'Queen of Pinups' hits screens

Playboy magazine deemed Bettie Page the "Queen of the Pinups" in the 1950s, but soon after receiving the title, she disappeared from the public spotlight. Thanks to the Ryder film series and Kinsey Institute, her image has come back into focus in Bloomington.\nLast night, "The Notorious Bettie Page," an independent film starring Gretchen Mol as the famed model, premiered at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave. An encore presentation is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Sept. 18.\nRather than focus on the sexual nature of Page's persona or voice an opinion on her work, the film is more of a look at the daily life of pornographic filmmakers and a "provocative exploration of sexuality, religion and pop culture," according to the film's Web site, www.thenotoriousbettiepage.com. Mol has been outfitted for the role of Page, trading her golden locks for Page's signature long dark hair and thick bangs. \nAccompanying the film are reproductions of two dozen black and white photographs of Page donated from the Kinsey Institute archives.\n"What's remarkable about her is her longevity," said Catherine Johnson-Roehr, curator of the Kinsey art collection. "Her image is still very recognizable. She seems to be as popular now as she was then."\nProgrammer for the Ryder Film Series, Peter LoPilato, said she was a fascinating woman during an interesting time in America.\n"Unlike today, it wasn't a situation where there was a corporate entity promoting her," he said. "It was just through word of mouth in this subterranean world where people bought these magazines."\nSome of her most famous photos feature the model posing with cheetahs and donning nothing but a Santa Claus hat for Playboy, but Page was also sometimes photographed with whips and handcuffs, paired with nylons and high heels.\nIn 1955, the U.S. Senate became involved in Page's work, placing her as the subject of a televised investigation. A senator from Tennessee, Page's home state, also launched a coinciding campaign against pornography, according to www.bettiepage.com.\nAfter the investigation, Page began to work less and by 1957 had left the public eye completely.\nPage quickly developed a cult following, searching out the answers to her life story. The 1970s brought reprints of Page's photos. Autobiographies began to surface in the 1980s, and countless Web sites sprung up in the 1990s.\nMary Harron, director of "Notorious" and other films like "American Psycho" and "I Shot Andy Warhol," is the next in a long line to cash in on Page's lasting popularity, with the recent release of the first feature film dedicated to the pinup. \n"The film suggests that she was not very self-analytical," LoPilato said in relation to her provocative work. "It was part of her mystique. She's a difficult figure to get a grip on."\n"The Notorious Bettie Page" will be shown at Bear's Place at 9 p.m. tonight, 5:15 p.m. Sunday and 9:15 p.m. Tuesday. An additional on-campus showing will take place in the upstairs of the Fine Arts building at 8:30 p.m. Friday. The Kinsey exhibit will only be featured at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater for a $5 charge. The other venues charge $4 for admission.\nFor more information visit www.theryder.com.