Betty (1992) A B-Girl Psychological Drama Noir

 

"Le Cinéaste Des Femmes"

                                                      (FilmCriticLalitRao)

Written and Directed by Claude Chabrol, and based on the Georges Simenon novel Betty. 

Claude Chabrol (Le Beau Serge, Les Biches, Story of Women, Le Boucher, Violette Nozière, Innocents with Dirty Hands, )

Cinematography by Bernard Zitzermann, and Music composed by Matthieu Chabrol

The film stars Marie Trintignant as Betty Etamble, Stéphane Audran as Laure Levaucher, Jean-François Garreaud as Mario, Yves Lambrecht as Guy Etamble, Christiane Minazzoli as Madame Etamble, Pierre Vernier as Bernard, Nathalie Kousnetzoff as Odile Etamble, Pierre Martot as Frédéric Etamble, Thomas Chabrol as Schwartz, Yves Verhoeven as Philippe, and Jacques Brunet as Le médecin aka Doc.

Story

Paris. A street scene. A woman in white. Brunette. Carrying her purse in her left hand a lit cig in her right. Her name is Betty and she walks determinedly down a rue. 

Betty is thirty-ish. Cute, but her hair is disheveled, and she's got bloodshot eyes.  We hear her both her heels clicking down "le trottoir," the sidewalk and a jazz piece that is getting louder, like a homing device. 

Marie Trintignant as Betty Etamble

She's steering towards a Czech dive called "Le Praga," The Prague. 

Its corner bar, that's got a shingled roof hanging over a dark stained, wooden faced "avant-corps" with high window lights along it, all projecting off, the original building facade. 

At its farthest end off the corner, beside a larger picture window, is the door crowned by a partially crumpled  green entrance awning. 

The woman in white looks up at the name of the place, steps up into the entryway, and takes a last drag on her cig before tossing it onto the pavement.  The jazz piece is drowned out by more serious strings playing a discordant introduction to our heroine. 

She opens the door and walks straight to the bar. Our view cuts to a through-the-window image that gives a partially silhouette effect. She sits on a "tabouret" a barstool, plops down her purse and orders her drink. 

A superimposed title appears "Marie Trintignant" followed by  "Stéphane Audran" our stars then the title "BETTY."  

We watch as a man approaches her and leans in to whisper. Then she excuses herself to probably pee, comes back, and orders another drink. The credits end with "a film by Claude Chabrol."

We cut back to the exterior of Le Praga, and watch as the woman in white and the man emerge back onto "le trottoir," the sidewalk. 

Its evening as they walk across the street Betty asks the man "if its true that he's a doctor?" 

Doctor: Definitely. [points at a 1990 Alfa Romeo] here's the car.

He walks her around to the passenger side and unlocks the door.

Betty: Where are we going?

Doctor: Don't you trust me?

Betty: No, I don't trust anybody.

They get in the car and drive off. 

Betty: You still haven't told me where we're going. 

He tells her they are going to eat and asks aren't you hungry? Betty replies that she is thirsty. he answers that she can drink there too. He goes on to relate that the place ib very special out near Versailles. Betty is chain smoking. The Doc asks how many packs a day 2-3? 

Betty: Why do you care?

Doctor: But I'm a Doctor didn't I tell you?

Betty: Twice already.

He goes on to ask her if she likes hare, because it's all they serve on Wednesday nights, hare cassoulet.

They finally drive up to a hole-in-the-wall place and park. Its partially concealed behind bushes and called "Le Trou", The Hole. 

The Hole has a sunken dining room and bar, with wainscoting half way up yellow painted walls. It has wooden tables and chairs combined with leather corner benches. The the floor space is divided in two by the  rooms only decoration, a large aquarium with goldfish imparting a turquoise glow. 

The Doc is rambling on about thoughts of humans eating other animals. His brow is getting sweaty. 

Jacques Brunet as Le médecin aka Doc

He asks Betty if she is listening then excuses himself. He is replaced by Mario the owner who looks at her empty glass he asks "Same?"

Mario gets the attention of one of his help and two more drinks are placed on the table. 

Jean-François Garreaud as Mario

Mario: Have you never been here before?

Betty: Yes.

Mario: Known Doc long?

Betty: No.

Mario: Want something to eat?

Betty: I'm not hungry, thanks.

Mario: Make yourself at home. Everybody here does.

Mario splits and Doc returns. He looks better. 

The Doc notices Betty scratching her hand and enquiries if Betty has an itch. What? He continues rambling about how some are just under the skin, and others deeper down, some are tiny some are fat and some are busy some are lazy and surely more insidious beasts. 

