Customer Reviews

Pretty Baby

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A brothel is the saddest place in the world. Malle however finds a dark poetry behind the red house light and gives a beautiful intimate portrait since the point of view of a little girl.
Malle always kept in the deepest of his soul the childhood memories , and this is a direct heritage from the French Mew Wave. And this statement is supported by two essential films of him *Zazie dans le metro* from 1961 and *Au revoir les enfants* (one of his four masterpieces) from 1986 who deserved him an Academy Award as best foreigner film.
This film literally made grow up to Susan Sarandon as a top actress in a demanding role. Jodie Foster made this role without too much effort , probably due her before playing in Taxi Driver.
The script is astonishing and surrounded of a bitter atmosphere.
One little gem and a cult movie from this brilliant french director.

I had a major crush on Brooke as a kid, so when I saw this video for sale at a movie rental place I picked it up. I couldn't (and still can't) believe that this movie is only rated 'R' -- I think that it should be either NC-17 or unrated. The subject matter itself is questionable, but the full frontal nudity of her (at 12 years of age!) is borderline pornography--or is that in the eye of the beholder? If they had kept her clothes on I might rate this movie more highly, because she WAS awfully cute at the time.

The only reason this film has so many stars is because there are sexual perverts out there rating it. If looking at a 10-year-old without her top on turns you on, perhaps you'll enjoy 3 seconds or so of this film. If you wish to avoid tedium, poor acting, poorly written, and poorly directed slop, move on. Forget the names associated with this and save a couple hours of your life.

I like this movie and I have seen this countless of times. 'Pretty Baby' is a testament to the fact that the 70's were vastly more liberated than our times, at least when it comes to sexuality. In here pretty baby is twelve-year-old Violet, played by Brooke Shields. Violet has grown in the environment of a circa World War I whorehouse in New Orleans, where her mother Hattie (Susan Sarandon) practices the oldest of professions. She still acts like a child, one who likes to chase lizards in the underbrush and who throws tantrums when she doesn't get her way. When her mother leaves the brothel to start a respectable life, Violet remains and allows her virginity to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. She finds herself drawn to a photographer, Bellocq, who is taking portraits of Storyville prostitutes. Realizing that she is love, the young Violet declares her intention to marry Bellocq...

Brook performance literally carries this movie. Yes, the movie is quite explicit about the business of prostitution during that time, but it is never exploited and gives one the sense of how it really was, and what might happen to children born into prostitution. Malle's dispassionate take on all of this outraged viewers a quarter-century ago, but it all seems rather tame today. Perhaps too tame.........

Malle's restraint is so great at times that one wishes he'd pushed the envelope even more. But he got an amazing performance out of Shields, one that she never topped in her career as an actress -- Violet is a mesmerizing combination of innocent child and sly young woman, and that we never see her as a victim is to both her credit and Malle's. Some of the other acting in the film is less impressive, especially Frances Faye as the brothel's elderly owner, Nell -- she's simply horrible, turning in one of the worst performances seen outside of early John Waters' movies. Still, it's a beautiful movie. Its slow pace may frustrate some viewers, but 'Pretty Baby' is a gorgeous, emotionally stunning experience.

The year is 1917, during the last months of legal prostitution in New Orleans. Hattie (Susan Sarandon) is a prostitute at the home of Madame Nell. Hattie has just given birth to a boy, and already has a 12-year-old daughter Violet (Brooke Shields). Photographer Ernest Bellocq (Keith Carradine) visits them one day, takes pictures of Hattie and fascinates Violet. Nell arranges for Violets virginity. Hattie goes off to Missouri to marry and leaves Violet at Nells. Alone, Violet is uninterested by everything except Bellocq; before long, she seeks refuge at his home and they marry.

I cant picture any other director than Louis Malle for this movie. Brilliantly directed and acted by a superb cast, this is a lovely film. I can only imagine how much more beautiful the motion picture might have been if the original choice for Director of Photography, Tonino Delli Colli, had accepted to go to America to work with Malle on this picture. Sven Nyquist did a great job though.

Brooke Shields was simply (and is still to this day) gorgeous. Her emotions are developed all through the film and appear to be genuine. Carradine is a bit weak and unemotional at times. Sarandon is perfect for the role of Hattie.

A simple masterpiece that shows the world of a mother and her daughter as prostitutes, this film does not show useless nudity and Malle rather gives a fine representation of it.

This is a work of art, recommended for mature viewers.

The best part about this movie is Brooke Shields. Her beauty is obvious even at that age. She had some nude scenes. This is the type of film that perhaps can no longer be made in the climate that we live in. Susan Sarandon plays the part of Brooke's mother. Keith Carradine is also along for the ride as a not-so-successful photographer. I highly recommend this film to those who can appreciate the works of David Hamilton and Jock Sturges.

this movie caused a scandal as it should for having a young nude brooke shields if u get beyond that its a sad look at child prostitution in the late 1800s brooke shields plays violette daughter of a prostitute living at a brothel soon violette is groomed as the new prostitute a photographer shows up simply to take pictures of her mom for a magazine violette kinda falls for him and eventually moves out of the brothel to marryhim then her mother returns with a new sickman to steal her away as it ends a sad artsy movie but most true film critics should see it beware has beatings young nudity and many disturbing themes

Cut to the scene where Brooke poses naked and tremulous for her photographer/lover:

This scene, and the rest of the movie, left me questioning my habitual concepts about reality. Isn't beauty like this supposed to be available only to billionaires or dictators of major countries?

Clothes on or off, Brooke's beauty is gut-wrenching.

Plus beautiful photography and a beautiful love story.

Thank you, God!

It is a look into a period of history that many would pretend never happened. Imagine, politicians portrayed as purchasers of 12 year old virgins! And truth be told, there is a censored scene where Violet is tossed out, and if one has the VHS copy, it will be clear. The cloth cover is apparent on the VHS, but the DVD is cut such that the bottom of the scene is above the cloth cover. There is a lushness to the photography, and a refreshing frankness about what the business is all about. This is a well crafted movie, but perhaps doesn't age all that well. The atmosphere of the times is well depicted and this is a movie that flows. Susan Sarandon plays her role expertly. Brooke Shields does an adequate job. With all the publicity of the times about her role, it is only a good role, not a great role. Fans of hers will want this DVD. Taking pictures in 1917 was not a simple process, and Keith Carradine plays a fine role of a probably neglected and lonely photographer. Perhaps the most telling phrase was when Violet tells Bellocq: "Who cares. No one buys your photographs anyway!" The depiction of the characters and the atmosphere of the time is a reason to buy this DVD. The true shame about this DVD is that, for all the time it took to release this as a DVD, there is nothing in the way of extras.

First I thought this was a slooooww boring movie. They could have fit everything into an hour. Second, why is this not kiddie porn? If you put up a web page with screen shots of Brook Shields from this movie (forget about copyrights for now) or identical poses with other girls of the same age, wouldn't you get in trouble for kiddie porn? Why is it being in a movie make it any different than if the picture is a still shot by itself. Were the laws about kiddie porn different back then? Were softcore nudes of underage girls considered art rather than porn? I really am curious because I was shocked when I watched this to see how young Brook was and that she was totally nude in a couple of scenes.