The Blue Hour

The ``blue hour'' is both a sensuous moment when the sun sets or rises, and the name of the perfume favored by a missing woman, Honnie Fust, in this erotic psychological mystery. After disappearing from her Paris apartment, Honnie phones her devoted husband, Adam, to say she will be all right. But Adam, assistant to an underground filmmaker, Gabor, fears for her life and embarks upon a search that plunges him into the depths of the city and of his soul. Realizing that he doesn't know enough about his wife to search for her alone, Adam enlists the help of Inspector Cuvillier. The Inspector's questions about Honnie's mysterious past threaten Adam's sanity, while Gabor's pornography suggests Honnie's possible link to a murdered pimp, and his meaningless affair with Gabor's secretary reminds him that he may have lost Honnie's exquisite sexuality forever. Much of this powerful story has a surreal tone, but its sudden ending is moving and utterly credible. (Oct.)