Tweekums This classic 1980s French film opens a week after handyman Zorg meets the beautiful nineteen year old Betty. He works restoring beach houses at somewhat rundown resort on the Mediterranean coast. In his spare time he has written a novel; Betty is convinced that it is a work of genius; he isn't so sure. It soon becomes apparent that Betty is more than a little unstable. After one particular incident they move to Paris and Betty types up Zorg's manuscript and starts sending it to publishers... it is clear that they are less impressed with it than she is but Zorg hides the rejection letters to avoid upsetting her. As the film progresses she becomes more and more unstable but Zorg still loves her.It is hard to categorise this film; it is sexy, it is funny but it is also tragic. The love between Zorg and Betty seems very real making it all the more tragic as it becomes obvious that rather than just being a bit wild she is gradually losing her sanity. This leads to violent outbursts against those who upset her. Thankfully the depressing aspects of the story are balanced out by some very funny moments. The opening scene makes it clear this film will not be for those put off by nudity as we see the protagonists having sex; both characters are seen naked regularly throughout the film. For the most part this is fairly matter of fact. The characters are fun to watch; not just Zorg and Betty but also the people they befriend during the film. The cast does a fine job, particularly Jean-Hughes Anglade and Beatrice Dalle as our protagonists Zorg and Betty. The version of the film I watched was the three hour long director's cut; I didn't feel I was watching such a long film though as I was enjoying the story so much.These comments are based on watching the film in French with English subtitles.

gavin6942 Zorg (Jean-Hugues Anglade) is a handyman working in France, maintaining and looking after the bungalows. He lives a quiet and peaceful life, working diligently and writing in his spare time. One day, Betty walks into his life, a young woman who is as beautiful as she is wild and unpredictable.Although the film is widely praised, it was "hated" by Roger Ebert, who sees it as nothing more than a film about the lead actress being naked a good deal of the time. He says that is the plot, and anyone who gets more out of it is missing the point. Many people apparently miss the point, as the film received both a BAFTA and Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 1986, as well as winning a César Award for Best Poster.Ebert exaggerates slightly, but I cannot completely disagree with him. For one thing, I am not a fan of explicit sex is movies as it never serves a purpose. But also, it just is not that interesting of a film. If people were not attracted to the scandalous nature of the film, it would probably not be a cult film today.

vstoskus Someone commented that she was "borderline." Nothing borderline about her. Straightjacket material early on, & the guy along with her to the back ward for thinking he could "fix" her. Shows how 2 unstable people getting together only multiply the problems for themselves & everyone they touch. Were we supposed to care for these 2? Huh? Well, yes, for the mental health system being sloppy enough to let them roam free & wild, a danger to themselves & everyone else. They needed intensive care from the get-go. "Pretentious" was accurate in another review. To drag this travesty out to 3 hours; yes, the director & the editor should both have gotten the pillow treatment as well.

gcd70 Writer-director Jean-Jacques Beineix's film follows the sad life of Betty and her lover Zorg. From the steamy beginning of their relationship to the bitter end, we share in their heartache. This story has tragedy written all over it."Betty Blue" fails to captivate though. In fact it only succeeds in repulsing due to the ugliness of the central character. Betty is such a crazy wench that you never know whom she might attack next. It is thus very hard to sympathise with her, or any other of the rather uninspiring characters.Having said this, Beatrice Dalle is superb as the severely disturbed Betty, and Jean Hughes-Anglade lends strong support as "writer" boyfriend Zorg. Additional cast add extra weight to the acting credentials. Cinematography from Jean-Francois Robin is top notch, as is the original music from Gabriel Yared which is just that, fresh and different. Beineix presents the production well, but is unable to win us over. Phillippe Djian's novel could be intriguing.Sunday, February 22, 1998 - Video