Pretty Baby

Name: Pretty Baby
Genre: Drama
Released: April 5, 1978
Duration: 110 min
Rating: 66
Cast: Antonio Fargas, Barbara Steele, Brooke Shields, Cheryl Markowitz, Diana Scarwid

1978

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Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews

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Movie Details & Credits

Cinema International Corporation (CIC) | Release Date: April 5, 1978 | TV-MA

Starring: Antonio Fargas, Barbara Steele, Brooke Shields, Cheryl Markowitz, Diana Scarwid, Frances Faye, Keith Carradine, Matthew Anton, Seret Scott, Susan Sarandon

Summary: A teenage girl lives as a prostitute in New Orleans in 1917.

Director: Louis Malle

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: TV-MA

Runtime: 110 min

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Critic Reviews

Jonathon Cott

As in all of his movies, Malle exhibits in Pretty Baby his characteristically detached, skeptical, lucid, moral — not moralistic — attitude toward life.

In a project laden with pitfalls, Malle has kept his balance and produced an elegant, ironic and poignant film about our troublesome hearts, minds and bodies. [10 Apr 1978, p.106]

Roger Ebert

Louis Malle's Pretty Baby is a pleasant surprise: After all the controversy and scandal surrounding its production, it turns out to be a good-hearted, good-looking, quietly elegiac movie. Read full review

Judith Martin

It takes a robust and humorous approach to life in a brothel, where the work done is less important than the community spirit; and "naughty" would be a far better word to describe the sex scenes, while the rest is decidedly nice. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Despite the scandalised yelps about child pornography, a film of disarmingly subversive innocence. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

Beautifully shot and subtly rendered, but too slowly told for its ambiguities to really be effective. Read full review

Dave Kehr

Dull and lifeless. Read full review

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User Reviews

Deanomite

Jan 23, 2020

As a fan of Louis Malle (Dinner with Andre) and Keith Carradine (The Duellists is my all time favorite movie), this movie is interesting. Set entirely in a brothel in New Orleans in 1917, it is designed to be from the perspective of a young innocent girl-Brooke Shields, who did an amazingAs a fan of Louis Malle (Dinner with Andre) and Keith Carradine (The Duellists is my all time favorite movie), this movie is interesting. Set entirely in a brothel in New Orleans in 1917, it is designed to be from the perspective of a young innocent girl-Brooke Shields, who did an amazing job creating a very complicated character. The plot is her mother-Susan Sarandon (topless and nice) auctions her daughter's virginity. That it could be portrayed as anything but disturbing is a testament to the time the movie was made. The child simply knows of no other life, is entirely unaware of any options and so is optimistic about the world she knows. There is something arresting about this movie, the corruption of innocence through capitalism, it is definitely told through the child's perspective. Honestly I cannot imagine how this movie got made at all, much less with all the big name talent involved.… Expand

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