From the cutting room floor: Harron on Bettie Page
In the spring, 2006, The Austin Chronicle ran two articles--"The Notorious Irving Klaw" (March 10, 2006) and "Little Underground Worlds" (April 21, 2006)--centered around my interview with The Notorious Bettie Page director, Mary Harron. As often happens with these type of things, pieces of the interview end up on the cutting room floor. In celebration of Bettie Page's 86th birthday, here are some unexpurgated Harron comments about the world's most famous pin up.
On Bettie's endearing popularity:
Her story is interesting. She disappeared then was re-found, but I think it has to do more with the images themselves. It's a culmination between the very funny, fifties, cheesecakey pin-up stuff and the bondage stuff. At the same time she's still the same person in both sets of worlds... both kinds of photographs. She's always funny and cheery even in the Klaw stuff. [It's] a hidden world of sexuality that we have discovered in the last twenty years that has very much come above ground, but with something hidden and secret, and therefore intriguing. There's that idea of the two worlds. Without that bondage stuff, I don't think she would be nearly as famous as she is today. Even though her other photographs are really wonderful.
People now are very interested in the fifties.. going back to it. But also discovering the hidden aspects of the fifties. All the stuff of American life. In a way it was the height of American stability and prosperity and everything's wonderful. And at the same time there's all these hidden darker things. To try to get a picture of it, then you look at the hidden things. Bettie represents both the public face of the fifties.. all buoyant and healthy and sexy... and her hidden photographs are the darker side.
On the appeal of Bettie to young feminists:
[Betty] is in her own world. It was part of Betty's psychology. She loved to be photographed so much. That was probably her greatest joy and satisfaction to stand on her own being photographed. She's not doing it for anyone else. She just loves it. She's almost like a kid looking in the mirror. She just loves posing. She's not asking for approval or anything. She just had this joy in herself, in her body, and in showing herself off. Young woman like that and they are trying to play with their own femininity or sexuality or try dressing up or try different roles on. She is such an interesting person to try to be because Bettie seems so happy and confident. Also, she's inappropriately happy even when she's in these ridiculous scenes. If people want to play with this kind of bondage fetish stuff, she makes it just like a game because that's all it was for her. She makes it all fun and dress up and play acting, so it makes it a harmless way to try these things out or look at these things.
As popular as the bondage images/movies remain, I much prefer this dance from Varitease.
Sadly, Bettie passed away late last year. She is missed.
Labels: Bettie Page, Mary Harron, The Notorious Bettie Page, Varitease
posted by Rick Klaw at
9:17 AM
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