Wearing nothing but her underwear, eight-inch heels and a ball gag around her neck, Bettie Page stands by a wall, her arms and legs tightly restrained with ropes.
“I believe in Jesus,” she says. It’s a peculiar declaration for someone in this position, especially Page, one of the most famous pinup models of the 1950s. Despite this scene’s shocking nature, director and co-writer Mary Harron (American Psycho) seeks to disprove the model’s notoriety in her new biographical film The Notorious Bettie Page.
Best known for appearing in fetish photos wearing leather and wielding a whip, Bettie Page struggled to shake her image as an immoral sex fiend. Contrary to perception, Page was a devout Christian who did not drink or swear.
Despite being sexually molested as a child, married to an abusive husband, and gang-raped before reaching her mid-twenties, Page retained her belief that people were good and that God was on her side. She thought that her body was a gift from God and that she should use it to make people happy. Rather than focus on the model’s sexuality, the film deals with her naïveté and innocence.
Actress Gretchen Mol believably portrays Page’s naïve sensuality that made her appealing and attractive to men. Mol’s accessible portrayal of Page even elicits sympathy from the film’s audience, capturing Page’s innocent, God-fearing nature.
The film opens entirely in black-and-white and only switches to color when Page goes to Miami to escape the overwhelming environment of New York. This switch from black-and-white to color is smooth and lucid. Even in color, however, the film retains its vintage feel.
The pressure of ‘50s society eventually drives Page to stop modeling, a profession considered lewd and obscene. When a boy inspired by bondage photos accidentally strangles himself, her desire to work as a pinup model is further shaken. Looking for a career change, Page attempts to break into acting and fails, unable to shake her image as “notorious.”
Disillusioned with New York, Page moves to Miami. One night while walking on the beach, she follows a blue cross she sees in the trees. Upon finding a church, she falls to her knees and is “born again,”deciding to spend the rest of her life serving the Lord.
Oddly enough, the audience is unable to feel happy for Page and her new life with Christ. In fact, it is impossible to believe that Page is genuinely happy. The Notorious Bettie Page closes with Page standing alone in the woods, her body draped in loose clothing, clutching her Bible. The credits then roll, showing old footage of a happy Page posing in her underwear. The audience cannot help but feel like the world has lost a great beauty to her society’s conservative, close-minded standards.
