FILM REVIEW - THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE –
Beautiful and rather sad though far from erotic in its own
right
The film deals with the burlesque queen and model in her heyday in the mid 1950’s. Raised as a Christian, Bettie found herself adored by many men, and she was brutally gang raped in her teens. She later went into modelling and had no qualms about posing and dancing nude, and appearing in softcore erotic burlesque routines on stage and film, despite her beliefs. She argued that Adam and Eve were naked in Eden. They only discovered guilt when they put their clothes on.
Page’s
antics nevertheless sent shock waves through the US puritanical senate. Shocked
that some found her images disgusting, she returned to religion.
The film, which flashes from Black and white to colour almost randomly, shows BP awaiting a congressional hearing on the pornographic nature of her work, as one of her leading publishers has been arrested. Most of her story comes in flashback as she waits for her say in court. However the tension of that build up is negated as thecae closes without her having to take the stand. There are some fascinating insights into 1950’s soft porn. Bettie is constantly told to conceal more and more of her flesh as her photographers are so scared that they could get arrested for showing too much. Gretchen Moi deserved an Oscar for her role. She is however outclassed by Jared Harris’s role as Willie, a vulgar, drunken admirer who letches at her in a hilarious fashion in every scene he has. The real gem of the film however is a soundtrack to die for with light jazz, Peggy Lee and Patsy Kline music playing for much of the movie.
Well worth
seeing, but it will disappoint the dirty mac brigade.
Arthur Chappell
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