Review of The Notorious Bettie Page (2006) by Stuart K — 30 Apr 2014

Written and directed by Mary Harron, (I Shot Andy Warhol (1996) and American Psycho (2000)), this is an engaging and entertaining biopic that could have been seedy and perverse, but it's not, it shows great respect for it's main character and her life.

Plus, it captures the era it's set in brilliantly, with the new found liberalism in the 50's at odds with the puritanical moral guardians. This tells the story of Bettie Page (Gretchen Mol), who comes from a broken childhood in Nashville, Tennessee goes to New York in 1949 in search of a better life.

She gets a new start after a chance encounter with amateur photographer Jerry Tibbs (Kevin Carroll), who asks Bettie to model for him. It's not long before Bettie becomes a favourite among local photographers, and amazingly, she has nothing against taking her clothes off for the camera.

However, when she starts taking photos depicting sex fetishes for photographer John Willie (Jared Harris) that gets her into trouble, and she's soon hauled up before a congressional hearing. It's a compelling film, with Mol giving a likeable and cheery performance as Page, plus Harron and the film's cinematographer W.

Mott Hupfel III make a brave descision to film it mostly in black and white, with certain moments filmed in high contrast hues like the films of Douglas Sirk. It gives the film a brilliant look and feel.