Cinema Libre Studio to Release "Betty Blue: The Director’s Cut" for the First Time in US Theatres, A Retrospective at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles, and The Jean-Jacques Beineix Collection on DVD
LOS ANGELES (June 2, 2009) – Cinema was forever changed in the 1980s when a new wave of French auteurs exploded onto the scene redefining modernity in film. With Diva (1982) and Betty Blue (37°2 le matin) (1986), director Jean-Jacques Beineix created two of the most provocative films of the era that were dark, memorable, filled with voluptuous imagery and generous dollops of sex and/or violence. Both films were international hits, winning cinematic immortality for their director.
This summer, film lovers nationwide will get the chance to view Beineix’s work in theatres and on DVD, with several titles released for the first time in the US. Director Beineix will be in attendance in Los Angeles for the theatrical release.
A cult classic, Betty Blue (37°2 le matin) was an international hit when first released in 1986, and was nominated for 9 César awards and Best Foreign Language Film at both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes. Featuring an indelible screen debut by Béatrice Dalle, Betty Blue hypnotized audiences with its uninhibited sexuality and all-consuming vision of amour fou that ultimately defined passion for an entire generation.
Cinema Libre Studio will release a recently-struck 35mm print of Betty Blue: The Director’s Cut, Beineix’s definitive 1991 version featuring additional footage never before seen by U.S. audiences. Film premieres June 12, 2009 with an exclusive weeklong engagement at New York’s Cinema Village, followed by calendar runs in markets including Los Angeles (July 3 at the Nuart), Minneapolis (July 24 at Landmark), Seattle (August 7 at Landmark’s Varsity), Denver (August 21 at the Starz FilmCenter), Boston (September 11 at Landmark’s Kendall Square), and in Washington D.C (October 2 at Landmark’s E Street Cinema).
www.BettyBlueDirectorsCut.com
The Jean-Jacques Beineix Retrospective at the American Cinematheque In Los Angeles
Several of Beineix’s films will be screened at the American Cinematheque (Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028, tel. 323.461.2020) starting July 2.
Thursday, July 2 at 7:30 PM: The Moon in the Gutter (La Lune dans le Caniveau, 1983, 137 mins.) Beineix’s terrifically atmospheric and vastly underrated adaptation of David Goodis’ noir classic stars Gerard Depardieu as a raffish longshoreman who mourns his raped, suicided sister amongst the sleazy dives of the Marseilles waterfront. Film is preceded by Beineix’s first film: Mr. Michel’s Dog (1977, 14 min.) Discussion following with the filmmaker.
Sunday, July 5 – 7:30 PM: U.S. Premiere! Roselyne and the Lions (Roselyne et les lions), (1989, 170 min.) Thierry (Gerard Sandoz) drops out of school to apprentice as a circus lion tamer where he falls in love with Roselyne (Isabelle Pasco). Landing in Germany, they both fall under the tutelage of aging big cat trainer Klint (Gunter Meisner). Film is preceded by the short documentary: Locked In Syndrome (1997, 27 min.), Beineix’s original take on the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby that would eventually be remade into the award-winning feature The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Discussion following with the filmmaker.
Wednesday, July 8 at 7:30 PM: Double Feature: Los Angeles Premiere of Mortal Transfer (Mortel Transfert, 2001, 122 min.) After a break from narrative filmmaking, Beineix returned with a mesmerizing balance of poisonously dark comedy and psychological thriller starring Jean-Hugues Anglade, as a psychoanalyst who falls asleep while listening to his sado-masochist kleptomaniac patient, Olga (Helene de Fourgerolles) and awakens to find her strangled. The film is followed by Diva (Rialto Pictures, 123 min.) Beineix’s debut film and international art house hit; a deftly constructed soufflé of a suspense thriller with a comic, tongue-in-cheek tone about postman and opera fanatic Jules (Frederick Andrei) and his obsession with diva Cynthia (Wilhemenia Wiggins Fernandez).
"The Jean-Jacques Beineix Collection" on DVD
Cinema Libre Studio will be releasing six of Beineix’s films on DVD, several of which have not been released before in the U.S., in ‘The Jean-Jacques Beineix Collection.’ Each title will be released individually with the box set available December 1, 2009.
* Locked in Syndrome with Otaku and Mr. Chien’s Dog, streets June 23.
* Roselyne and the Lions, with The Grand Circus bonus documentary (Drama, 1989), streets July 14.
* IP5: The Island of Pachyderms (Drama, 1992), streets August 18.
* Mortal Transfer (Comedy/Thriller, 2001), streets September 22.
* The Moon in the Gutter (Drama, 1983), streets October 20.
* Betty Blue: The Director’s Cut, (Drama, 1986) streets November 17.
* The Jean-Jacques Beineix Collection box set, available Decmber1. www.TheBeineixCollection.com
Beineix started as an assistant director in France, before he directed his first short film. In 1981, he directed his first feature, Diva, a stylish thriller that became a word-of-mouth sensation eventually winning four Césars. He followed that with The Moon in the Gutter in 1983. Five years later, Betty Blue became an international cult sensation and was nominated for Best Foreign Film at both the Oscars and Golden Globes, and earned 9 César nominations. In the 90’s, Beineix turned towards more socially conscious subjects, directing two documentaries as well as taking up the paintbrush. He returned to feature filmmaking in 1992 with IP5: The Island of the Pachyderms, which was the last film for renowned actor, Yves Montand and also stars Olivier Martinez (Unfaithful, S.W.A.T.). Unlike many filmmakers, Beineix has kept the ri
ghts to his films while continuing to produce and direct films through his Paris-based company, Cargo Films.
About Cinema Libre Studio:
Cinema Libre Studio has been a leader in the distribution of social issue documentaries and arthouse independent features. The six-year old company is best known for distributing films such as: Outfoxed, Uncovered: The War on Iraq, Raising Flagg starring Academy-Award winner ®Alan Arkin, and Angels In The Dust. The company has recently produced The End of Poverty? which premiered during the Cannes Film Festival and has subsequently been selected to over 20 international festivals with a September 2009 theatrical release planned www.cinemalibrestudio.com.
