June 22nd: BETTY BLUE (Jean-Jacques Beineix, 1986)
NOTE: This film will be projected in the high-definition Blu-ray format.
A lazy, beachdwelling handyman becomes involved in a passionate romance with a volatile woman.
Director Jean-Jacques Beineix was one of the key figures of the 1980s French film movement cinema du look (often termed derisively), known for highly-stylized visuals, bold colors, and young protagonists, alongside fellow filmmakers Luc Besson and Leos Carax. His debut feature, the thriller Diva, was a huge success at home and abroad. Its follow-up The Moon and the Gutter, was considered a critical and commercial flop, and sent Beineix into a tailspin.
Salvation came in the form of an advance copy of an upcoming novel by Philippe Dijan, and Beineix was quickly seduced by the idea of a film version. He quarreled with a producer over his stubborn insistence to cast an unknown in the role of Betty, and was vindicated by the arrival of newcomer
Béatrice Dalle, who had no previous screen credits and a feral, unpredictable demeanor to match her character.
Dalle was joined by Jean-Hugues Anglade (who had appeared in Besson's Subway), Dominique Pinon (Diva, Amélie), Gerard Darmon (Diva). Behind the camera was cinematographer Jean-François Robin, who initially shot the film in the cool tones of Beineix's previous two features, and soon convinced the director to go with a warmer, "Kodachrome" look.
The film was shot on location in the Aude region on the southwestern coast of France, Marseilles, and Val-de-Marne outside Paris. The spirits of the traveling crew were light and familial, despite Dalle's occasional obstinance, with the two lead actors becoming involved off-screen like their fictional counterparts. The musical score by Gabriel Yared (The English Patient) was mostly written before filming, and helped to influence the atmosphere of the shooting.
During the editing process, Beineix whittled down his 3-hour cut down to 2 hours, perhaps wary of another failure. The original title of 37.2 º dans le Matin (referring to body temperature in Celsius) was changed to Betty Blue for release outside France. The striking poster and Dalle's instantly iconic performance helped to make it one of the year's top-grossing films, and it received 9 César nominations including Best Film, Actor, Actress, Director, and Music.
Overseas, it received honors at the Seattle and Montreal film festivals, and was France's annual submission to the Academy Awards, winding up a finalist with an Oscar nomination. After its success, Beineix went back to restore the scenes he had originally removed, and this longer cut is his preferred version.
Running time is 3 hrs.
A lazy, beachdwelling handyman becomes involved in a passionate romance with a volatile woman.
Director Jean-Jacques Beineix was one of the key figures of the 1980s French film movement cinema du look (often termed derisively), known for highly-stylized visuals, bold colors, and young protagonists, alongside fellow filmmakers Luc Besson and Leos Carax. His debut feature, the thriller Diva, was a huge success at home and abroad. Its follow-up The Moon and the Gutter, was considered a critical and commercial flop, and sent Beineix into a tailspin.
Salvation came in the form of an advance copy of an upcoming novel by Philippe Dijan, and Beineix was quickly seduced by the idea of a film version. He quarreled with a producer over his stubborn insistence to cast an unknown in the role of Betty, and was vindicated by the arrival of newcomer
Béatrice Dalle, who had no previous screen credits and a feral, unpredictable demeanor to match her character.
Dalle was joined by Jean-Hugues Anglade (who had appeared in Besson's Subway), Dominique Pinon (Diva, Amélie), Gerard Darmon (Diva). Behind the camera was cinematographer Jean-François Robin, who initially shot the film in the cool tones of Beineix's previous two features, and soon convinced the director to go with a warmer, "Kodachrome" look.
During the editing process, Beineix whittled down his 3-hour cut down to 2 hours, perhaps wary of another failure. The original title of 37.2 º dans le Matin (referring to body temperature in Celsius) was changed to Betty Blue for release outside France. The striking poster and Dalle's instantly iconic performance helped to make it one of the year's top-grossing films, and it received 9 César nominations including Best Film, Actor, Actress, Director, and Music.
Overseas, it received honors at the Seattle and Montreal film festivals, and was France's annual submission to the Academy Awards, winding up a finalist with an Oscar nomination. After its success, Beineix went back to restore the scenes he had originally removed, and this longer cut is his preferred version.
Running time is 3 hrs.
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