Review

Jean-Jacques Beineix rocketed to cinematic stardom with the colorful, swirling 1981 film Diva, then fell to Earth with the oppressive The Moon in the Gutter. He recovered in 1986 with Betty Blue, about an affair between a handyman/novelist (Jean-Hugues Anglade) and the free spirit (Béatrice Dalle) who inspires him, does his laundry, and then goes mad. The movie was colorful and swirling and oppressive all at once, and in 1991, Beineix recut it not to slim it down but to add a florid third hour. This week marks the U.S. theatrical premiere of that 185-minute version— the ideal date movie for anyone inclined to la folie à deux. — David Edelstein