The Notorious Bettie Page

2005
R
1h 31m

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

12K

YOUR RATING

Gretchen Mol in The Notorious Bettie Page (2005)

Theatrical Trailer from Picturehouse Entertainment

Play trailer1:50

1 Video

41 Photos

Showbiz Drama Biography Drama

The life of Bettie Page, a 1950s pin-up model and one of the first sex icons in America, who became the target of a Senate investigation because of her risqué bondage photos.The life of Bettie Page, a 1950s pin-up model and one of the first sex icons in America, who became the target of a Senate investigation because of her risqué bondage photos.The life of Bettie Page, a 1950s pin-up model and one of the first sex icons in America, who became the target of a Senate investigation because of her risqué bondage photos.

Director
- Mary Harron
Writers
- Mary Harron
- Guinevere Turner
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

12K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Mary Harron
Writers
- Mary Harron
- Guinevere Turner
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 4 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 1:50

The Notorious Bettie Page

Photos41

+ 33

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Storyline

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Did you know

Edit

Trivia
A good friend of Bettie's, Hugh Hefner held a private screening of this movie for Bettie Page and a small group of friends. Bettie reportedly liked the movie and remarked that Gretchen Mol was much prettier than she was. Her only complaint was the film's title, saying "I was NEVER notorious!"

Goofs
The film depicts Bettie as being OK with the fetish/costume/bondage modeling - and being quite naive as to the erotic uses of such photos. This is exactly opposite from how the real Bettie Page felt about modeling. Her attitude basically was that "God made us nude, so how bad could it be?" but the more extreme fetish posing fostered sexually deviant desires. The numerous fully nude shoots she did for amateur camera clubs bears this out.

Quotes
Bettie Page: I'm not ashamed. Adam and Eve were naked in the Garden of Eden, weren't they? When they sinned, they put on clothes.

Crazy credits
craft service - Grover Cleveland, craft service assistant - Benjamin Harrison

Connections
Featured in HBO First Look: The Notorious Bettie Page (2006)

Soundtracks
I Surrender, Dear
Written by Harry Barris and Gordon Clifford
Performed by Artie Shaw
Courtesy of Bluebird / Novus / RCA Victor
By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Licensing

User reviews111

Review

Featured review

9/10

This Movie's Got Legs - And Charm.

For a film that's ostensibly about sex and leather, it doesn't have any right to be as oddly sweet as it is. The story of Bettie Page, a good Christian girl from the South who's momma wouldn't let her date until she married, who moved to New York and ended up becoming the most successful pin-up of her age, is driven by an outstanding performance from Gretchen Moll. Her Page can't quite reconcile the pictures that she takes (nobody's allowed to touch, it's all fun and respectful) with the pornography trials and supposed ill-effects that her images have on the world around her.

Page has been an inspiration to every burlesque artist since, not just because she had a figure to die for, but because she invested every picture with an innocent sense of fun that was uniquely sexy and simple at the same time. Rather like this film, in fact. Filmde in both black and white and glorious technicolour, it's a lovely way to spend a couple of hours.