Interview, Mary Harron Director, Notorious Bettie Page

Writer/Director Mary Harron was the first to join our roundtable. When asked about the visual style of the film, she explained that it was determined by the photographs taken of Bettie Page by the Klaws who ran a busy New York City storefront known as Movie Star News. Harron described their photos of Bettie Page as "oddly naïve, innocent and incongruous with vaguely S&M scenarios. They were often staged in what appeared to be homelike setting where Bettie appears like a little girl playing dress up and maintains a sunny detachment." Harron added, "You can’t understand the photos until you recreate the atmosphere in which the photos were taken."

Harron was asked about how the attitude of the 1950’s in terms of sexual imagery differs from today. She explained that it was very difficult to have sex on camera then, although there were stag films in the 1950s. She said that the Klaws didn’t think of themselves as pornographers. "Today it takes on a whole other emotional level. Theirs was a fairly "mom and pop" operation compared to today where the internet is the biggest source of pornography."

When queried about how the real Bettie Page responded to the film, Harron said that Page found the senate hearings very upsetting, more so than any of the other events from her life depicted in the film. Harron added that Page loved Gretchen Mol’s performance and was very pleased by how she depicted her (Page) in the film. Harron described how Bettie came from an era where sexual abuse and gang rape were not talked about and that Bettie never mentioned her own experiences until much later in the 1970s.

Harron explained that the scene between Bettie Page and photographer/illustrator John Willie in which they have a conversation about religion was not based on real events. She added that it’s not even certain whether the two ever worked together although they both worked for the Klaws. The scene was invented because Harron wanted a way to frame Bettie’s deeply religious beliefs. She described how Bettie made a living modeling but couldn’t have been further from her public image. Harron described her as "a playful person who was able to tap into this joy. She left modeling and found Jesus." Harron stated that later "her life followed a slow descent, although not a cataclysmic descent." Harron chose to focus on Bettie Page and sex in the 1950’s. The filmmakers negotiated with James Swanson for Bettie Page’s life rights but were not successful in obtaining them.

When queried about the casting of Gretchen Mol, Harron responded, "We auditioned lots of people, but couldn’t find the right person so we opened up the casting call. Gretchen Moll came in blonde. She didn’t try to look like Bettie Page but revealed a quiet, natural quality in the character – a sweet quality. No one else really rivaled her for the role."

Harron described the challenges of making a film set in the 1950’s by stating, "It’s difficult finding locations. Just a few streets still exist. We used archival footage for some scenes. We had to pay attention to every little detail. Every item of clothing and every prop must be carefully examined." She described how they had to remove air conditioning units from some buildings to create the authentic look of an era where air conditioning did not yet exist.

Harron described how they heightened the 1950’s style of "The Notorious Bettie Page" by looking at classic 50s films such as Samuel Fuller’s "Pickup on South Street" and Orson Welles’ "Touch of Evil," and by incorporating the filmmaking style of the era, such as using long, extended camera takes with the characters moving in and out of the frame, rather than the quick cuts and kinetic editing style of today’s filmmakers. Also, she had the characters talk very fast which was consistent with the era.

When queried about her latest project, "Please Kill Me," Harron said that it was loosely based on the novel "Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk Rock," written by Legs McNeil with Gillian McCain. She described it as "a panoramic tale of punk rock. It’s a period film and there’s very little left of the [New York] downtown of the 1970s."