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Amour fou, translated as "crazy love" is one of the most cherished and time-honored of cinematic conventions-the notion that two people can love each other with such overwhelming passion that it destroys not only the lovers in question but anyone who happens to get in the way of their romance. Though a universal concept, no one does it on-screen better than the French and one of the greatest, maddest examples of the genre was 1986’s "Betty Blue", which became an international sensation upon its initial release and still packs a mighty wallop because of its take-no-prisoners attitude and sizzling erotic content. Both are amply represented in the title character (Beatrice Dalle in her film debut), an intense young woman who, has begun an affair with struggling handyman Zorg (Jean-Hughes Anglade). When she discovers a manuscript written by Zorg, she becomes convinced that he is a great writer (which even he doubts) and determines to get the book published. Zorg soon begins to realize that Betty is not quite right-she flies into rages at the drop of a hat and is more than willing to settle an argument by plunging a fork into someone’s arm-and that the obsessive nature that he fell for in the first place is also the thing that could destroy them both.

"Betty Blue" is, of course, overheated nonsense from its justifiably infamous opening shot (which graphically depicts Betty and Zorg in the throes of passion for two minutes before a word is spoken) to the deliriously over-the-top finale. And yet, somehow it works as more than just an excuse to have Beatrice Dalle prancing around naked (not that there is anything wrong with that) because of the fierce energy and offbeat humor that director Jean-Jacques Beineix has brought to the material; he knows that the only way to approach such a film is to fully embrace it without apologies or restraint. He also lucked out in finding the perfect person to play his lead. On paper, Betty is the kind of character that would seem impossible to play-she has to somehow convincingly veer from being sweet and good-natured to a violent monster at the drop of her underwear-but Dalle somehow manages to embrace all the different aspects of her and is able to shift from one extreme to the other with frightening ease. In a way, her performance reminds me a bit of Kate Winslet’s work in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"; both characters can be unpleasant and unpredictable but even at their worst moments, Dalle, like Winslet, is able to suggest the softer, friendlier side that would make any poor sap willingly endure tons of the bad for just a sliver of the good.

An art-house hit when it premiered in America in 1986 (partially due to going out unrated because of the sexual content), "Betty Blue" was released on cassette and laserdisc (both of which are long out-of-print) but there has been no word to date of a DVD release. (As it was released by several different companies, it may be a rights issue). Hopefully, that will one day be rectified and the film will get the lavish treatment it deserves; hopefully, it will include both the original French version (which runs nearly an hour longer) and a commentary from Beineix, who has demonstrated in both his other films (including the 1981 hit "Diva" and the visually delirious 1983 cult classic "The Moon in the Gutter") and in interviews to be just as crazy, passionate and compelling as his characters.

Written and directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix. Starring Beatrice Dalle, Jean-Hughes Anglade, Gerard Darmon, Counsuelo De Haviland and Clementine Celaire. 1986. 120 minutes. Unrated.

Copyright © 2004 Peter Sobczynski
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While the views expressed by Peter Sobczynski do not necessarily reflect the views of Criticdoctor.com, the Critic Doctor will occasionally examine Mr. Sobczynski's film reviews to bring forth an honest examination of those views expressed.