Betty Blue was a late 80s French student/ arthouse favourite, the story of Betty played by Beatrice Dalle and Zorg (Jean Hugues- Anglade). Beatrice Dalle was, let's face it, a major part of the film's attraction...
In the film, directed by Jean- Jacques Beineix, Betty meets Zorg, a struggling writer, at his wooden beach house on the Mediterranean coast. The film depicts Betty as wild, passionate, and impulsive- the opening three minutes of the film is a long shot of the two having sex in uncomfortable close up. Not long after she burns the beach shack down following an argument with the landlord. Later on she smashes up the apartment they live in. They move to the outskirts of Paris and Betty spirals into poor mental health. I'm not sure that the depiction of Betty's health, her treatment or Zorg's response is particularly sympathetic and doesn't hold up that well to 21st century eyes but films are a product of their times and the people, that made them. It made a star out of Beatrice.
In France the film was titled 37.2 Le Matin. The soundtrack is a work of joy, written and played by Gabriel Yared and released in 1988. These three pieces from it will add a certain ambient/ Gallic/ piano and woodwind flair to your matin...
