I knew going in who Betty Page was and what kind of work she did to get her notoriety; it's no surprise that the film is made by a woman but, thankfully, there's no overt feminist statement here - however, neither is there much psychological insight into the woman herself! In fact, for all the (admittedly quaint) transgression involved - and considering the fact that Harron had previously made American PSYCHO (2000) - the film retains a fairly detached viewpoint, which rather betrays its being an HBO-funded project.
Even so, Gretchen Mol is very adequate in the lead and the film is nonetheless interesting (especially with the points it makes about censorship vis-a'-vis erotica and vintage Hollywood films, and the trial sequence towards the end which effectively puts the axe to Page's professional 'career' and eventually leads to her spiritual rebirth) and enjoyable (thanks also to a practiced if low-key supporting cast that includes Jared Harris, Lili Taylor, Austin Pendleton and David Straitharn) all the way through.
Also notable is its vacillation between black-and-white and color: the former is perhaps too austere to be accurate, but the nostalgic oversaturated palette of the latter is quite effective and gives the footage an admirable home-movie quality.
Even so, Gretchen Mol is very adequate in the lead and the film is nonetheless interesting (especially with the points it makes about censorship vis-a'-vis erotica and vintage Hollywood films, and the trial sequence towards the end which effectively puts the axe to Page's professional 'career' and eventually leads to her spiritual rebirth) and enjoyable (thanks also to a practiced if low-key supporting cast that includes Jared Harris, Lili Taylor, Austin Pendleton and David Straitharn) all the way through.
Also notable is its vacillation between black-and-white and color: the former is perhaps too austere to be accurate, but the nostalgic oversaturated palette of the latter is quite effective and gives the footage an admirable home-movie quality.