Doc: Dirty little things, sadistic little devils.

When Betty asks him what is he talking about he replies worms. He gabs Betty's hand and produces a small gold toothpick.

Doc:  Watch how I track them down

He is about to poke at Betty's hand when Mario comes to the rescue. He tells Doc to leave her alone.

Doc: I'm just about to remove a little worm.

Mario: No leave her alone. Come with me, I have to tell you something.

Doc: Just a moment...

Mario: This is urgent, come with me.  

Mario grabs the Doc's hand and pulls him away. Betty calls for another drink. 

In the left side of the frame we now see an unfocused figure behind Betty, and when Betty calls to a waiter to ask for cigarettes this figure moves into focus as she approaches Betty. Laure Levaucher holds out a pack of smokes to Betty. 

Betty takes one and Laure asks if she can join her. Betty nods. Laure sits lights Betty's cig, and asks if he had scared her? 

Betty: It's nothing. He's a charming fellow.

The waiter brings Betty's drink but Laure snatches it away.

Laure: Cheers! [takes the drink] You realise he's a junkie. He left you to have a shot. Known him long? 

Betty: No

Laure: His name is Bernard. He's a doctor in Versailles. 

Betty: I want a drink.

Soom Mario returns and relates to them that the Doc was counting animals on the ceiling, and he with his wife help, put him to bed.

Stéphane Audran, lt.

We see a tear on Betty's face. It's here that we get Betty's first flashback.

Flashback

Betty, dressed as she is now, but looking fresher, with every hair in place, is seated at a writing desk. 

Lawyer: You write, I, the undersigned, Elizabeth Etamble

She writes Betty and is corrected, so she tears the sheet in half and begins again on a fresh one.

Lawyer: I, the undersigned, Elizabeth Etamble. 28 years old, no profession, residing at 6 Avenue Ruysdael, Paris, do hereby state, that I accept without reservation the following conditions... 

Cut back to Betty in the present at The Hole

Betty: I sold them.

Laure: Sold what dear? 

Betty [bawling]: I got to get drunk. Excuse me.

Betty: Of course. 

Laure snaps her fingers for another drink.

Laure: Do you live around here?

Betty: No.

Laure: Paris?

Betty: I don't live anywhere. 

Laure tries to change the subject, telling Betty about the US General who is at the bar, he is retired but still wears his uniform. Betty breaks her off...

Betty: I wrote just what they wanted, I wrote Elizabeth not Betty. And I took the check. and then I walked out. You don't give a shit. You don't give a shit.

Betty passes out. Laure calls out for Mario. It looks like she's been digging her nails into the palm of her hand which is bleeding. 

Mario gathers her up in his arms and takes her into the kitchen with Laure. They wind some gauze around her right palm and then Laure has Mario carry Bety out to her car. It's pouring. 

Mario places her in the back seat and the last things Betty remembers is the sounds of wipers and view of the trees through the windshield.

Cut to a close up on Bettys face. She's in a bed. She awakens to the sounds of lovemaking. She gets out of bed naked, and steps lightly to an open doorway between bedrooms. She watches Laure and Mario making love. then tiptoes back to bed.

Its the afternoon when Laure finally wakes Betty. She explains that she gave her a shot, that she was a doctors wife and his nurse. Laure continues, explaining to Betty that she got sick, and had to wash her, and that she also sent her clothes off to be cleaned. 

Laure offers Betty this room at the hotel to stay in for a while, orders her some breakfast runs her a bath, and tells Betty her life story. 

Laure: For 28 years I was a happy middle class wife. My husband and my home in Lyon where my whole world to me. If I'd had children I obviously wouldn't be here. I have no more reasons to live. I'm sure you understand. Before I came here I started drinking heavily. Getting away saved my life. What happens to me. What I do now no longer means anything. People come to visit the park tourists come and go to the hotel. I'm sure they think I'm part of the staff.

Laure goes on to inform Betty that tonight she'll be back at The Hole. She asks Betty if that was her first time there. Asks if she noticed anything. Betty replies that in her condition she didn't notice anything.  

Mario's clients are all twisted Laure relates. Mario likes to play the tough guy. The clients think he was in prison and it excites the ladies. In fact he was a bartender, then a cabbie in Toulon also claims to have been a sailor. 

Laure continues her tale, Mario once met a rich South American widow, whose husband had died in a casino, and the family, begged her to come back home harassing her with telegrams .... Laure continues in V.O. Mario's story. But now Betty has drifted back into a memory and we get another short flashback.

