Bettie Page Reveals All

This documentary portrait of 1950s pin-up model Bettie Page—who disappeared from the public eye in 1957 but became a celebrated icon and sex symbol when her work was rediscovered in the 1980s by artists and fashion designers—offers a familiar mix of biographical detail, commentary by experts and witnesses, and photographs and film clips from her career. The title is a double entendre that refers both to her nude modeling and to the film's narration by Page herself, via frank audio interviews conducted before her death in 2008 (Page refused to be photographed in her retirement). She describes her troubled youth (neglected by her mother and molested by her father), along with her struggles with depression and schizophrenia that would lead to 10 years of psychiatric care in a mental institution in her later years, but filmmaker Mark Mori is much more interested in her image. Page projected innocence, confidence, and joy in everything: cheesecake snaps, nude photo shoots, staged bondage scenes, and short films, illustrated here with scores of photos (both clothed and nude) and film clips. Her first-person narration offers a privileged glimpse into the person behind the image but Mori simply adores her too much to dig any deeper into the darker episodes she describes. Still, this offers a good—albeit limited—introduction to the famous icon. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include restored Irving Klaw “Wiggle Movies” starring Bettie Page (25 min.), “The Early Years” audio interview with Page (16 min.), a phone call with Page and filmmaker Klaw's sister Paula Klaw (14 min.), “Filth and Obscenity!” bonus footage (9 min.), footage from Page's 2008 funeral (3 min.), a music video by Buzz Campbell, a pin-up gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an engaging documentary.] (S. Axmaker)