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The Notorious Bettie Paige

Hemingway Jones

I'll Lock Up
Bartender
Messages
6,099
Location
Acton, Massachusetts
I would love to see this. I believe it is only playing in NY and LA. The NY Times gave it a very good review. And I must say I have a bit of a prurient interest in it as well. ;)
 

decodoll

Practically Family
Messages
816
Location
Saint Louis, MO
It's playing here in San Francisco as well. I almost got free tickets... apparently the comic book store owner around the corner was waiting for us to pass Thursday night to give us his free passes, but then he got trapped by a customer and couldn't catch us... :( From what I've read, reviews seem to be mixed, but everyone agrees that Gretchen Mol is great as Bettie. I'm going to try to get to it this weekend.
 

Naama

Practically Family
Messages
667
Location
Vienna
Ah! I would love to see it, but (big wonder :mad: ) it doesn't plays here.... And I don't think it ever will.... But I'll be waiting for the dvd release

Naama
 

happyfilmluvguy

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,541
I know I'm far off from when this was first added, but I actually saw it twice. (The second time was just to get a friend to see it) I thought it was very well done movie wise, but historically wise, I've been told there were a few glitches in the story. But overall, I enjoyed it. The only negative thing I had about it was I wondered if Bettie Page was really that naive. She seemed too naive to me, but I didn't know much about her when I saw it, but I did know who she was.
 

Tomasso

Incurably Addicted
Messages
13,719
Location
USA
happyfilmluvguy said:
I wondered if Bettie Page was really that naive. She seemed too naive to me

I understand that she was very hip to all that was happening around her but that at one point, she got religion.
 

herringbonekid

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,016
Location
East Sussex, England
i saw this today and i feel that the director (Mary Harron) maybe didn't know herself how she felt about the subject. at times it seems to paint men as a corrupting influence (rightly so). at other times the pin-up world becomes a quaint cottage-industry, peopled by loveable eccentrics. Bettie is portrayed as an innocent, even when posing in bondage scenarios she seems to retain a pureness which in the end comes down to a faith in god. "adam and eve were naked....clothing corrupted them" she says, or words to that effect. for me it glossed over the harsher aspects a little too smoothly, and became almost a rose-spectacled view of a more innocent time, never really getting into the minds of either the models or the voyeurs.
 

Caledonia

Practically Family
Messages
954
Location
Scotland
Thanks for the review HBK. I don't go to the movies but would like to see it. I take it it is only just released? ie, I have to wait 4-5 months for the DVD.
 

Hondo

One Too Many
Messages
1,655
Location
Northern California
herringbonekid said:
i saw this today and i feel that the director (Mary Harron) maybe didn't know herself how she felt about the subject. at times it seems to paint men as a corrupting influence (rightly so). at other times the pin-up world becomes a quaint cottage-industry, peopled by loveable eccentrics. Bettie is portrayed as an innocent, even when posing in bondage scenarios she seems to retain a pureness which in the end comes down to a faith in god. "adam and eve were naked....clothing corrupted them" she says, or words to that effect. for me it glossed over the harsher aspects a little too smoothly, and became almost a rose-spectacled view of a more innocent time, never really getting into the minds of either the models or the voyeurs.

Ihope I'm making some sense here, so excuse me, while my brains runs half empty, (coffee) [huh]
With regards to Twinch's "Kind of a seedy story over all" just a friendly opinion, I don't really believe so because in the 1950’s (late 1940's) things were different than say 1960’s, or today, think San Francisco’s Broadway or early Vaudeville or Burlesque, there were nice theaters, up scale and poor ones, depending on your budget, its only when things got nastier (more nudity) that it went down hill, not as entertaining, that seedy crowd came along, I guess its always been there.
You could look at porn theaters today and say they are seedy, rightly so.
Bettie Page did have a na?Øve look at photography, nudity and people involved who guided her. Those who took advantage of her, many have reasons for turning to faith, or religion. I just think she just had enough abuse.
I kind of admire her, feel sorry in fact cause she seemed like a sweet person.

Herringbonekid: I kinda feel the same way, while I haven't seen this film, I've read a bit about Bettie Page and do think this story could have been written better (script) or lacking more, I don't know how old some of you are (I wasn't around to witness Ms Page) but times were different.
I look forward to the DVD and some comments from others.
 

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