Bettie Page Triple Feature Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Bettie Page Triple Feature Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 25, 2024

Irving Klaw's "Varietease" (1954), "Teaserama" (1955), and "Buxom Beautease" (1956) arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include multiple audio commentaries and vintage trailers. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main fetaure. Region-A "locked".

I must admit that I have always struggled to understand why Bettie Page became such a phenomenon. I understand the appeal of what Page did. For example, most of the early S&M content in cinema would be impossible to discuss without mentioning her name. But what exactly made Page so popular? Her figure? Some very rare quality that gave her a special sex appeal? Her personality? I was going through the different acts in the burlesques on this release and as far as I am concerned, several performers there look dramatically better than Page. They have better personalities and acting skills, too. Jo Weldon, a former stripper and dominatrix with decades of experience, acknowledges in her audio commentary that Page had a great butt and knew how to make it look great in front of the camera. It is a fair point that no red-blooded man would disagree with. But Tempest Storm, for instance, looks vastly better, with and without her blue dress, while Twinnie Wallen’s athleticism and improvisational skills far exceed the ones Page reveals.

What about the outfits Page and the rest of the performers wear? Is there anything that Page does better than the competition? I must be missing something obvious again because I do not think Page sticks out. Page did a lot of content for Irving Klaw wearing stockings, garter belts, and corsets, and plenty of it is considered classic S&M material, but here she looks quite ordinary. In her group and solo performances, Storm looks far more provocative wearing her stockings and silky gown. Another burlesque dancer named Blaze Starr does too, conveying a better personality as well.

The three main attractions on this release are Klaw’s Varietease (1954), Teaserama (1955), and Buxom Beautease (1956). Each is approximately an hour long. However, Varietease and Teaserama are presented in two versions. The first version is shorter and is fully restored in 4K. The second is longer. It has a few minutes of more revealing bonus material and is described as Something Weird Video (SWV) version. (The bonus material is not explicit material). Buxom Beautease is presented in only one, fully restored in 4K, version. Klaw shot Varietease and Teaserama in early Eastman color, and here both are presented in color.

Like all classic American burlesques, Varietease, Teaserama, and Buxom Beautease have short comedy acts. I thought that all of them were witty and very funny. My favorite one is about a clueless dentist and a goofy patient who is determined to get a tooth fixed despite recognizing the former’s many flaws.

The quality of the striptease dancing varies. (I am not an expert, but it is not difficult to tell). All solo acts are far more charming and funny than arousing, but opinions may vary. Dorian Dennis is, in my opinion, the top performer, but once again I expect many to disagree. She certainly had the most stylish black dress, so I am giving bonus points for the effort. Page and Storm do a “reverse striptease” act, which is the only one with an obvious S&M element.

Bettie Page Triple Feature Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Varietease (1954), Teaserama (1955), and Buxom Beautease (1956) arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release introduces new 4K restorations of Varietease and Teaserama from the 16mm original camera negative, and new 4K restoration of Buxom Beautease from the 35mm original camera negative and 16mm materials.

The two color films, Varietease and Teaserama, look very similar. Both have strong organic appearances and boast pretty good delineation, clarity, and depth. However, both also reveal obvious small density fluctuations and some minor color pulsations. On both, grain exposure is not as consistent as it should be as well. Small blemishes and nicks can be spotted, too. Nevertheless, I think that the overall quality of the presentations is very, very good, especially if you consider how rough these films have looked on various DVD releases in the past.

Buxom Beautease has a similar appearance, but there is more content on it with obvious drops in terms of delineation, clarity, and depth. I think that all viewers will notice the areas where different sources were used to prepare the current presentation. The grayscale is good, though some fluctuations can be observed there as well. There are no serious stability issues on all three features. However, you should expect to see some shaky transitions and minor bumps. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Bettie Page Triple Feature Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

All three features are presented with English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks and optional English SDH subtitles.

The quality of the audio tracks is very difficult to judge because virtually all of the dialog and music sound quite thin. Given how the three features were shot, this is hardly surprising because it does not appear that any serious efforts were made to create conventional cinematic soundtracks. In other words, the current soundtracks, if they are the complete original soundtracks, have plenty of inherited limitations. I did not encounter any audio dropouts to report in our review.

Bettie Page Triple Feature Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

DISC ONE - TEASERAMA AND BUXOM BEAUTEASE

• Commentary One - this audio commentary for Teaserama (SWV version) was recorded by David F. Friedman and Mike Vraney. I thought that this was an excellent audio commentary that covers a lot of material not only about Bettie Page but the history of the burlesque in America and the type of films Irving Klaw made. Also, there is plenty of interesting information about other famous performers like Page and how their careers grew as they became more popular, as well as the big markets for nude films in America.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive audio commentary for Teaserama (4K restoration) was recorded by former stripper and dominatrix and author of The Burlesque Handbook. It is also a very, very good commentary. It offers a lot of good information about Bettie Page's classic image as a performer and the work she did with various other ladies and Irving Klaw. I thought that some of the comments about her choices of lingerie and shoes were good, too.

• Trailer One - presented here is a restored vintage trailer for Teaserama. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Trailer Two - presented here is a restored vintage trailer for Buxom Beautease. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

DISC TWO - VARIETEASE

• Commentary One - this audio commentary for Varietease (SWV version) was recorded by David F. Friedman and Mike Vraney. Another very good commentary with plenty of interesting information about the 'masters of ceremony' that appeared in the various classic burlesques, Bettie Page's career and reputations (as well as influence on many young women), the rise and demise of the burlesque in America, some of its biggest stars, etc.

• Commentary Two - this audio commentary for Varietease (4K restoration) was recorded by critic Alexandra Heller-Nichols.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Varietease. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Cover - reversible with vintage poster art.

Bettie Page Triple Feature Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is pretty easy to speculate that without Irving Klaw's films we probably would not have seen the majority of Russ Meyer's films. But if Klaw is given this much credit, then Herschell Gordon Lewis has to be mentioned, too, and right after him Joe Sarno. The three Klaw films on this release unquestionably have historic value, so if you decide to see them, I suggest you find the time to listen to the different commentaries that were recorded for them as well. You will learn plenty of interesting information about the history of the burlesque in America, as well as some of the ladies that were considered its biggest stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.