Although absolutely everyone in Switzerland knows her name, Betty Bossi never actually existed. Yet many still believe otherwise. Swiss director Pierre Monnard and Zurich-based producer Peter Reichenbach - who was the first to have the idea of telling this incredible success story – have decided to set the record straight by transposing to screen the life of one of Switzerland’s most influential yet unknown women: Emmi Creola (played by Sarah Spale), the creator of Betty Bossi. The result of this inspired collaboration is Hello Betty, a comedy which oozes optimism from every pore and which whisks us back to the 1950s by way of meticulous attention to detail which doesn’t fail to impress. 

(L'article continue plus bas - Inf. publicitaire)

Bringing Betty Bossi to life was no small feat. The renowned Swiss producer responsible for hits such as Needle Park Baby [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film] - also directed by Monnard - had to arm himself with both patience and perseverance, but in the end, thanks to an unexpected co-production collaboration between public (SRG SSR) and private bodies (publishing group CH Media), the film finally saw the light of day. In addition to the appeal of its subject-matter, the route of heart‑warming comedy promises genuine box‑office success. And what we do know for sure is that the movie’s Romandy premiere, held within the Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF) ahead of its Swiss theatrical release on 20 November by Elite Film, won over every single member of the audience.

For those who don’t already know, Betty Bossi is the fictional character who was created by Zurich advertising copywriter Emmi Creola in 1956 in order to promote a major client’s food products. Visionary and bold, Emmi imagined a woman who many believed existed in the flesh and who lightened the workload that still fell exclusively on the shoulders of many housewives by way of the simple and “foolproof” recipes she published in her magazine. Although the character Emmi created appears to have a dream life — a perfect wife who succeeds at everything — her real life was something else entirely. Surrounded by colleagues who always think they know better than her, alongside three children and a home to look after, and a husband who can’t manage things on his own, despite his more modern mindset, Emmi has to fight to assert herself and to get her ideas heard.

While Hello Betty could certainly be described as a sparkling comedy which is polished down to the tiniest detail (nothing about the set design or costumes is left to chance) and wholly capable of thrilling an audience still attached to national icon Betty, certain aspects of the screenplay — the stereotypes embodied by Mrs Bossi, or the fact that she remains a white, bourgeois housewife — could have been further explored. The excessive optimism colouring some of the film’s scenes could also have benefitted from being toned down. That said - bearing in mind social commentary is not the film’s main aim - Hello Betty remains an important film which wins audiences over by deftly distilling reality and fiction, whilst highlighting the struggle of a woman who helped shift mentalities with the means at her disposal.

Hello Betty was produced by C-Films, SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen, SRG SSR and CH Media. Picture Tree International GmbH are handling international sales.