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Review

Outstanding, crowd-pleasing biopic about the pin-up queen that expertly captures not only the enigmatic Bettie Page (presumably), but also the eras it portrays. In only her third feature, Mary Harron uses a crisp B/W noir palette for the majority of the picture, switching to garish Kodachrome for certain photo shoots. And damned if Gretchen Mol isn't a dead ringer for the luscious Ms. Page, right down to some titillating full nudity that is surprisingly erotic even in this context. Mol is a revelation as Bettie; this is the 'it girl' performance we've waited over a decade for. Equal parts vulnerable and headstrong, she handles the tragedies of her coming-of-age and the curiously liberating posing & light bondage filming for Irving Klaw with effortless ease and grace. Even Bettie's eventual retirement from modeling and her devotion to Jesus seem like logical steps for a woman that the world previously knew precious little about. Great stuff for Bettie's fans, while neophytes will be compelled to immediately seek out the original film loops as well.

 -- David Gorgos