The Notorious Bettie Page / James Dean

A lot of people think they don't know who Bettie Page is. Then you mention certain key words: Fifties, black bangs, bondage...and the light goes on. The images of Bettie in flowered bikinis, in black stockings and garters, or holding a riding crop, are pervasive in pop culture. The film shows us a little more of what went in to the creation of those images.

One of the main points that director Mary Herron wants to stress is that Bettie had fun when posing for the racy shots. One might have assumed that there was coercion or shady deals happening, but it seems that wasn't the case. Lily Taylor and Chris Bauer, as the brother and sister team of Paula and Irving Klaw, come off as very level headed business owners who treated their models with the utmost respect. I enjoyed that the models were offered sandwiches and potato chips- no anorexics here!

Herron also seemed to be having a good time when making a movie about the Fifties. There is an interesting blend of black and white stock footage, modern B & W cinematography, and kitschy Technicolor. Some may find the techniques distracting, but I liked that New York was always in black and white, while Miami was all turquoise ocean and white sand. That's how I picture those places anyways, so it seemed appropriate.

Now to answer the question the fetishists want answered: will this movie turn you on? No, probably not too terribly much. Although they get away with full frontal nudity in a 14A movie and you will see some pretty sexy outfits, the overall tone is fairly innocent, which brings us to another theme of the film. It was a subtle dig at folks who want pornography to be censored and demonized- because as long as everyone involved is a consenting adult, who really cares? The scenes with the models shooting the bondage videos were played for comedy and made the whole controversy seem silly. It actually seemed quaint in comparison to what eight year olds can download nowadays.

If I have any complaint about this movie, it's that it has a distinctly made-for-TV feel, with any real tragedies glossed over and that it only covered a short period in a very interesting person's life. But, some of my favourite movies were made for TV- its guilty indulgence I enjoy every now and again.

A good one to check out on DVD is James Dean (2001), starring James Franco, who won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the late screen legend. The direction and cinematography is quite brilliant in their recreation of iconic images of Dean, who was notorious in his own right. You'll find out some more about his troubled background, his struggle to break into acting and the making of his films. True, James Franco keeps trying to be Dean in every film he makes, but who wouldn't?
Selina frequents movie theatres and video stores so often that she is often misateken for an employee. She actually works at the Epcor Centre and also organizes a monthly performance event. For details, go to http://spaces.msn.com/members/redmilerevenge/. Please send questions, comments and offers of fame and fortune to sechebib@gmail.com.