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Movies / On DVD / The Notorious Bettie Page
The Notorious Bettie Page

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The Notorious Bettie Page (2006)

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Reviews Counted:130

Fresh:72

Rotten:58

Average Rating:6/10

Consensus: This biopic only skims the surface of Bettie Page's life, leaving her as a cipher, and additionally fails to place her iconic status in historical context.

Rated: 18 [See Full Rating] for nudity, sexual content and some language.

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:04-08-2006

Synopsis: Director Mary Harron (I SHOT ANDY WARHOL) and writer Guinevere Turner (GO FISH, THE L WORD) deliver a loving, whimsical biopic of the century's greatest pinup queen. The film also offers a highly... Director Mary Harron (I SHOT ANDY WARHOL) and writer Guinevere Turner (GO FISH, THE L WORD) deliver a loving, whimsical biopic of the century's greatest pinup queen. The film also offers a highly relevant commentary on the sexual mores of the 1950s, as well as stunning cinematography by W. Mott Hupfel III that perfectly captures the age. Played by the lovely Gretchen Mol (THE SHAPE OF THINGS) in a career-making performance, Bettie Page is portrayed as a sweet but strangely wise naïf from Tennessee, buffeted by circumstances outside her control but buoyed by an innate, cheerful optimism. After an abusive marriage and a brutal gang rape, Bettie flees to New York and begins a modeling career, for which she has a natural talent and which she does with an uncommon joy and palpable enthusiasm. She also begins acting lessons, but what really changes her life are the bondage photographs she takes with Irving and Paula Klaw (Chris Bauer and Lili Taylor). Shot in the basement of the Klaws' celebrity photography business, Bettie's photographs were among the first harbingers of a society's awakening sexuality, and her ability to project boundless delight--no matter what activity she is engaged in--is truly remarkable to behold. Eschewing the sensational, the film instead unfolds at a leisurely pace, lacking much cohesive narrative and revealing the mundane realities of the life of a notoriously glamorous figure. The story is bookended by the trial the Klaws were subjected to for selling obscene materials, which led to Bettie's retirement to her much-loved Miami getaway and a rediscovered devotion to Jesus. [More]

Starring: Gretchen Mol, Guinevere Turner, Lili Taylor, Jonathan M. Woodward

Starring: Gretchen Mol, Guinevere Turner, Lili Taylor, Jonathan M. Woodward, David Strathairn, Cara Seymour, Tara Subkoff, Kevin Carroll, Chris Bauer, Jared Harris, Sarah Paulson, John Cullum, Matt McGrath, Austin Pendleton, Norman Reedus, Dallas Roberts, Victor Slezak

Director: Mary Harron

Director: Mary Harron
Studio: Picturehouse

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Reviews for The Notorious Bettie Page

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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The Notorious Bettie Page may be nothing but a series of beautiful poses, but audiences will be more than happy with the result.

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
09/28/06
Linda Ruth Williams
Linda Ruth Williams
Sight and Sound
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
08/05/06
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
08/04/06
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

A small, strangely sweet tale well told. But this is all about Mol, who puts in a performance that gives her a very early lead on next year’s Oscar race.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
08/04/06
Olly Richards
Olly Richards
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A portrait of the centrefold as a closed book.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
08/03/06
Ben Walters
Ben Walters
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Mary Harron's Bettie Page biopic is beautifully shot and features a terrific performance by Gretchen Mol, but it's also frustratingly vague and never gets beneath the surface.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
08/03/06
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Harron is not judgemental in her approach, which allows Bettie's sweet nature to shine through. However, there's a nagging dissatisfaction that comes from being too detached from her subject.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
08/01/06
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Intolerably mild

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/30/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

Beautifully stylized but emotionally flat, "The Notorious Bettie Page" is a confined but enjoyable conception of Bettie Page's brief-but-influential career.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
04/20/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

a subtle, understated study of a complex individual.

Full Review Source: musicOMH.com | comment Comment
06/19/07
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
musicOMH.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
03/02/07
Sydney Morning Herald

Director Mary Harron and her co-screenwriter Guinevere Turner seem seriously conflicted about the tone of their film.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Lewis Beale
Lewis Beale
Film Journal International

It is a wondrously entertaining biopic that gives a dazzling insight into a time when the world was ready to embrace the notion of a sex goddess, innocently.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
03/01/07
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

Visualmente insosso (o jogo entre P&B e cor parece apenas querer chamar a atenção), o filme empalidece tematicamente diante de Kinsey e não retrata Page de maneira particularmente interessante, apesar da ótima performance de Mol.

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
12/30/06
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
12/30/06
Los Angeles Daily News

Men can ogle and evaluate all they want. The film's Bettie is what they've made, but she eludes them.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
12/21/06
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

The film was directed by Mary Harron from a screenplay she wrote with Guinevere Turner. In the past, these two did substantial work. Now they play, so that audiences may have the double pleasure of enjoying their porn while feeling superior to it.

Full Review Source: Nation | comment Comment
11/11/06
Stuart Klawans
Stuart Klawans
Nation
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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Latest News for The Notorious Bettie Page

March 09, 2006: South By Southwest Festival Starts Friday
The annual South by Southwest film and music festival kicks off on Friday. Held in Austin, TX, SXSW will showcase 150 feature films and 130 shorts, including the regional... More...

February 06, 2006: SXSW Promises Vendettas, Betties, Dreamz & Slithers
In addition to a ton of low-budget, independent, documentary, and dramatic films, this year's South By Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival promises a rather flashy infusement of... More...

January 30, 2006: Trailer Bulletin: The Notorious Bettie Page
One of the most well-received narrative flicks at last year's Toronto Film Festival was "The Notorious Bettie Page," which comes from the writing/directing team behind... More...

January 24, 2006: Tackling her life as a feature film is a brilliant idea. Opens in new window
More...

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