The long-term spectrophotometric variations of 49 Be stars are studied using the U and V magnitudes of the UBV system, the total Balmer discontinuity D and the visible gradient {Phi}_rb_. BCD (Barbier-Chalonge-Divan, see Chalonge & Divan, 1952AnAp...15..201C) spectrophotometric and photometric data in five different photometric systems, obtained in most cases since 1950 and reduced to the BCD system, were used. The (U,D), (V,D), ({Phi}_rb_,D) and ({Phi}_rb_,V) correlations obtained differ from star to star and they can be single or double-valued. They differ clearly for Be phases or Be-shell phases. Be stars with small V.sin(i) showing the "spectrophotometric shell behaviour": D>D*, were found. This finding implies either that strongly flattened models of circumstellar envelopes are in doubt for these stars, or that not all Be stars are rapid rotators. Comparison of observed variations with those predicted for model Be stars with spherical circumstellar envelopes of variable densities and dimensions implies that spectrophotometric patterns of Be phases are due to circumstellar envelopes in low opacity regimes, while those of spectrophotometric shell phases are due to circumstellar envelopes in high opacity regimes. In a given star, the envelope regions responsible for the observed variations of D and {Phi}_rb_ in spectrophotometric shell phases seem to be smaller and denser than those producing the observed variations of these parameters in spectrophotometric Be phases. The high positive RV found in strong shell phases might favor the formation of compact circumstellar layers near the star.