A young woman uses her body and her sexuality to help her climb the social ladder, but soon begins to wonder if her new status will ever bring her happiness.
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If you don't like this, we can't be friends.
Admirable film.
When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
The film "Baby Face" has earned some notoriety for its pre-Code depiction of a woman who flaunts the conventions of polite society to achieve success. Released in 1933, it stars Barbara Stanwyck as a young woman who feels trapped in an unhappy life. Circumstances give her the freedom to change her life, so she departs for the big city, determined to "use men" to accomplish her goals.Her musical theme is "St. Louis Blues", a popular song quite familiar with the audiences of 1933. Its lyrics lament the "St. Louis woman" who "pulls my man around by her apron strings." It's a suitable theme for Lily, who has decided to disregard emotions in her drive for money. She is, surprisingly, inspired by the words of Nietzsche, who posits that "sentiment is opposed to reason."The film moves swiftly as Lily quickly works her way through the men-and the hierarchy-of a powerful bank. We might ask if she is a heroine on a noble quest. Or maybe just driven to achieve an order of success---seen as the vanquishing of her impoverished, powerless past. Some might see it as a version of feminism, to achieve one's goals despite the motivations and machinations of men. But she is never a feminist heroine, because she never approaches her obstacles from a position of power.Unfortunately, the ending of the film is rather weakly resolved. But it is engaging till its final moments.It is interesting to compare "Baby Face" to the more modern "Sucker Punch" (2011), starring Emily Browning as the character Babydoll. Each film has a protagonist who is victimized by men and searches for a way to gain her goals, in part by using her wiles. The endings are very different, allowing for contrast and comparison.Stanwyck is convincing as Lily, but she portrays an emotionally one-dimensional woman. Still, you can see the machinations behind that placid façade--a tribute to fine acting.
This film was very different than the other films being made during the 30s. It was all about sex and a woman who was used to using her body to work her way to the top. The adventures of this woman trying to find a way in life by using questionable methods makes this movie worth watching, highly recommended.
A woman who was used all of her life by men now makes a decision between power and love. She started from the bottom with a couple dollars to her name and used her looks to get what she wanted to get to the top. She decided that she was not going to be used any longer, and that she was going to use them instead. Once she reaches the top and finds a man who she falls in love with, something tragic happens and she needs to give up everything she has. But is love strong enough to make her give all of her money away? The title of this film is deceiving because you think it is going to be about a sweet and innocent woman.
Don't be deceived by the cute title. This nasty piece of business is a wild pre-code tale full of sin, immorality and lust. Its main character, played flawlessly by Barbara Stanwyck, is an openly amoral woman without a shred of decency or regret. We discover that Stanwyck's father has been pimping her at his speakeasy since she was fourteen. At his death, marrying a little Nietzschean philosophy into her need to climb social and financial ladders, she seduces one man after another with no regrets. The sex and immorality are left out of camera range, leaving questionable situations to the imagination of the viewer.In "Baby Face," Warner Bros. breaks every rule in the book with wild abandon that had to have driven the religious conservatives of the day into nuts. In the spring of 1933 it was submitted to the New York State Board of Censors, who rejected it, demanding a number of cuts and changes. Warner Brothers made these changes prior to the film's release in July 1933. In 2004, a "dupe negative" copy of the film as it existed prior to being censored was located at the Library of Congress. This uncensored version received its public premiere at the London Film Festival in November 2004, more than 70 years after it was made.Come see what all the excitement was about. It's actually a really fun, and racy, movie.