| I didn't know too much
about Bettie Page before seeing this film, other than that she was
the pin-up queen of the 1950's. The notorious nature to which
the film title refers was something I was familiar with... I always
thought of Bettie Page as the first famous nude model. What Mary
Harron's film does so wonderfully is to create a three dimensional
character that helps us understand and care about someone who had a
two dimensional image and reputation. At the end of this film,
I understood a lot more about this girl and the barriers and taboos
that she helped to break.
The key to this film's success is the mesmerizing portrayal of
the title character by one of my favorite actresses, Gretchen Mol.
Mol has been so damn good for so damn long, but she is vastly
underrated because she hasn't been in tons of blockbusters.
The infamous Vanity Fair cover may have been a little
presumptuous... but it wasn't inaccurate in my book. She IS
the next big thing -- it's just that some people don't know it.
Mol's embodiment of Page is nothing short of spectacular.
You forget that you are watching a performance of any kind...
instead you fall deep in to Bettie's world and naiveté. She is
unknowingly courageous. She is unaware of her confidence.
This Bettie is remarkable, respectable, fascinating and elegant.
This is one of the best performances of the year and Gretchen Mol
should expect award consideration in 2007.
The film is swiftly energetic, shifting from crystal clear black
and white shots in the New York scenes to a dazzling Technicolor in
the Miami locations. The screenplay deals with tragedy, humor,
innocent titillation, romance, legalities and resiliency -- there is
a nice scope to this biopic.
One gets the feeling that "The Notorious Bettie Page" will slip
under many viewer's radars. It shouldn't. It is a
beautifully shot, informative story of the celebrity garnered by a
sexy brunette who wasn't afraid to don thigh-high leather boots and
a whip and nothing else, before most women were even comfortable
showing their knees in public. If for no other reason, see
this film for Gretchen Mol's fabulous effort -- She looks even more
delicious than the original Bettie and captures all of her legendary
photogenic traits to perfection.
 |
