Disc Reviews
Betty Blue Blu-Ray Review
Second Sight have a premium release for you this month with the long awaited deluxe edition of Jean-Jacques Beineix’ masterpiece ‘Betty Blue’ (1986). A long time favourite with art house and mainstream fans alike, this French modern classic has long deserved a more focused and detailed release for its legion of fans. ‘Betty Blue’ is the story of the passionate relationship between a vulnerable, volatile and self-destructive young woman and a would be writer from its vital and erotic beginnings to its tragic and shocking end. It is a beautiful, sensitive and sensuous piece of brave film-making well worth a look. The cinematography is to die for and the handling of the subject matter is courageous, direct and refreshing. It made Beatrice Dalle a star, and rightly so. The quality of the print in both versions available here is excellent as is the sound, bringing the full mastery of the classic Gabriel Yared soundtrack to the fore.
The set consists of two discs, the first containing a choice of the Original theatrical release or Director’s cut and the option of subtitles. For once, it is well worth having both versions available, as the Director’s cut includes a full extra hour of footage (taking the running time close to three hours) and really goes into depth with Betty, charting more fully the nature of her mental health and letting her decline develop more naturally. However, having viewed both versions side by side I do personally prefer the original, as the pacing is better and it is therefore a more intense experience. I would certainly recommend this version first, and then a later delve into the Director’s cut for fans who want to travel deeper into the narrative.
The second disc comprises the extras, a Second Sight produced documentary, ‘The making of Betty Blue’ and the screen tests of lead actress Beatrice Dalle. Whilst these are great, I was a little disappointed that they did not use the opportunity to include more in depth extras such as a commentary by the actors and/or director, a special feature on the music (which certainly deserves more coverage) and perhaps a feature on the locations or the original novel and author. The documentary that is included here is a bit of everything, but as such suffers from being over long and tedious in parts if the focus shifts to something you are not interested in. Separate features, in more depth, would have been better. That said, it did enhance my enjoyment of the film and was well produced and carefully considered. The screen tests are a nice addition and show clearly how captivating and charming Dalle was at the time. A nice touch.
As a package, I would highly recommend this release as it is a fantastic film and the quality of the prints is superb. Despite the somewhat disappointing extras, they still add a lot to your experience and are well worth a watch for fans.
Claire Hyypiä