Summary
The many photos of Page that are part of popular culture have created a kind of composite mythic image of an emotionally liberated woman who was comfortable with her sexuality, innocent but a bad girl too, and sexually alluring but not trapped by gender definitions and boundaries. Two other 1950s sex icons, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe, also projected a combination of innocence and eroticism, and Elvis in particular offered a gender-flexing blend of feminine tenderness and masculine machismo. Thus [Bettie Page] is part of an American tradition of pop culture figures who masterfully created and projected a sexually appealing persona even as they lived turbulent, troubled lives. What makes Bettie different is that she's more of an underground star she did fetish and bondage photos (and short films) that still have much visual power. Those transgressive, underground, arty images do a lot to give her the self-empowered bad-girl allure that so appeals to young women today. (The subversive, notorious side of Page is part of what attracted the director of the film, Mary Harron, known for the edgy films "I Shot Andy Warhol" and "American Psycho.")
"The Notorious Bettie Page," with Gretchen Mol as the star, has some fun elements. I loved the scenes depicting the photo sessions, some of which include a somewhat jaded, very intelligent, bawdy porno filmmaker (who reminded me of Mark Howell - in a good way). A number of sequences in which Page studies acting in New York (particularly method acting) are interesting, yet like a lot in the film, there's a slightly disjointed quality to them. It's like everything is just a little askew dramatically in the film. Mol is wonderful as Page and many reviewers say she's the main reason to see the film. I think that Harron wasn't sure quite how to treat the era and Page. She wanted to make a film about a rebel, as she had done with "I Shot Andy Warhol," but she also wanted to respect Page and this restrained her from showing more of Page's dark side. Regardless, the film is visually superb and an interesting trip back to the 1950s.See the full content of this document
Extract
Bettie Page in Key West
Bettie Page, now 83 and living in Los Angeles, was a tormented woman but also a joyful, superb model who has become an icon of female liberation. A new film called "The Notorious Bettie Page" tells part of her story, a story that included marrying a Key West man and living on the island for a time. Ten years ago I wrote about Bettie's Key West years for a fun-lov...
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