Customer Reviews

Betty Blue (Soundtrack)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yared has come to popularity of late via The English Patient and The Talented Mr Ripley. This score dates back to '88 as the fuel for Beniex's disturbing film about an enchanting woman with a severe mood disorder named Betty who captures the love of a writer named Zorg. The extreme moods herein evoke her see-saw emotions, and admittedly, a few of the briefer pieces would have been better deleted. There's enough here to warrant a purchase, however. Yared is known for his erotic and evocative melodies, and his interesting and non-cloying use of electronics. A sexy interplay of sax, piano and synth abounds herein, but it's the five minute piano solo that stands out. Yared fans might also hunt down his earlier "Invitation Au Voyage" score, and "Map of the Human Heart", which continue the same style.

The music is very soft without being background, and that's what I like almost best about it. Soundtracks often become to easy-listened, and it leave now personality, no profile. Betty Blue has caracter in the movie, and the disc is her sister in mind. The different songs are all pretty heterogeneous and some people might find that annoying, even though I see it as a great advantage. Not to much smooth sound over it. Let it lead your thoughts out in space or listen to it carefully. You choose, and You will not be disapointed.

If you are a fan of the movie 'Betty Blue' and like the music you heard on it's soundtrack this would be an obvious choice. However one thing that surprised me was that the most beautiful tracks on the cd are all very short. One times in at about 56 seconds! With the exception of 2 or 3 tracks, almost every song is a little over a minute in length. The entire cd is about 38 minutes long. Most soundtracks usually contain complete versions of the songs when only a portion is used on the film. In this case I found that what you hear on the film is what you get on the soundtrack. Some of the tracks sound like samplers, with a fade up then fade down. The music is un-even, with beautiful numbers seperated by bad ones, but that is a matter of opinion. If you saw the film and heard a song you liked, beware that the soundtrack is not much longer than what you heard on film. I would give this 5 stars because of the beautiful music, I gave it 3 because of it's length.

The music fits in perfectly with the movie. I'm a Gabriel Yared fan myself - he actually answers his email, gang! Go to his website and see for yourself!!

Five stars for this soundtrack.

P.S., Now hear this, yes the songs are short - but still, I can listed to it at my desk for an extended period of time without having to change it. I don't find it boring at all...

I highly doubt that the French arthouse film 'Betty Blue' (37'2 Le Martin) would have achieved the cult status it now has, without Gabriel Yared's hauntingly atmospheric and very original soundtrack. It is one of most memorable and unique film musical scores I have heared, certainly from a foreign film. When I first saw Beineix's film, one the aspects which impressed and stayed with me the most was the music. Particularly, the gorgeous sexy saxaphone pieces which dominate many of the tracks, specifically 'Betty Et Zorg/Zorg Et Betty'. Another favourite and standout track is, 'Cargo Voyage'. It really has such a feeling of romantic innocence to it.
Much of the music has a very melancholy yet tender feel. Which, for those who haven't seen the film, describes the main characters' (Betty and Zorg's) passionate, yet doomed love affair, fittingly. Afew of the tracks are in fact, different arrangements and interpretations of the same melody or piece, and I think unless you had seen and were a fan of the film, you probably wouldn't appreciate this CD to its full effect, as it is very much connected to the emotion, mood and look of the film.
Still, for those who like something a bit different or experimental, there's some very interesting and eclectic influences in Yared's work here, from traditional French folk to Jazz and African tribal rhythms. Then there's the last track, 'Maudits Manages', rather quirky with its ominous and eerie 'Merry Go Round' theme, that opens the film and gives a hint of something much more dark and unsettling.
Yared's music soundtrack for Betty Blue is thoughtfully creative, it has a kind of exotic edge to it and is definitely very distinct and different to anything I've listened to before or since. But my recommendation is, definately see the movie to fully appreciate its merits.

Lets put this into perspective, this was Gabriel Yareds 1st composition and a fantastic debut .

Unfortunatly for that reason alone I had to compare it too his latter masterpieces such as 'City Of Angels' 'The English Patient' and 'The Lover'.

At the end of the day if you want the best from this composer I've told you his best. However due to the cult success to this film noir the soundtrack accompanies the film superbly but with exception to the odd saxophone tracks which are hauntingly beautiful the good tracks are cut very short and the 'funfair and ferris wheel music is inane and cheesy not something I would ever have expected from Yared, Imagine Elvis Presley singing 'twinkle Twinkle little star' and you get my point.

I believe Betty Blue is a collectors piece - nothing more, its like watching the 'Great' team you support play an inferior side you know the game wont be that good but your compelled, if your buying this on a whim I would not advise it , too many tracks, too short a playing time, badly compiled as you get a beautiful track then a really annoying cheesy one - go for one of his other works who wants the apprentice when they can have the master?

go for city of angels

If I didn't have a sentimental attachment to the movie, and associate the music with it in my mind, I would never listen to this: it's just really not that great as music. But if you loved the movie and are a sentimental sap like me, then by all means buy it!

Betty Blue soundtrack stands well on its own, it's quite beautiful and atmospheric. My one serious criticism is due to the excessive use of synthesizers. It's been some time since I've seen the movie and I no longer remember how much is use of synthesizers in the function of the story. However, I am certain that in most cases they were used as a mere substitution of real instruments, which could have been much more effective. Perhaps that was due to the budgetary restrictions. If so, they did a good job of hiding that element in any other aspect of the film production. For instance, there's unpleasant synth to substitute string section and orchestra in Des orages pour la nuit, a harp-like synth in the background of the Cargo voyage, and particularly annoying synthetic bass in La poubelle couisine and Lisa Rock. The information on the CD is scarce and for that reason certainly not rewarding for true audiophiles as there is no information about the musicians (nor about the film for that matter). Is La poubelle couisine based on a folk melody or what? - there's no mention. All that said, immoderate synthesizers cannot rob these songs of their beauty and they do not stand as much in the way as I've perhaps made it sound. After all, the saxophone sound present throughout the CD is for real and in some songs synthesizers have been used with good measure, as in Chili con carne.