BUT OF NOTE: TEN STARS for depiction of main 'star' Petra Innanen aka Bettie Blackheart= truly wonderful for Petra alone!
A lovely, if not quite helpful, title to a darling little curio: Initially a relatively routine - if admirable, as debut* - documentary - until you realise that with subsequent events this has grown to become now rather a gem in the documented field, not least for its main 'star', the beauteaous buxom (oh, bouncingly buxom, indeed!) Bettie Blackheart's contributions, but for also then transpiring to be - (presumably inadvertently) - a swansong for both the lost Helsinki burlesque show that director, producer Iina Terho documents, plus also with the veteran performer, 73 year old 'Satan's Angel', Angel Walker's - unexpectedly - valedictory performance, too. But not only that, but also because hidden away in it is also the documentary maker's own, if not necessarily 'coming out', then coming to terms with her own "body satisfaction" and "expression of her own femininity", along with reconciliation to her parent's (father's?) apparently exacting ('mistakes not permitted'!) upbringing. Yep, so much is contained in just a short duration (barely 70+ minutes) of a more or less amateur fly on the wall documentary: but what it has recorded is surely invaluable to posterity.
The aforementioned alluringly, pulchritudinously proportioned (and just incidentally, unbelievably youthful) Petra of burlesque performer stage name Blackheart, is captured without any trappings of the usual lovey-dovey theatricality of stage show divas: indeed, so matter of factly down to Earth, that it is difficult to believe she curated the Helsinki Burleque festival for its ten years (to closure in 2017) with such admirable life equanimity approach: it and she are entrancing to watch: as at one stage, shown preparing collecting the water for the - (Finnish de riguer showing of!) - sauna, the camera lingers, not lasciviously, but (probably, presumably!) admiringly of the gorgeous tats displayed thereon her resolutely rotund rear: even her un-showtime, made-up face belies the age she confesses to - so much so that if burlesque performance renders your physique and looks in such rude delight, then it clearly, for all to see here, is far more body fitness enhancing than any old mere aerobics or the likes exercise - (as e.g. yoga as one U.S. compare here, rightly notes).
Ah, but, yet still, with such in hindsight value - not only is the festival it documents now defunct, but with the loss of the eldest burlesque (Satan / Angel) star now last posthumously seen in this - its short duration time and perhaps lack of doc making experience still shows in that - regrettably - we learn little of exactly why Petra really got into burlesque: other than usual body image / positive openings it gave, after a turn of a few (70's punk style?) photograph pages, it seems she was a fashion oddity in her younger years - but that's not so really unique, unusual there, really - and then that's it for her earlier life: we do latterly get to see her parents - but that's more about (new?) son-in-law Epe (Tehunen a.k.a. stagename Frank Daggestein), her show compatriot who seems to have been the fortunate guy to have captured her (manifestly nowhere near 'black'!) heart: (he mentions later in the doc, 'my wife', and there's some scenes that indicate matrimony ..): nor, of precisely why the burlesque show occasion had to fold on its tenth anniversary: loss of its "sensuality into beauty queen pageants" Petra briefly hints at one point, but possibly financial rigours, too - yet it seemed packed halls successful and was drawing over international burlesque stars (see the extras) as in the featured Japanese 'Erochica Bamboo' (!) and others: perhaps their appearance fees knocked the financing out ..? But akin to the tantalilsing burlesque deportments shown, we're left equally tantislingly unsure - (perhaps then, that was intentional ...?)
** And despite leading to rather poignant family life values reflections, what seemed further lacking, is that from underneath this exotic (erotic!) veneer is in the doc maker's own journey of "femininity" (re-!) discovery - (BTW: with all kudos to her for braving a 'Lobster of the Night' performance - in any case, she inserts a couple of rather titilating apparently teenage / twenties naked pose photos of her own, which, to at least this viewer, also belied any 'body' issue concern necessity!) - any irony insight on her Father, who, apparently, (having latterly came out as gay:), but who now suffers dementia, so presumably does / can not know of his (only?) daughter's family revealing work here: e.g. it was notable that Mother - (presumed from voiceover) - is only shown in an indistinct distance shot.
