Review of The Notorious Bettie Page (2006) by Aidan H — 16 Feb 2010

Bettie Page has grown infamous over the past fifty years, to the point where she is now a household name (depending on whose house your in). She led an incredibly diverse life, from growing up in Tennessee, moving to New York to escape the quiet humbleness of the town she grew up in, participating in a number of nude modeling photoshoots (which helped her gain the nickname "the queen of pin-ups"), make a speedy switch-over to fetish porn, falling into a deep depression, and finally seeing the light and becoming a born-again Christian (BTW, if you couldn't tell, this a pretty watered down description of her life). Now, I know what you readers are asking: Why hasn't the legacy of this woman, who has had such a profound impact on modern pop culture, been adapted for the screen? Well, fret not, wise film-lovers, for Picturehouse has heard your cries, and has supported director Mary Hannan in copying the life of the notorious Bettie Page onto a roll of film. Unfortunatley, after viewing this film, I realized that there was actually much to fret.

To claim that "The Notorious Bettie Page" is an awful waste of celluloid would be a bit of a lie. Ms. Hannan skillfully crafts this impeccably sexy biographical feature, which is presented in a squeaky-clean black-and-white cinematographic fashion. The camera work is effective as well. If Hannan wants to ensinuate a particular subject in a shot, then it is cleverly showcased, which can be a tad bit difficult when your working with a completely black-and-white color scheme. And no one can deny the charming performance of Gretchen Mol, who is definantly the highest point of this picture (even if her overdone southern bell accent gets annoying from time-to-time). The film has a interesting opening scene as well, (an undercover police officer attempts to purchase illegal pornography from a newsstand vendor), but the promise that comes the beginning fades away as the film goes on.

I have already established that this film was made with skill, and movies need skillful direction. It's what draws you into a film and engages you. But skill only makes the flick look nice on the surface. A movie needs thought and substance, and thought and substance is what "The Notorious Bettie Page" is sorely missing. Excluding the opening and ending scenes, most of the picture is simply a series of bland photo shoots that don't really delve into Page's character. It could have potentially been a provocative look into the mind and soul of Bettie Page, but Hannan decides to play it safe (if you want to consider graphic bondage photos "safe") and simply tells us what we already knew.

Final Overveiw:

"The Notorious Bettie Page" is well made and features a steller performance from Gretchen Mol, but Mary Hannon doesn't go very deep into Bettie's life, and the movie is a hollow and rather shallow tribute to the pin-up queen.

Rating: 4 leather straps out of 10.