Pretty Baby (1978) | Brooke Shields, Keith Carradine

Pretty Baby (1978) | Brooke Shields, Keith Carradine | Beautiful Brooke

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Pretty Baby (1978)

	Pretty Baby (1978) Brooke Shields, Keith Carradine Paramount, 1995 average customer review:based on 36 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Absolutely UNBELIEVABLE!!!

I was very happy when PRETTY BABY became available on DVD. Soon as I found that out, I quickly ordered it from amazon.com and it arrived in only a few days.I wish to comment on the following:QUALITY OF FILM TRANSFER TO DVD: Outstanding! Picture was very clear and sharp. Colors were lively and brilliant! No noticeable defects in even the least slightest degree.MUSICAL SCORE: Soundtrack was very beautifull and moving. It represented the time period very well. It definitely contributed to the athmosphere of the time period.SET DESIGN and WARDROBE: This movie reminded me of the motion picture TITANIC, in regards to the representation and superb accuracy of the time period depicted. Just like the musical score, the set design and costumes were very true to the finest detail.ACTING: All performers, to include the supporting cast, did a remarkable job of acting. My favorite actress was Violet played by Brook Shields. She had this thick sassy southern accent and was remarkable for such a young age. The photographer who later married her was also very convincing. STORY: And now for the meat and main part of my review....I also own the movies LOLITA (Both versions), and BEAU PERE---which I received from amazon.com in a timely manner. These movies were HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL. They were a subject of much social/moral criticism! During all of this extreme negative press concerning these young girl movies, I never heard anything mentioned about PRETTY BABY...So I guess PRETTY BABY just sneaked right in and surprised me........AND BOY DID IT DO THAT!!!!!I knew the movie would be about a pre-teen prostitute...But I never would expect what the censors let the movie get away with!!!!!(a) 11 year old Brook Shields posing nude, a full body shot of her laying on a couch, from head to toes!(b) Several scenes of her walking around the house fully nude.(c) Many close-up shots of her bare chest.(d) Highly XXX dialogue, such as the line where 11 year old Violet tells her customer that "I can feel the steam just coming thru my dress"(e) The absolutely unbelievable scene where Violet is teasing this 10 year old black boy about him being a virgin. She then later throws the boy to the ground and jumps on top of him. She continues to tease him while pulling down his pants. Just as she begins to engage in forced sex with him, this black maid enters the barn and scolds Violet and gives her this lecture on how wrong it is for a WHITE girl to breed with a BLACK person.I will save the other examples for you to discover and find out yourself! I do not want to ruin the surprise and SHOCK!In terms of controversey, moral standards, and censorship....this movie blows both versions of the movie LOLITA and BEAU PERE out of the water!!!I really thought the above mentioned movies were the only three mainstream movies out their that challenged the censorships with highly controversial young girl "lolita" content.....But I JUST FOUND OUT THEIR IS A "FOURTH ONE" OUT THEIR IN THE WILD CALLED "PRETTY BABY" THAT BLOWS THEM ALL OUT OF THE WATER!!!!!!For those of you that enjoy and search the world over for mainstream "lolita type" content movies....THIS IS A 100% DEFINITE MUST OWN MOVIE!!!!!! (P.S. I do not want to waste space and your time by going into detail about what the movie was about or plot specifics...you can find out that information by reading the MAIN DESCRIPTION at the beginning, or the MAIN REVIEW...also many reviewers quote and state the same story specifics over and over...Reviews are supposed to give an EVALUATION/RATING REVIEW, not tell the story over and over again in different fashions)

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Beautiful Brooke

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.

The bitter loneliness behind the red light house

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.

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A distinctly Gallic view of sexuality...

...this movie should be remarked, as the Amazon reviewer correctly notes, also for the utterly beautiful camera-work.

And Sarandon, before her manic obsession with politics, like Alec Baldwin and others, shimmers with talent and we're treated to her full genius, something little scene (pun intended) these last ten years as "activism" has dissipated the sap that once nourished the talent in this once brilliant actress. (See this descent in her jarring overacting in "Children of Dune; marring an otherwise excellent adaptation.)

The "scandal" is highly overblown. As for the movie "being unable to be made today", that's an odd statement. Thora Birch went topless at the age of seventeen. Kirsten Dunst engaged in full mouth kiss with Brad Pitt in "Vampire", and Led Zeppelin's "Houses of Holy" with dozens of naked children on it, can still be bought even at Wal-Mart and BestBuy. I know of no prosecurtor who has brought charges of child porn against the producers of any of these films or the parents of the children. And this movie's still obviously available to everyone within the US by its mere presence on Amazon.

Even more notable is that the "scandalous" scenes haven't been cut in an "abridged" version by the supposedly craven studio(s). However, this could be due to Malle's ownership of it.

If this film really was child porn does anyone think Amazon would sell it?

Frankly, this movie's tame compared to much of garbage readily available, 24-7, thanks to the wonders of cable.

The difference? Malle's work has clear, artistic intent. The nude scenes of the sparkling beauty of Shields, those eyes even then so powerful, were necessary to the plot. Doubltess, controversy in the Anglo-Saxon world wasn't unanticipated, and certainly added to the box office; but its (obviously) enduring popularity is proven by its presence here.

As for the film itself, like all of Malle's work, it's a love-hate affair. He either hits his mark or misses to the point of (possible Anglo-Saxon) incoherence. Here he mostly hits his target, offering, in an American environment and in English, the very different French view of sexuality.

If you're looking for a readily excessible way to grasp some part of the Gallic mindset, this film may help.

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Get it for the mood and photography

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.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

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