The Notorious Bettie Page

By: debbie lynn elias

Harkening back to the days of wide eyed innocence, post-war America under President Eisenhower, before Dicky got tricky, black & white movies, the birth of Technicolor, when words like erotic and titillating were only said in hushed voices in back alleys (or under a blanket with a flashlight for reading light in young boy’s room), writer/director Mary Harron brings us her spin on the life of Bettie Page. Teaming with co-writer Guinevere Turner, the two provide a fascinating and fun look at the first real S&M bondage pin-up girl, American society as it teetered on the edge of what it has become today, and the time and money expended by the US Senate under the guise of Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver to investigate this religious Nashville native and the influences and implications of her bondage photos. Little did we all realize that Bettie and her successors would eventually become one of the most profitable industries in the world today, affecting everything from media to music to elementary school education.

Bettie Page was the average girl next door. Sweetly saccharin to the core, she hailed from Tennessee. Complete with morals and ethics thanks to her religious upbringing and longstanding beliefs, eyebrows did more than raise once sweet little Bettie hit the newsstands and 8 mm film. A raven haired beauty, it was always Bettie’s dream to be a model, a star, a “somebody.” Thanks to a failed marriage, failed efforts at teaching, and the need to support herself, it was almost serendipity that led Bettie first to bathing suit modeling and then nudity and bondage photos.

Heading to New York City, Bettie stumbled through the occasional odd secretarial or waitress job, cramming acting classes in wherever she could. But it wasn’t until she met Irving and Paula Klaw that her life finally began to turn around. It wasn’t long after meeting the Klaws that she soon found herself thrust from the pages of Movie Star News into bondage films and private pin-ups for some very select clientele. Never losing herself of her sunshine outlook on life, Bettie only saw the fun in what she was doing and not the perversion and disparaging outlook the rest of the world had, despite her moniker as “the perv pin-up of choice”, even when coming under the direct attack of Senator Kefauver.

Gretchen Mol is brilliant as Bettie. With a dark wig, stilettos, seamed fish net thigh highs and black bustier, she captures that sunny freshness tinged with sexual allure that truly made Bettie who she really was as well as being one of the world’s most famous – and desirous – pin-ups. Mol takes the role and plays it straight with a seriousness that is captivatingly pure resulting in sincere humor and joy. Known best for her role in “Rounders, “ with this role, Mol’s casting choices should open wide. Joining her with some delicious performances of their own are Lili Taylor and Chris Bauer as Irving and Paula Klaw. From their stilted accents to their “mom and pop” performances, Taylor and Bauer are, for lack of a better description, a hoot. As photographer Paula Klaw, Lili Taylor (who I will gladly watch in anything) expands her own comedic wings with her motherly “just trying to make an honest buck” portrayal. David Straithern is superb as smut-censoring Senator Kefauver, which plays even better following his turn as David R. Murrow attacking Joe McCarthy’s witch hunt.

The real key to the beauty of this film, however, is Mary Harron’s direction. And yes, I said beauty. Shot in black and white with intermittent spurts of Technicolor, this is period piece in every sense of the word. Capitalizing on the film noir qualities, Harron pays attention to the minutest details, staying so true to the period and the story that you will find yourself wondering if this isn’t actually some lost footage from the 40’s and early 50’s found in an RKO vault. Which brings me to a standing ovation for cinematographer Mott Hupfel and editor Tricia Cooke. Mesmerizingly graceful gorgeous moving work.

The script came as a welcome surprise to me. Expecting something very tongue-in-cheek, campy or vampish, what a pleasant surprise to be entertained with a well told story that doesn’t preach, mock, belittle or beleaguer the life of Miss Page. True to history and the factual events of the day and Miss Page’s life, there is a great sense of objectivity with no judgment calls made. This is simply the retelling of an interesting and storied life, told with the same sense of practicality and honesty as its subject.

It was often said that even when Bettie Page was nude, she wasn’t naked. Same is true of “The Notorious Bettie Page.” Visually stunning. Enjoyable. Funny. Entertaining. And clothing optional.

Gretchen Mol: Bettie Page Chris Bauer: Irving Klaw Lili Taylor: Paula Klaw Estes Kefauver: David Straithern

Directed by Mary Harron. Written bty Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner. A Picturehouse Release. Rated R. (100 min)