Nevertheless, in short - or rather, in full rotundity figure (!) as especially so if you appreciate your 'leading ladies' of roundly Rubenesque proportions - this then, is unmissable - an utterly essential visual delight: on top of that (if only!) if you also appreciate simple fly on wall docs, but which have a hidden epiphany, it becomes even better.
N.B. If you pick up the DVD, it is impressively loaded with much of the stuff that Terho, despite its short running time, still quite sensibly ejected from the main doc: but at least from there you can glean a little extra of the burlesque show queens, plus some more on the presumably undertaken as research as to how burlesque began, Stateside Coney Island trip, with (long!) interview with the current guy ("I'm 61") who runs the associated museum there: and which incidentally, proves that Terho was right to leave all this out, as, not only poor otherwise ever happy effervescent Petra clearly desperately attempts to feign interest in, as, (as is sometimes the wont of some Statesiders), he tediously drones on: it was amusing to note that even Terho eventually decides it's better to place the camera focus on Petra instead, and by which, again, thanks Terho for giving us that 'male gaze' longueur of gorgeousness of her! It also gives opportunity to note, with Bettie not only giving performances there - U.S. -, but France, too, to wonder why she is not some sort of internationlal super-star of the genre? I would've thought she would be a major import star a la the others shown in the main doc. Perhaps I'm just besottedly biased on Bettie's behalf ...! :-)
BTW: Fully recommend (essential?) double billing with the old fifties 'Teaserrama' in which Satan's Angel's contemporaries, Bettie Page and Tempest Storm do their original burlesque 'teasing'. (E.g. As from a short interview with the late Angel, from old 'Jallu' mags Petra apparently has, Lily St. Cyr is referenced.)
* There may be another floating about - in production? - about a 'Zombie Wedding'? I got to wondering might this be 'extra' material / related / sequel / whatever, as at one time is how Petra and beaux indeed seem shown skirting with at one time in this one ... who knows ...?
A lovely, if not quite helpful, title to a darling little curio: Initially a relatively routine - if admirable, as debut* - documentary - until you realise that with subsequent events this has grown to become now rather a gem in the documented field, not least for its main 'star', the beauteaous buxom (oh, bouncingly buxom, indeed!) Bettie Blackheart's contributions, but for also then transpiring to be - (presumably inadvertently) - a swansong for both the lost Helsinki burlesque show that director, producer Iina Terho documents, plus also with the veteran performer, 73 year old 'Satan's Angel', Angel Walker's - unexpectedly - valedictory performance, too. But not only that, but also because hidden away in it is also the documentary maker's own, if not necessarily 'coming out', then coming to terms with her own "body satisfaction" and "expression of her own femininity", along with reconciliation to her parent's (father's?) apparently exacting ('mistakes not permitted'!) upbringing. Yep, so much is contained in just a short duration (barely 70+ minutes) of a more or less amateur fly on the wall documentary: but what it has recorded is surely invaluable to posterity.
The aforementioned alluringly, pulchritudinously proportioned (and just incidentally, unbelievably youthful) Petra of burlesque performer stage name Blackheart, is captured without any trappings of the usual lovey-dovey theatricality of stage show divas: indeed, so matter of factly down to Earth, that it is difficult to believe she curated the Helsinki Burleque festival for its ten years (to closure in 2017) with such admirable life equanimity approach: it and she are entrancing to watch: as at one stage, shown preparing collecting the water for the - (Finnish de riguer showing of!) - sauna, the camera lingers, not lasciviously, but (probably, presumably!) admiringly of the gorgeous tats displayed thereon her resolutely rotund rear: even her un-showtime, made-up face belies the age she confesses to - so much so that if burlesque performance renders your physique and looks in such rude delight, then it clearly, for all to see here, is far more body fitness enhancing than any old mere aerobics or the likes exercise - (as e.g. yoga as one U.S. compare here, rightly notes).
