BETTY (DVD/ENG-SUB) DVD

Betty
Adapted from a novel by Georges Simenon, Betty stars Marie Trintignant in the title role. A drunken wastrel, Betty is adopted after a fashion by an older female alcoholic named Laure, played by director Claude Chabrol's wife at the time, Stéphane Audran. Fascinated by Betty's hard-luck tales, Laure endeavors to protect the younger woman from the ravages of a cruel world. Unfortunately, she turns a blind eye to Betty's larcenous streak, which manifests itself at the worst possible moments. This tale of a irredeemable ne'er-do-well is fleshed out by a flashback-flashforward technique that some observers found confusing and distracting. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Marie Trintignant as Betty Stéphane Audran as Laure Jean-Francois Garreaud as Mario Yves Lambrecht as Guy Etamble Christiane Minazzoli as Madame Etamble Pierre Vernier as The Doctor Thomas Chabrol as Schwartz

Crew Claude Chabrol - Director Monique Fardoulis - Editor Matthieu Chabrol - Composer (Music Score) Francoise Benoit-Fresco - Production Designer Bernard Zitzermann - Cinematographer Marin Karmitz - Producer Claude Chabrol - Screenwriter Georges Simenon - Book Author

Betty
More than once, Claude Chabrol's films have explored nuances of good and bad within the same characters, keeping the audience guessing as to where the protagonists stand. If his point is that they don't have easily defined moral positions, Betty is certainly a successful and piquant character study, though one that might not be enjoyed by viewers who find it difficult to watch films revolving around unsympathetic characters. Foremost among those here is Marie Trintignant in the title role, and while she spends much of the movie in a bedraggled, drunken state, the back-and-forth flashbacks also make clear that she was at other times in her life a passionate, promiscuous lover, a bored affluent housewife, and a naïve schoolgirl. At first, we do feel for Betty, cast out almost literally into the rain by a cold aristocratic family, rescued from further dissolution by a seemingly benevolent older protector, Laure (the coolly elegant and decadent Stéphane Audran). Yet they've almost switched roles by the end of the film, in a transition so subtle it might take you by surprise almost as much as it does Laure. The lines between pitiful victim and knowing bird of prey blur so much that the audience might feel as deceived by Betty's act as those around her are, though Chabrol also makes clear that others share some blame in driving her behavior. The fuzzily divided flashbacks do take a long time to unfold the incidents in the past that have driven Betty to her present state. But patient viewers are rewarded with an interesting portrait of psychological dysfunction, and one that's well-paced and finely acted despite the movie's nonlinear structure. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: French Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: DD2: Dolby Digital Stereo Additional Features: 16x9 enhanced A presentation by film Scholar Joel Magny Original French trailer Stills gallery Optional English subtitles MPAA Rating: DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: Content Length: 105 min Part of Series: The Kimstim Collection   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Opening Titles [4:36] 2. The Hole [8:48] 3. The Awakening [10:43] 4. Feeling at Home [9:56] 5. The Role of Mother [6:56] 6. Thérèse [9:20] 7. Courting Betty [9:30] 8. Philippe [9:18] 9. Terms of a Sale [6:01] 10. Stray Dog [8:38] 11. A Visit From Guy [7:13] 12. Mario [8:16]