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Man:
You don’t have to be ashamed of what
you did.
Bettie:
I’m not ashamed. Adam and Eve were naked in the Garden of Eden, weren’t
they? When they sinned, is when they put clothes on.
It’s as if someone took a picture of my
fantasies and plastered them on-screen. Bettie Page in the form of
Gretchen Mol. It’s almost like a gift to me, and yes I’m vain enough to
think this film is a gift to
me. It features two of the most beautiful
women who ever lived combined, along with one hell of a fantastic movie
to boot. I was glad this wasn’t just a case of watching Mol as Page for
ninety minutes. There’s a story, there’s great direction, and there’s
actual commentary. “The Notorious Bettie Page” is yet another ninety
minute bit of speculation on Ms. Page’s life, because it’s a known fact,
no one is very sure of what really happened in her life from a child to
her disappearance from society’s mainstream. But then again, Harron’s
film is not an attempt to delve into the secrets and demons of Paige,
too much. It’s instead a sweet, risqué, and entertaining celebration of
the woman known as Bettie Page.
Page, as
you should know by now, is quite possibly one of the most revered pin-up
models of all time.
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First starting as a model for
underground magazines, then acting in bondage films, and
eventually just fading away, she’s continued, however, to
live in the mainstream culture for decades showing
influences in comic books, films, music, porn, and models.
She’s the archetypal polar opposite to Conservative
America’s idea of beauty. A gorgeous and incredibly sexy
woman who didn’t mind stripping and engaging in porno films,
yet was still at heart wholesome, naïve, and incredibly
religious. What will either turn people off, or garner more
admirers is the fact that the film is approached with a
slightly campy nature. |
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Though Harron approaches Page’s history
of domestic abuse, and molestation with a stern dramatic tone,
Page’s foray into modeling and acting is approached with a slight
comedic tone that makes the film entertaining. Page’s modeling and
eventual starring in bondage films, then meeting the famous Bunny
Yeager (The understated Sarah Paulson), is taken with a smile, and
all of her actions are depicted as merely a naïve child-like girl
having fun with her friends and making money doing so. Gretchen Mol
who is already a pure goddess, plays Bettie Page another goddess.
As Bettie she’s lovably naïve, but
fierce, she has a child-like innocence, yet she’s incredibly sexy.
Mol’s performance, nonetheless, is probably one of the best in
years, as she embodies Page warts and all, and portrays her as a
lovable girl who is simply trying to find a path, and purpose. On
the flipside, Lilli Taylor proves yet again she’s one of the most
underrated actresses, playing Liv Klaw, the blunt and friendly
photographer who’d be put under the light of the law with her
brother Irving Klaw (Chris Bauer, who also pulls in a great
performance). Harran’s depiction of the legend is simplistic, but
filled with excellent direction, and a mood that’s genuinely novel.
Most of the film is black and white,
until Bettie is able to escape the confines of her life, to which
the lens becomes a very pastoral colorful world, which gives it the
sense of old fifties sitcoms in which everything is bright and
pristine. “The Notorious Bettie Page” should go hand in hand with
“Kinsey” demonstrating society’s inability to accept sexuality, and
fear change. And if you can put your disbelief on hold (She actually
wasn’t aware that bondage was frowned upon?), it’s a great piece of
filmmaking.
The fact that Harron doesn't delve too deeply into Page's mysterious
life, and presents us with a sugar-coated film, works in favor of the
film instead of against it. Harron's "The Notorious Bettie Page" is a
wonderful celebration of the legend known as Bettie Page.
- For the other
readers whom are utterly in love with Mol, she has many full frontal
nudity scenes. Yama hama!
- “Browncoats” may
recognize Sarah Paulson who plays photographer Bunny Yeager. She was
in “Serenity,” as the ill-fated doctor explaining the Reaver’s
origins.
- Photographers Irving
and Paula Klaw were not married, as many critics stated in reviews
for the film. They were in reality, and in the film, a brother and
sister team.
- While Bettie Page now
licenses the use of her name to promote various collectables (such
as figurines, t-shirts, and books of her pin-up photos), she herself
does not make public appearances, stating "I want people to remember
me the way I was."
- Bettie is close
friends with Hugh Hefner, who is a fan.
- Paige Richards has
also played Bettie Page, which is a sub-par, but ambitious
low-budget depiction of the last days of Bettie Page’s career mixed
with recreations of her bondage films.
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