeven ..... Philippe
Mélanie Blatt ..... Thérèse

Synopsis:

More than once, Claude Chabrol's films have explored nuances of good and bad within the same characters, keeping the audience guessing as to where the protagonists stand. If his point is that they don't have easily defined moral positions, Betty is certainly a successful and piquant character study, though one that might not be enjoyed by viewers who find it difficult to watch films revolving around unsympathetic characters. Foremost among those here is Marie Trintignant in the title role, and while she spends much of the movie in a bedraggled, drunken state, the back-and-forth flashbacks also make clear that she was at other times in her life a passionate, promiscuous lover, a bored affluent housewife, and a naïve schoolgirl. At first, we do feel for Betty, cast out almost literally into the rain by a cold aristocratic family, rescued from further dissolution by a seemingly benevolent older protector, Laure (the coolly elegant and decadent Stéphane Audran). Yet they've almost switched roles by the end of the film, in a transition so subtle it might take you by surprise almost as much as it does Laure. The lines between pitiful victim and knowing bird of prey blur so much that the audience might feel as deceived by Betty's act as those around her are, though Chabrol also makes clear that others share some blame in driving her behavior. The fuzzily divided flashbacks do take a long time to unfold the incidents in the past that have driven Betty to her present state. But patient viewers are rewarded with an interesting portrait of psychological dysfunction, and one that's well-paced and finely acted despite the movie's nonlinear structure.

Adapted from a novel by Georges Simenon, Betty stars Marie Trintignant in the title role. A drunken wastrel, Betty is adopted after a fashion by an older female alcoholic named Laure, played by director Claude Chabrol's wife at the time, Stéphane Audran. Fascinated by Betty's hard-luck tales, Laure endeavors to protect the younger woman from the ravages of a cruel world. Unfortunately, she turns a blind eye to Betty's larcenous streak, which manifests itself at the worst possible moments. This tale of a irredeemable ne'er-do-well is fleshed out by a flashback-flashforward technique that some observers found confusing and distracting.

When Betty is caught en flagrante, her bourgeois in-laws and husband force a divorce settlement upon her and bar her from seeing her two daughters. She is rescued from an alcoholic stupor by Laure, a middle-aged woman who takes Betty to her hotel lodgings, extends friendship and care, and listens to her story. Laure's lover, Mario, the proprietor of the bar where Betty and Laure met, is first a friend, then Betty's next conquest.

This product was added to our catalog on Thursday 13 July, 2006.

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