"Betty" (1992)

Pauvre Betty

Claude Chabrol had one problem – he made too much films and, because of that, somehow quantity began to dominate over quality. Claude Chabrol made masterpieces («Violette Noziere»), good films («Poulet au vinaigre») and mediocrities («La fleur du mal»). In what category you could place «Betty» - the last film of Chabrol with Stephane Audran?

In some Paris bar, a girl called Betty, who is wearing a rumpled Chanel suit, is drinking herself to death with whiskey. Some strange man, who calls himself a doctor, offers Betty a ride to a restaurant called Le Trou (The Hole). In this bar, Betty drinks even more, and meets a proprietor Mario and his lover Laure. Betty tells Laura that she was divorced with a son of a very rich and influential family.

At first, the film starts as a typical story about a poor peasant girl, who is thrown out by the spoiled prince. Claude Chabrol shows us a sad alcoholic and abandoned girl with harsh psychological childhood traumas – an ideal candidate for the couch at psychoanalyst’s office. And this family of rich bastards, who made Betty to waive her parental rights, is out to be guillotined as in the late XVIIIth century France.

There is a banal saying about incompatibility of people from the different parts of the society (classes, groups and etc.), that is why a dream of «marrying the prince» doesn’t always realized as wanted. Betty was able to jump above her head, but she an intruder in the world of aristocracy. She cannot live on the rules of the high society, family doesn’t quite accept Betty and she is even basically separated from the children, who are given to the maid.

Disorderly Betty is suffocated in such sterile atmosphere and she is thrown out as an alien element. After Betty enters Le Trou, full of desolate people, the Director starts adding extra colors to her portrait. Because of that, the viewer could get a quite different opinion about a poor peasant girl.

What could you say about real qualities of Betty? In order to answer that, you ought to watch «Betty» and break the cliché that the nature relaxes on the children of the talented (on example of Marie Trintignant). Because of the duo of Marie Trintignant and Stephane Audran, Claude Chabrol was able to shoot a great film with unpredictable ending, which is quite a match to «Violette Noziere».

Psy (1992)

Za chleb i wolność, i nową Polskę Janek Wiśniewski padł

About two months ago, I have written a joint review on «Man of Marble» and «Man of Iron» and richteur gave some valuable insights in his commentaries. After that, I have decided to read his blog and I was impressed by his review of Psy. Because of that, I have decided to watch this example of the Polish cinema of the 1990s.

Former officers of the SB (Polish secret police), including Franciszek Maurer (Franz), are trying to become police officers in the post-socialistic Poland. They are destroying incriminating evidence, they are reevaluated by the Special Comission. Some, including Franz, are lucky and they join the Criminal Police; some are not so lucky and they join the criminals.

The last verse of the famous poem Ballada o Janku Wiśniewskim (by Krzysztof Dowgiałło) includes such verse: « Za chleb i wolność, i nową Polskę Janek Wiśniewski padł».In 1989, Poland was new, the Poles got the freedom (or at least the illusion of freedom), but the bread became scarce. In the same time, the Polish directors got the chance to shoot film on the forbidden themes.

The Director portrayed the birth of new Poland and he had chosen the most despicable characters – ex-SB officers. The former elite are thrown into the Criminal Police, where they are treated as third-class people. Despite that, the history teaches us that most of the times soldiers are punished, but they masters are spared. The masters are spared because they are able to destroy documents or cut a deal with new masters.

The Director depicts ex-SB officers as ordinary people. Among them there are good and bad, brave and weak. Most of them, along with the Poles, are trying to make ends meet, but the former government taught them the only thing – to kill. The new Poland declares that they don’t need the professional killers, but the other side is ready to employ their talents.

«Psy» shows the general disappointment in the new ruling class. The film shows the beginning of corruption, the morphing of politicians and criminals. When Franz begins to harass seriously criminals, he is quickly dismissed from the police because of his past.

The new Poland is not suited for «Man of Marble» or «Man of Iron», the new Poland suited for unscrupulous murderers and thieves. And in 1989, Ballada o Janku Wiśniewskim is sang by the drunken ex-SB officers, because nobody cares about the fallen heroes.

The Polish cinema have again pleasantly surprised me. Władysław Pasikowski took the form of the American action film and included a very fresh and clever drama. The Russians would also understand this film.

I highly recommend it, it is better than  most of the so-called «Russian noir» of the 1990s.

Damage

Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive

The one should watch on the Saint Valentine’s Day some romantic film. I am a cynical lawyer, that is why the traditional love stories «love from the first sight-looking for a lost love-a sudden meeting-first date-and they lived happily» amuse me. Because of this, I gave decided to watch some unusual love story.

The Right Honourable Doctor Stephen Fleming MP is Minister without Portfolio, but he is expected to get the Department of Health. The family life of Stephen also good: loving wife, successful son and cute little daughter. One day at the French Embassy Stephen meets Anna Barton, to whom he is immediately attracted. After a few days his son introduces his fiancée – the same Anna Barton, - but it cannot stop Stephen…

The storyline of Damage, at first sight, is rather banal and boring. Nevertheless Louis Malle, as in his earlier works, took the trivial story and turned it into a spectacular story of all-consuming, doomed and passionate love. As I said before, the conventional love stories bores me. When you think about Damage you could say one word, which the most accurately characterize this film – the fatality. The affair of Anna and Stephen is a mad waltz of mentally traumatized woman and vehemently insane man. The one could feel the fatality by watching the sex scenes, which looks like a fight and does not even hint any tenderness.

Anna Barton reminds of a fire, which attracts butterflies. Every word, gesture and look of Anna hints the hidden danger. As Catherine from «Jules et Jim», Anna is capable of loving of two at the same time – Stephen and his son. However, the son, because of his naiveté and intellectual limits, cannot fully sense the dangerous aura of Anna. The mother instinct of Stephen’s wife feels Anna’s danger, but she is incapable to protect her son.

Any normal person would tell that Stephen Fleming’s behavior is despicable. On the other hand, who has not dreamed about such affair? Stephen’s action are driven by his attraction to Anna’s «fire», it is not the usual short affair between bored old politician and cute girl. He tries to break-up with Anna, but his mind cannot shut his passion.

Louis Malle has never judged his heroes – neither the collaborator Lacombe Lucien, neither the bored socialite Jeanne nor the petit bourgeois family in «Milou en Mai». He watches and feels certain compassion for the weaknesses and vices of his heroes. This feature makes the films of Louis Malle more interesting than «black and white» films of other directors.

«Damage» is a clever and subtle film, which would be interesting to everyone.    

9/10