Betty (1992)

When Betty is caught en flagrante, her bourgeois in-laws and husband force a divorce settlement upon her and bar her from seeing her two daughters. She is rescued from an alcoholic stupor ... See full summary »

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Claude Chabrol, Georges Simenon (novel)

Stars:

Marie Trintignant, Stéphane Audran, Jean-François Garreaud

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marie Trintignant	...	Betty Etamble
Stéphane Audran	...	Laure
Jean-François Garreaud	...	Mario
Yves Lambrecht	...	Guy Etamble
Christiane Minazzoli	...	Madame Etamble
Pierre Vernier	...	Le médecin
Nathalie Kousnetzoff	...	Odile
Pierre Martot	...	Frédéric
Thomas Chabrol	...	Schwartz
Yves Verhoeven	...	Philippe
Henri Attal
Coco Bakonyi
Emmanuelle Bataille
Antoine Blanquefort
Mélanie Blatt	...	Thérèse

Storyline

When Betty is caught en flagrante, her bourgeois in-laws and husband force a divorce settlement upon her and bar her from seeing her two daughters. She is rescued from an alcoholic stupor by Laure, a middle-aged woman who takes Betty to her hotel lodgings, extends friendship and care, and listens to her story. Laure's lover, Mario, the proprietor of the bar where Betty and Laure met, is first a friend, then Betty's next conquest.

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Plot Keywords:

adultery | one word title | based on novel | character name in title

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

October 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Betty - Uma Mulher sem Passado

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

CED Productions, Canal+, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Cinéma! Cinéma! The French New Wave (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Fantaisie"
Written by Sylvain Daurat

User Reviews

well-made but unappealing

This reminds me of a car wreck where people stop to gawk at the carnage. Betty is a lost should who has spent years using sex and booze to try to numb herself. Trapped in a loveless marriage, she once again resorts to her old habits--and is caught and thrown out without her kids but with a stipend from her rich ex.

The story begins with Betty on a date with a psychotic ex-doctor and she's becoming drunk VERY fast (I can't recall EVER seeing a character in a movie drink that many drinks so fast). When she awakens she's in the home of an older woman who has rescued her. And, slowly in flashbacks, we see Betty's story about her life--given in bits and pieces interspersed throughout the film. There were two problems with this method: first, it was, at times, pretty confusing following the action, and second, I just found myself not particularly caring about the character. She was a total mess.

It's a shame, as I have really enjoyed several other Claude Chabrol movies--this, unfortunately, isn't one of them. It only scores a 4 because the acting is good--the story sure isn't.