The Notorious Bettie Page

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

Sultry, sexy, and smart, The Notorious Bettie Page perfectly captures a place and time where less meant so much more. A true story set in the '50s, the film explores the life of a woman who was the picture of the all-American girl…until she took it all off. The first pinup nude, her underground photos were considered scandalous, as she was the one model who wasn't afraid to reveal everything. Although her career took her into the pages of legit publications like Playboy, she was forced to testify in front of senators who classified her work as "smut." In the capable hands of Gretchen Mol, Page comes off as nonplussed about her profession, making it seem anything but shocking—dropping her undies was as natural as flossing. She was the predecessor of a new era, and what she did then now seems positively family-friendly. Swapping between black and white and color, this small art film thrives as a showcase for Mol, who not only looks sensational in and out of her clothes—she actually acts.