Pretty Baby
by Louis Malle
Our Price: $32.25
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $24.95 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Antonio Fargas, Brooke Shields, Frances Faye, Keith Carradine, Susan SarandonDirector: Louis Malle
Brand: SHIELDS,BROOKE
Cinematographer: Sven Nykvist
Producer: Louis Malle
Writer: Louis Malle
Editor: Suzanne Fenn
Producer: Polly Platt
Writer: Polly Platt
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 110 minutes
Published: 2003-11-01
DVD Release Date: 2003-11-18
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Paramount
Movie Reviews of Pretty Baby
Movie Review: Absolutely UNBELIEVABLE!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
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)
Summary of Pretty Baby
1917, the last months of legal prostitution in Storyville - New Orleans' red-light district. Hattie, a prostitute at the elegant home of Madame Nell, and her 12-year-old daughter Violet are the only ones awake with photographer Ernest J. Bellocq comes by with his camera. He takes pictures of Hattie and he fascinates Violet. Over the next few months, Nell arranges for the auction of Violet's virginity, Hattie marries and goes to St. Louis leaving Violet behind, and Violet determines to marry Bellocq. Is this idyllic or is she just a girl wearing rouge, soon to return to childhood?A semi-scandal upon its release in 1978, this Louis Malle film is set in a turn-of-the-century, New Orleans bordello and focuses on a girl named Violet (then-child actress Brooke Shields) whose imminent twelfth birthday signals her "readiness" to become a career prostitute. Typical of Malle, the outwardly forbidden nature of the story and relationships within are morally obscured by the immediate experiences and unqualified urges of the characters. The little heroine brings a distinctly youthful and innocent view to the milieu, and the introduction of a photographer (Keith Carradine)--who eventually marries Violet--in the brothel carries the suggestion that there is art and beauty to be explored there. Susan Sarandon is beguiling as Violet's mother, who seems to unfold in the cameraman's presence. The film moves a little stiffly, a little slowly, possibly from a heavy emphasis on period art direction and Sven Nykvist's moody if gorgeous photography. --Tom Keogh
Similar DVD Movies
The Dreamers (Original Uncut NC-17 Version)Fox; Release date: 2004-07-13; DVD
Best price: $4.09
Price in other shops:
LauraMVD; Release date: 2010-02-23; DVD
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops:
AngelaNew Video; Release date: 2002-11-26; DVD
Best price: $13.70
Price in other shops:
Naked in My Room - Skye Come Play with MeRelease date: 2010-04-08; DVD
Best price: $14.88
LolitaRelease date: 2007-09-18; DVD
Best price: $6.56
Price in other shops:
InnocenceImage Entertainment; Release date: 2007-11-13; DVD
Best price: $10.84
Price in other shops:
The Blue Lagoon / The Return to the Blue LagoonSony; Release date: 2009-12-29; DVD
Best price: $8.70
Price in other shops:
The Blue Lagoon (Special Edition)Sony; Release date: 1999-10-05; Published: 1999-10-01; DVD
Best price: $8.21
Price in other shops:
The LoverSony; Release date: 2001-12-11; DVD
Best price: $6.82
Price in other shops:
HounddogDVD
Best price: $8.09