Customer Reviews

Bettie Page - The Girl in the Leopard Print Bikini

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There is absolutely nothing new here! If you are even half into Bettie you've seen everything this DVD has to offer. What is so disappointing is that there is maybe a one line mention in this video of the infamous "camera clubs" who were responsible for most of the overtly sexual (and most enjoyed) documentation of Bettie. If you were hoping to see some rare nude posing clips (they exist!) or even some of her standard camera club fare, forget it. The whole discussion of what she did in her modeling years is centered around Irving Klaw and his Movie Star News(later, Nutrix Company)photos and clips. There are images from her appearances in Irving Klaw burlesque review movies, and plenty of talk of her bondage modeling, but this was only a fraction of Bettie! Now, Irving Klaw is important in the Bettie Page story, but maybe, maybe, 20% of all her modeling was for him, and the other 80% of what she did is totally missing in action in this production. I object! The viewer is instead treated to quick frame clips of old stag movies and some stock nudie footage circa 1960's, while the narrator explains the changing sexual morays post 1950's, and how Bettie contributed to that. If you know nothing about Bettie Page, this video does provide an adequate introduction, but what you won't find here is a DVD that gives us the beautiful and rare images of Bettie, and maybe does some real research into what was not an empty-headed little nudie cutie, but an extremely complated, troubled, intelligent woman who is simply the most beautiful thing many of us have ever seen.

...but still no cigar--there has been a lot of Bettie (sic) Page DVDs and videos out there and I hate to tell you this but after perusing most of them from various places, you can forget about seeing any of the "peep" dance shorts in any kind of watchable quality--the only footage that won't give you a headache is either the bondage footage or the "Varitease", "Strip-O-Rama" or any of those color burlesque show films--so unless either some body like a relative of Irving Klaw, Bunny Yeager or even Page herself discovers a treasure trove of unseen footage or even watchable "masters" of the aforementioned dance shorts, we have to make do with DVDs like this--this documentary tries to be a "True Hollywood Story" and I have seen the real "THS" on E! about Page--but I actually preferred this DVD to the "THS", which surprised me, mainly because of two things: 1) more Page footage than E! was able to show on TV due to current FCC constraints, and 2) there is none of that "re-creation" of important events in Page's life by actors to get that dramatic effect--no, this DVD is pretty straight-forward but has one fatal flaw: a good third of the running time is more about the sexual mores of America during the decades of Page's life and career and that seemed to me just padding to peddle a DVD to the Page fan and the curious about her life--that's why I subtracted two stars--all in all, though, there is some bonus footage that features about 8 loops from Page's career, including a few of those almost literally unwatchable dances, but there are some bondage films in surprisingly nice shape and the obligatory footage from those color films--I recommend this only for the Page enthusiast/completist, and for the uninitiated, a little over a sawbuck is not bad for a brief documentary that would show you more than TV about a wonderful erotic chapter in the secret history of American culture...

Bettie Page (1923-2008) seems to become increasingly intriguing with every passing year: first a popular pin-up model of the 1950s and the subject of bondange shorts; later a born-again Evangelical; ultimately a recluse and between these points an occasional knife-weilding schizophrenic. She was beautiful, she was bad, and she had a winning smile. She was "the dark angel."

Unfortunately, you won't find out much about Page herself in this hour long documentary, which spends considerably more time on 1950s sexual repression than it does on Page herself. Admittedly, a knowledge of the era is essential to an understanding of her fame, but re the lady herself we receive the essential facts and nothing more. Worse, the last ten minutes or so of the film are a shameless plug for an entirely different show that involves bimbos playing strip poker for the camera--and while Bettie had her bad days, she was never a bimbo by any stretch of the imagination.

The DVD includes a handful of film loops Page made for Irving Klaw. The first few, which show Page dancing (and dancing was not really her gift), are in such bad condition that they are unwatchable. The two bondage loops are in better condition, and the two final clips are in color, very good condition, and lots of fun--but you can get all this material elsewhere. And I recommend that you do.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

I have been a fan of Bettie Page for a few years now and collect whatever I can find here and there. I have also read and research her life on the web and some published articles, so I was excited about the DVD thinking that it would have a bit more information into her life, but it is simply a review of everything that has already been published about this very intriguing female. Overall it is fun to watch and well made.

Pretty nice overview with kitsch thrown in all over it about the iconic chick who steals hearts after 50 years and even in death, Bettie Page. Her life -an especially her other contributions- are plentiful, so start around here, look into the Cult Epics DVDs including their own DARK ANGEL bio, and choose how much you want to know from there. And really, it's all kitsch anyway, and rockin'.

Twenty zillion Bettie fans can't be wrong. Welcome to the fold.

I'm a big fan of Bettie or Betty Page, and I have seen almost all of her Irving Klaw films but I have never really seen a biography of her. This show turned out really well, and I was impressed with how deep the filmmakers went into her private life.

This show is SO COOL it should have a moustache!