The Notorious Bettie Page (B- or 3/4 stars)
Though she's really a good girl, 'The Notorious Bettie Page' sells sex in this biodrama directed by Mary Harron (American Psycho) & written by both her and Guinevere Turner. It tells the story of Bettie Page (played brilliantly by Gretchen Mol), the popular pin-up model from the 1950's. Bettie is renowned for her racy photographs and films. But her mysterious story had never been told before now. Here, we see her struggles over religious beliefs, her lascivious decline into the world of S&M, & her eventual redemption. Gretchen Mol is so good that it's easy to overlook what is a very simple movie. I'll liken this to Monster, Monster's Ball, & Erin Brokovich, simply because the female lead carried those films, as well.
The movie unfolds in black-&-white (except for some vibrant Technicolor scenes when she visits/resides in Miami Beach). This creates a great effect for us viewers. Early scenes show Bettie as a young girl at church in Nashville. We see her as a beautiful teenager (receiving gentleman callers). Unfortunately, it looks as if Bettie had a rough adolescence as her own father and local boys took advantage of her. Bettie leaves Tennessee, heads for New York, takes some acting courses (Austin Pendleton is her teacher), and meets a barrage of photographers who think she'll be a successful model. Bettie couldn't be happier with her job & liberating lifestyle.
However, her profession takes a dark turn and Bettie is asked to pose in lingerie. Lingerie gives way to partial nudity; which gives way to full nudity; which gives way to corsets, leather boots, and bondage. Unbelievably, Bettie, with her religious upbringing and all, takes this all on with a wink and a smile because she honestly sees nothing wrong with it. Well, she DOES think that the Lord may not appreciate her showing herself naked to the cameras. But that's all she's shamed of! Quote, "Adam & Eve were naked in the Garden of Eden. It was when they sinned that they finally put clothes on". With every fiber of her being, she believes this. And Bettie is Southern enough, religious enough, sweet enough & naive enough that we believe her when she says it.
Bettie continues to take photos with the famous Bunny Yeager (Sarah Paulson). But it is her involvement with Paula & Irving (Lili Taylor, Chris Bauer), a brother and sister who specialize in fetish magazines, that has sparked a series of Senate hearings (lead by David Strathairn as Senator Kefauser) concerning Bettie's pornographic revolution. No one had heard of S&M before. It is seen as filthy. But Bettie doesn't see it as filth. How could she see it as filth when it had never been a topic of discussion before that time? She simply saw it as playing dress up for Paula & Irving. She never thought of the potentially disastrous consequences that her new profession 'could' lead to. It is here where she changes her life for the better & goes back to her devoutly religious roots.
This is Gretchen Mol's break-out role. She's a gorgeous actress who has convinced me (and probably many other men & women alike) that Bettie Page is an inspiration, of sorts. It doesn't hurt that her portrayal is fun-loving, and has an amazing body. I had no problem observing Ms. Mol in the nude. I hope that doesn't sound disgusting. I see it as artistry, but I am also a red-blooded male, what do you want me to do? Also, Mol makes Bettie Page seem so down-to-Earth that we can practically excuse her pornographic tendencies. The supporting cast does a fine job, but this is Gretchen Mol's shining moment. One more aspect about the film that is great is the impeccable cinematography. This film, unlike The Black Dahlia, accomplishes the effect of thinking we are 'watching' a 1950's film.
Maybe I would like to have known a bit more about the rest of Bettie Page's life (she's still alive at 85). But this film's focus is to highlight the foundations of pornography & the woman who started the controversy. Bettie's attitude towards life and religion is great to see. And anyone can appreciate her change for the better. If anything, this film does nothing to hinder Bettie's image, it only exacerbates how sexually-obsessed and piggish human beings can be. Negatives of 'The Notorious Bettie Page'? The film is not remarkable. But I can't say it had many weaknesses; I truly enjoyed it.
The movie unfolds in black-&-white (except for some vibrant Technicolor scenes when she visits/resides in Miami Beach). This creates a great effect for us viewers. Early scenes show Bettie as a young girl at church in Nashville. We see her as a beautiful teenager (receiving gentleman callers). Unfortunately, it looks as if Bettie had a rough adolescence as her own father and local boys took advantage of her. Bettie leaves Tennessee, heads for New York, takes some acting courses (Austin Pendleton is her teacher), and meets a barrage of photographers who think she'll be a successful model. Bettie couldn't be happier with her job & liberating lifestyle.
However, her profession takes a dark turn and Bettie is asked to pose in lingerie. Lingerie gives way to partial nudity; which gives way to full nudity; which gives way to corsets, leather boots, and bondage. Unbelievably, Bettie, with her religious upbringing and all, takes this all on with a wink and a smile because she honestly sees nothing wrong with it. Well, she DOES think that the Lord may not appreciate her showing herself naked to the cameras. But that's all she's shamed of! Quote, "Adam & Eve were naked in the Garden of Eden. It was when they sinned that they finally put clothes on". With every fiber of her being, she believes this. And Bettie is Southern enough, religious enough, sweet enough & naive enough that we believe her when she says it.
Bettie continues to take photos with the famous Bunny Yeager (Sarah Paulson). But it is her involvement with Paula & Irving (Lili Taylor, Chris Bauer), a brother and sister who specialize in fetish magazines, that has sparked a series of Senate hearings (lead by David Strathairn as Senator Kefauser) concerning Bettie's pornographic revolution. No one had heard of S&M before. It is seen as filthy. But Bettie doesn't see it as filth. How could she see it as filth when it had never been a topic of discussion before that time? She simply saw it as playing dress up for Paula & Irving. She never thought of the potentially disastrous consequences that her new profession 'could' lead to. It is here where she changes her life for the better & goes back to her devoutly religious roots.
This is Gretchen Mol's break-out role. She's a gorgeous actress who has convinced me (and probably many other men & women alike) that Bettie Page is an inspiration, of sorts. It doesn't hurt that her portrayal is fun-loving, and has an amazing body. I had no problem observing Ms. Mol in the nude. I hope that doesn't sound disgusting. I see it as artistry, but I am also a red-blooded male, what do you want me to do? Also, Mol makes Bettie Page seem so down-to-Earth that we can practically excuse her pornographic tendencies. The supporting cast does a fine job, but this is Gretchen Mol's shining moment. One more aspect about the film that is great is the impeccable cinematography. This film, unlike The Black Dahlia, accomplishes the effect of thinking we are 'watching' a 1950's film.
Maybe I would like to have known a bit more about the rest of Bettie Page's life (she's still alive at 85). But this film's focus is to highlight the foundations of pornography & the woman who started the controversy. Bettie's attitude towards life and religion is great to see. And anyone can appreciate her change for the better. If anything, this film does nothing to hinder Bettie's image, it only exacerbates how sexually-obsessed and piggish human beings can be. Negatives of 'The Notorious Bettie Page'? The film is not remarkable. But I can't say it had many weaknesses; I truly enjoyed it.