In a touching documentary Bettie Page narrates her life from a tough childhood surviving a depraved father to an unexpected career in nude modeling that had just started to blossom in America. The complete life encompassing film takes you into the no holds barred sexual explosion of the late 50’s to early 70’s with Bettie leading the way. Much like the fight for the right to view pornography lead by Hustler Magazine, Bettie Page Reveals All shows how nudity and modeling became an open book of the human body.
One of the most revered models of all time, the movie shows Bettie’s life unfold in photographs, aged footage depicting the times in which she grew up, film taken of her exploits and friends interviewed for this documentary. The 50’s era actually was a big part of her becoming famous; especially since a government committee lead by Senator Estes Kefauver was in the news scrutinizing the thriving nudity business. Although Bettie was not one for pornography, her full nudes did turn up many priggish eyebrows.
It all begins on April 22, 1923 Nashville, Tennessee with the birth of Bettie one of 6 children born to the Page Family. She reveals how she and her sister are molested by her father and then being separated from her brothers when she was put in an orphanage after her mother’s divorce. The dark side includes a story about her walking along a road as a teenager, being enticed into a passing car and later forced into committing a sexual act. She grew up imitating movie stars and posing as if wearing their high fashions in clothes she designed. This is a story of her dream and she tells how she accomplished it.
Director Mark Mori spools out his film as if it’s a scrapbook of photos that come alive on the screen. Bettie herself narrates the film as if she’s been making documentaries all her life. She describes her exploits in a manner as if unaware of the changes she made in the morals of an era that had been crumpets and tea. Even her videos are glorified by the now elderly Bettie who became a vixen with a whip. She dressed in leather for photos and film for the bondage craved voyeurs that were spending mountains of cash on any and all of her sexy material (never receiving residuals for her work).
Mori brings in a good many witnesses to this woman who craved sex and exuded it on negatives of the camera clubs. Playboy Magazine tycoon Hugh Hefner touts Bettie as a symbol of innocence and sensuality while her biggest fans Irving and Paula Klaw distributed the magazines and other material as mementos to greatness. But it was Bunny Yeager a model and budding photographer that found Bettie’s greatness through her lens. Her hundreds of photos of Bettie were sought out by many and those that were published added to the memory of this creature of beauty. It was Yeager that eventually opened the door for Bettie to Playboy Magazine and Hugh Hefner.
Bettie Page Reveals All has been rated R for sexual content and graphic nudity throughout. While the sexual content refers to her posses and video of mock bondage, the nudity is stylish and non-pornographic.
Additional Film Information:
Hosted by: Bettie Page
Cast: Dita Von Teese, Hugh M. Hefner, Bunny Yeager, Harold Lear, Richard D.W. Bann, Dick Heinlein, Greg Theakston, Paula Klaw
Directed by: Mark Mori
Genre: Documentary
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content and graphic nudity throughout
Running Time: 1 hr 41 min
Opening Date: December 6, 2013
Distributed by: Music Box Films
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
