Betty Blue is quintessential French cinema material, an uninhibited and tumultuous story of an obsessive relationship that descends into madness. When it premiered in 1986, the film gained notoriety for its full-frontal nudity and explicit sex. With audience members questioning if the sex scenes were simulated or not, the word-of-mouth buzz helped drive it to box-office success. Based on a novel by Philippe Djian, it has become a cult classic for its mercurial characters, bohemian sexuality and descent into 'amour fou. Betty Blue: The Director's Cut, never screened in US theatres, features an additional hour of footage.
