Sometimes, you get lucky enough to find out about something before much of the world does.
Bettie Page Reveals All is one of those cases. We bought a signed poster long before the final cut was in place, had a lovely chat with director Mark Mori, and celebrated when the movie made it onto Netflix this month.
So about that movie. If you love or are even minimally curious about Bettie Page, then you need to see it. Bettie herself narrated much of the movie, so we get to view the world and her life mostly from her perspective. She is honest, occasionally surprisingly so for a woman in her eighth decade, but I did leave the film wondering if she was an honest narrator. Is that the way it all really was? Or did she change aspects- either intentional or not – to better suit her worldview.
That’s less a criticism – and more a another layer of the mysterious Bettie. The woman that was able to be both sultry and innocent – with the same memorizing expression.
Bettie still sounds sharp and displays a wonderful giggle on multiple occasions, that warms every part of you. The guest interviews are full of love and admiration. And since Bettie didn’t want to be on screen, Mori had to lean on images, photos, and art based on Bettie to fill in the emotional blanks. The movie is edited exceedingly well, always moving and knowing when to linger on those classic Bettie Page images.
On a personal level, it was a pure joy to see this movie, to hear Bettie’s voice, and to see so many images of her that I’ve never seen before.