NEW REVIEW!

The Notorious Bettie Page

(2006, dir. Mary Harron)

Arden ♥s this movie!!

Extremely, extremely good movie. Really like this movie.

Number 1 reason why I liked this movie: I AM SICK OF BIOPICS. Absolutely sick of the idea that basically any person who had any amount of fame experienced the exact same life...

(Abusive Parent or Death of a Sibling) + Spark of Genius

x (Inhuman Drive) / Drug Addiction______________

BIOPIC

So first nice thing about The Notorious Bettie Page is that it doesn't follow this formula. I will admit that the beginning of the film drags a bit as we are treated to scenes from Page's early life in Nashville which include religious upbringing and gang rape. Personally these scenes didn't tell me much about Page or why she might go into modeling. I was kind of cringing inside because I worried that Harron would make that classic broad generalization (sexual abuse creates sexual deviants).

That, however, is not the case. Bettie Page is portrayed as a wonderful exuberant woman teeming with life. According to the film, her pinup photos (most of them depicting bondage and fetishistic footwear) were the result of the gestalt of Page's carefree attitude and little-girl mentality. Exhibitionism has never looked this childlike or effortless. I don't think I've ever seen nudity shot this well. Harron manages to spend 90 minutes reifying female sexuality to the point that it actually becomes attractive again.

As a result, Harron achieves something I didn't think was possible in cinema: a truly magnificent and downright believable virgin/whore. Now I doubt this is what the real Bettie Page was. But this film isn't called The REAL Bettie Page. It's called The NOTORIOUS Bettie Page. I think Harron understood that when dealing with such an enigmatic and marginal female sex icon there were much more interesting things to explore besides simulated biographical motives.

The end product is a 1950s fantasy-world that outdoes Ed Wood. Mostly shot in stunning black and white (it makes Good Night and Good Luck look even more hacky), Harron shifts to color occasionally and very smoothly. The production design and attention period detail is unbelievably sexy. But the similarities to Tim Burton's (in my opinion) last good film don't end there. Like Burton, Harron enlists some excellent character actors to pop in and give splendid perfs including Lily Taylor, Jared Harris, Sarah Paulson and Austin Pendleton. The soundtrack was very enjoyable as well, opting for some unusual choices instead of over-played tunes.

The lead performance from Gretchen Mol blew me out of the water. Not only is Mol one of the prettiest girls I've ever seen, but she gives a wildly energetic Johnny Depp-like turn as Page. Just as Depp's Ed Wood was a giddy schoolboy who had an almost dangerous optimism about cross-dressing and filmmaking, Mol's Bettie Page dives willingly into a world of S&M and nude posing because she's "good at it." Depp used his good looks to smooth over off-beat character traits like fake teeth and angora sweaters. Similarly Mol uses her peaches and cream smile to make hog-tying and fetish boots downright palatable.

All in all, I am willing to forgive The Notorious Bettie Page for the same reasons I am willing to forgive Ed Wood. Both films suffer from jellyfish-like narrative structures and wandering trains of thought bookended by hasty biographical information. I loved both movies, however, for their endearing main characters (1950s Hollywood outsiders) and for the sheer fun the directors injected into the material.

Bottom line: A cult icon hasn't been this entertaining since 1994 so check it out when you can. This is the kind of cinephilia I approve of!