Don't be blue Betty! (Betty Blue - Soundtrack)

Member Name: weetoon

Product:	Betty Blue - Soundtrack
Date:	16/02/06 (925 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Reminds me of the film

Disadvantages: None

I have to make an admission before I start and say I don't actually own this CD but the vinyl version of it - If you don't know what that is, ask your mum or dad :-). I don't think it will make much difference to the review as the tracks listing is identical, as is the front cover. What this shows though, is that this has been around a long time! (Yes, OK, so have I …)

When the film came out in 1986, it was a bit of a cult film in France, and probably elsewhere too. I will not review it on this site as others have done a far better job than I ever could. Let's just say I saw it many times at the cinema, on video and on TV. I owned the full size theatrical poster for a while, but having been put up on and taken down from so many walls as I moved house, it finally had to be thrown out. I still miss it! I also have the book, both in French and English.

So of course, I bought the record (If you don't know what that is… oh, never mind). The record sleeve reproduces the theatrical poster, which has become immediately recognisable for so many. It shows the silhouette of a beach hut at twilight (the background a gradation of orange through to dark blue) and floating over it a picture of Béatrice Dalle, the female lead of the film, in blue. On the back, the tracks are listed, along with the musicians. There are 4 pictures from the movie.

The composer, Gabriel Yared already had quite a few movies to his name, mostly French films. He had already worked with Beineix (who did Betty Blue, and also Diva) on 'La lune dans le Caniveau'. He went on to write on many more, putting his name to 'the Talented Mr Ripley', 'the English Patient' (Oscar winner) and 'Cold Mountain' for instance. The score for Betty Blue won him a Cesar.

Describing music is not something I have attempted before, and I am not a musician, so what comes next will probably sound a little unsophisticated. Please bear with me and give me some feedback in your comments that I can use to improve on this. There are 17 tracks of varying length on this record (between 1.04 and 4.11 minutes), with different moods and tempo. A couple of themes are recycled several times in this album, a common practise for film music, as it helps preserving a unity to the ensemble.

I will not describe each track individually, as this might get a bit boring to read, and it would certainly be too difficult for me to write. The first track though, 'Betty et Zorg', introduces the main theme and is a beautiful saxophone melody, later becoming poignant when the harmonica replaces the sax, accompanied by a subtle acoustic guitar.

The second track brings in the second, more menacing theme, with a mix of strings and voices, although as I don't see those credited on the back of the album, I can only assume that this was produced by use of a synthesizer (played by Gabriel Yared). I will prove my ears are untrained by admitting I hadn't realised that before working on this review. This track is called 'des orages pour la nuit' (storms for the night, as in "they announced storms for the night"), and does have a heavy, ominous quality to it.

Another notable track is the beautiful piano solo 'le petit Nicolas', played by a young boy who appears in the film (Nicolas Jalowyj). Again, this is the theme 'des orages pour la nuit', but a very different rendition of it. This is by far my favourite track. I think it must have been Beinex's as well, because the corresponding scene in the film doesn't really add anything to the story, but seems to just be there just for the beauty of the music.

A couple of tracks have maybe aged a little and the CD would probably be better without them, but I have to say there is nothing there that makes me want to skip (plus, it is a tricky thing to do on a record player, not just a case of pressing a button!).

Many musical soundtracks that were written especially for a movie don't really stand up as musical pieces in their own right. With this, someone who had seen the movie would probably find themselves thinking about scenes from the film as they listened, the titles themselves could be used as titles for chapters on the DVD. But I don't think you need to have seen Betty Blue the movie to enjoy this CD. The music is very atmospheric and easy to listen to and like the movie it complements, it is stylish and haunting. It would be excellent music for driving (particularly in my neck of the woods where the landscape is so beautiful), for playing softly as background music during a dinner party or for listening to on your iPod to shut out the tedium of everyday life.

Summary: see review