Notorious Bettie Page, The

I recall seeing Page in some of my uncle's 'mens' magazines when I was growing up in the 1950s, so when I came across this film my interest was piqued. I cannot say one way or the other how accurate this portrayal of Page is, nor can I verify if the time sequences are correct. What I do know is comparing photos of the real life characters and the actors the resemblances are remarkable. Especially Mol who is a dead ringer for Page. The movie focuses on Page's involvement with the Klaws (brother and sister Paula and Irving), and her segue from photography model to short film roles that appealed to a specific demographic. There is a lot of time also devoted to the morals and mores, including laws during her era that have long since been repealed or struck down. It seems as though some of the focus of the film is a more prudish era using Page's story as a vehicle. There are some flashbacks that provide insights into Page's character, and possibly explain the person she had become at the end of the film. However, every scene portrays her as bright, but naive. There is a sweetness about her, but there are some hints that she rationalized what she was doing as well and found solace in that until she found more solace in the church. Some of the flashback scenes allude to her possibly being molested by her father, as well as her being raped early on. In the former case, it's only alluded by brief shots that suggest, but do not actually show any physical contact. Those are done mainly with facial expression and body language. Mol pulls that off masterfully. The rape scene, too, is not explicit. There is no doubt that it happened, but it was tastefully done (or as tasteful as a rape scene can.) The only nudity scenes are not so much salacious as innocent, and are brief. I especially liked the fact that there was no true gratuitous scenes in the movie. Everything was filmed to portray Page's life, although, as I said, that portrayal does not tell the full story. Finally, the cinematography is superb. A bonus feature of the film explained how different film stocks were used to depict different periods and locales. For example, the Miami scenes used a 50s style stock that gave those scenes a true sense of being there (if you grew up in that era.) You'll come away with some sense of who Page was as a person during a specific part of her life. You will also come away with a respect for Mol's acting and overall production values. In some ways I am glad that Page's later life was not covered because it was somewhat sad and, according to some sources I checked, plagued with mental problems. Despite the uneven quality of the storyline I still recommend this film for folks interested in Page or the period depicted in the film.

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THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE delivers a smoking performance by Gretchen Mol. The actress had to gain 20 pounds to play Bettie Page, but she eloquetly captures the spirited freedom that the pin-up girl is known for in all her shots. The story opens up with the congressional investigation into Irving Klaw and other nude photographers who shipped materials through the post office back in the 1950s, then flashes back to Bettie Page's early years in Tennessee. Time slips by as the film seques rapidly through Bettie's life and how she came to be America's sweetheart/pinup dream girl and somehow never lost the innocence that clung to her. Bettie Page is a living icon of feminine sexuality and has unleashed generations of women who have become more and more independent. Although the movement was already in place and would have progressed on its own, Ms. Page is a recognized force in that movement. Gretchen Mol brings her own free-wheeling, fun-loving take to the role and is a delight to watch. She's acted in several movies, including THE SHAPE OF THINGS, GET CARTER, THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, DONNIE BRASCO, CRADLE WILL ROCK, and THE ROUNDERS. Although light on actual plot, THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE is a great biopic showcasing one of the most lasting enigmas ever to seize the imaginations of generations of men. The photo shoots of Bettie, from the "camera clubs" to Bunny Yeager, are amazing reinditions for anyone who has picked up the coffee table books by Richard Foster and others, or the artistic takes on Bettie by Jim Silke and Olivia De Berardinis. All the most remembered poses hit the movie screen. Bettie Page fans will love this movie, though they may find some of their favorite Bettie lore is missing. Some may not find favor with the black-and-white film treatment, but the color segments of Bettie are kind of jarring. She's at her best in the black-and-white shots, more natural. If you've ever been slightly curious about Bettie Page or the world of the 1950s pinup girls, THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE is a great DVD to take you into that world for a little exposure.

As a fan of Bettie since the 1970's, I loved this film. It showed the story of her life that most fans (myself included) always wanted to know. Although, in this age of information overload and internet availability and social networking, most fans today know more about Bettie than most fans did in the 50's, 60's, 70's, or 80's, this film still told us all a few things we did not know before. No one ever knew that Bettie had been molested by her father, or that she had been gang raped, mainly because she kept that part of her life secret. It wasn't until the makers of this film spoke with her about making the film that she opened up and mentioned these facts so that the film would be more accurate than not about her life. I admit that this film does not mention any of her later failings in the 1970's, but I am OK with that. I love the fact that this film ends with her becoming a born-again Christian just as the 1960's are about to begin. As a matter of fact, I would go so far as to say that this film just may be the best ever recruitment tool for Christianity - Here we have the queen of pinup models, who also posed nude and in fetish photos, who eventually gave up what could have been a more promising career, and gave up her fame, for the solace of Christ! Again, I love this film and highly recommend it to anyone interested in the real life story of this greatly admired star.

知る人ぞ知る ベティペイジ。音楽・ファッション・画像どれをとっても素晴らしい！ ベティペイジ彼女はとても純粋な頑張り屋さん。自分の意思を貫く根性と脆さがたまりません。 ＪＡＺＺ＆ボンテージという当時の時代の裏の部分や 本人じゃないか！と勘違いするほどのグレッチェンモルに加え、脇を固める俳優さん達の素晴らしい演技に脱帽です。 メアリーハロンならではの画像の美しさ 最後のエンドクレジットは何度観ても良いですね。 サントラ以外のベティペイジの音楽（主にＪＡＺＺですが）プライベートガールこちらもオススメです。

Good movie, beautiful Actress, true story...Excellent price, excellent service and quick prompt delivery...Good story about the early days of and about "Censorship"...Amazon has great products and even greater prices...

The dvd has an excellent quality: I bought it because this film is not easy to find. The story of Bettie Page is very interesting, because she was one of the few women who suffered abuse in the 50s, a very chauvinistic as well as patriarchal era and who became the queen of pin-ups and showed great charisma as well as great elegance and a personal style. Director Harron manages to mix the black and white of Bettie Page's beginnings, with bright colors when Page's pin-up career began with landscape backgrounds on american beaches, alternating Page in a bikini or half-naked, with exceptional photography to recreate expressionist paintings in my opinion almost moving and joyful in expressing the naturalness of Bettie Page as a modern venus or pagan goddess. I was very surprised by the great interpretation of the actress Gretchen Mol and how Bettie Page in every moment of her life was always unshakable in her ideas, never vulgar: even at the end of her career she always had great naturalness in addition to a spontaneity and an inner strength that are rarely seen in a woman. The shipment was fast within the expected time and the dvd is in more than good conditions.

film relatant la vie de Bettie Page, film majoritairement en noir en blanc sauf les partie en Floride qui sont en couleur, uniquement en VO . Attention pas pour les enfants scènes de nus et autres. Le film est bien fait et correspond a son histoire.

Ein wahrer Klassiker, tolle Echt-Aufnahmen aus Betties Wirken. Empfehle auch die Autobiografie!