Flashback

Betty is seated at a large family gathering. Servants and placing dishes on the table. An open doorway reveals that there is a separate table setting for the children. We here first see Betties mother in law Madame Etamble and her husband Guy. 

Yves Lambrecht as Guy Etamble

Christiane Minazzoli as Madame Etamble

Bourgeois Betty

We cut back to Betty and Laure in the hotel room. just as Laure is finishing Mario's tale. 

Then we jump to Betty and Laure down in the hotels lobby. Betty gives instructions to the desk to send a car for her things at 6 Avenue Ruysdael, the name Etamble. She writes a note that tells them to give her things to the bearer of this note\ and signs it defiantly Betty. 

Cut to The Hole. Laure and Betty are eating lasagna. Laure is pointing out more of the twisted clientele to Betty, but Betty is once again drifting into a flashback to 6 Avenue Ruysdael. 

Flashbacks

We meet her two daughters Charlotte 4 years old and  Ann-Marie 19 months and their nurse. Oldie her sister-in-law and Frédéric her husband and the matriarch Madame Etamble her domineering mother-in-law. A few short interactions depict to us how stifling and controlled  her life was. We also get a sequence where she sneaks a drink of the hard stuff, while getting some wine to serve her in-laws.

Charlotte

Olde, Guy, Frédéric 

We cut back to The Hole, where Laure is finishing up her descriptions, and Betty coming out of her memory flashback. 

Betty wants to go back to the hotel early. At the hotel her belongings have arrived. Betty unpacks and we hear and see more of Betty's past in brief intrusive flashbacks. 

After Betty shows Laure the picture of her kids, Betty relates to her that she never felt like a mother because the nurse that her mother-in-law hired, took care of everything. 

Betty pulls out the picture of her father and explains that he was a chemist that made fertilizers. and that he died in Morocco when she was just eight. 

The next photo is of her aunt and uncle. Her mother sent her to live with them when she was ten. They ran an inn near the sea shore. There at the inn she made a friend of their chambermaid Thérèse who was 15. 

One day her aunt took the car to go to the St. Mathurin Market. 

Betty comes into the inn, and she was back behind the bar cleaning up. She tells Laure that she heard a strange noise of bottles rattling rhythmically, coming from the cellar. She walks over to the doorway and goes down the stair and sees her uncle plowing Thérèse on the potato sacks.

It smelled like a stable she relates, and that she was frozen, transfixed at the sight of it. After that incident she follows Thérèse everywhere and catches her balling a farmhand with red boots. 

(Note, here during this sequence we also see a flashback within a flashback of Betty as a younger woman in bed with a student studying to be a psychiatrist, relating the same incident to him as she is to Laure and we get his analysis of Betty).

Betty continues, explaining that her uncle never touched her. 

It all went Noirsville however because ever since she was 15 she's been a whore, just to imitate Thérèse.

Betty: I sold my children, my husband threw me out, it's an official document. 

I Elizabeth Etemble nee Fayet declare that I am a whore, had lovers before and during my marriage, solicited them in bars,  that I made love next to my children's room...".  

Betty grabs her handbag and shows Laure the check for 200,000 francs a down payment.  

Noirsville

Claude Chabrol has created a serious Woman's Drama that confirms that "Noir" happens when the Visual Style and the Dark Story click. Betty, like many Noir protagonists, becomes obsessed with booze and sex and is alienated from her family, with her life spiraling out control. 

Statistics show that over 85 % of violent crimes are committed by men. Women account for 14% of violent crime but out of that 14% , 3 out of 4 of those offenses are for simple assault and 28 % of those assaults are committed by juveniles.  

Realistic Noir about women and Crime are not going to be about women toting guns around. Women are arrested for larceny, drug possession, forgery, fraud, embezzling, shoplifting, bunco (con artists), prostitution, lewd behavior, and drunk driving. (The total equals a rate of about 1 woman involved with the criminal justice system for every 109 adult women in the U.S. population. - Bureau of Justice Statistics - Special Report)

Realistic Noir about the vast majority of women (and basically for most of the rest of us) are going to be Dark Stories about "Domestic" Noir, i.e., affairs of the heart, extramarital affairs, family conflicts, job conflicts, neighbor conflicts, rivalry, jealousy, depression, addiction, mental illness, suicide, etc., etc. 

Marie Trintignant, Stéphane Audran, and Jean-François Garreaud are all excellent. Garreaud reminds me of Wilhelm Defoe. Both Cinematography and score great. 10/10