Ah, but, yet still, with such in hindsight value - not only is the festival it documents now defunct, but with the loss of the eldest burlesque (Satan / Angel) star now last posthumously seen in this - its short duration time and perhaps lack of doc making experience still shows in that - regrettably - we learn little of exactly why Petra really got into burlesque: other than usual body image / positive openings it gave, after a turn of a few (70's punk style?) photograph pages, it seems she was a fashion oddity in her younger years - but that's not so really unique, unusual there, really - and then that's it for her earlier life: we do latterly get to see her parents - but that's more about (new?) son-in-law Epe (Tehunen a.k.a. stagename Frank Daggestein), her show compatriot who seems to have been the fortunate guy to have captured her (manifestly nowhere near 'black'!) heart: (he mentions later in the doc, 'my wife', and there's some scenes that indicate matrimony ..): nor, of precisely why the burlesque show occasion had to fold on its tenth anniversary: loss of its "sensuality into beauty queen pageants" Petra briefly hints at one point, but possibly financial rigours, too - yet it seemed packed halls successful and was drawing over international burlesque stars (see the extras) as in the featured Japanese 'Erochica Bamboo' (!) and others: perhaps their appearance fees knocked the financing out ..? But akin to the tantalilsing burlesque deportments shown, we're left equally tantislingly unsure - (perhaps then, that was intentional ...?)
** And despite leading to rather poignant family life values reflections, what seemed further lacking, is that from underneath this exotic (erotic!) veneer is in the doc maker's own journey of "femininity" (re-!) discovery - (BTW: with all kudos to her for braving a 'Lobster of the Night' performance - in any case, she inserts a couple of rather titilating apparently teenage / twenties naked pose photos of her own, which, to at least this viewer, also belied any 'body' issue concern necessity!) - any irony insight on her Father, who, apparently, (having latterly came out as gay:), but who now suffers dementia, so presumably does / can not know of his (only?) daughter's family revealing work here: e.g. it was notable that Mother - (presumed from voiceover) - is only shown in an indistinct distance shot.
Nevertheless, in short - or rather, in full rotundity figure (!) as especially so if you appreciate your 'leading ladies' of roundly Rubenesque proportions - this then, is unmissable - an utterly essential visual delight: on top of that (if only!) if you also appreciate simple fly on wall docs, but which have a hidden epiphany, it becomes even better.
N.B. If you pick up the DVD, it is impressively loaded with much of the stuff that Terho, despite its short running time, still quite sensibly ejected from the main doc: but at least from there you can glean a little extra of the burlesque show queens, plus some more on the presumably undertaken as research as to how burlesque began, Stateside Coney Island trip, with (long!) interview with the current guy ("I'm 61") who runs the associated museum there: and which incidentally, proves that Terho was right to leave all this out, as, not only poor otherwise ever happy effervescent Petra clearly desperately attempts to feign interest in, as, (as is sometimes the wont of some Statesiders), he tediously drones on: it was amusing to note that even Terho eventually decides it's better to place the camera focus on Petra instead, and by which, again, thanks Terho for giving us that 'male gaze' longueur of gorgeousness of her! It also gives opportunity to note, with Bettie not only giving performances there - U.S. -, but France, too, to wonder why she is not some sort of internationlal super-star of the genre? I would've thought she would be a major import star a la the others shown in the main doc. Perhaps I'm just besottedly biased on Bettie's behalf ...! :-)
BTW: Fully recommend (essential?) double billing with the old fifties 'Teaserrama' in which Satan's Angel's contemporaries, Bettie Page and Tempest Storm do their original burlesque 'teasing'. (E.g. As from a short interview with the late Angel, from old 'Jallu' mags Petra apparently has, Lily St. Cyr is referenced.)
* There may be another floating about - in production? - about a 'Zombie Wedding'? I got to wondering might this be 'extra' material / related / sequel / whatever, as at one time is how Petra and beaux indeed seem shown skirting with at one time in this one ... who knows ...?
