Baby Face
Baby Face

Movie spotlight

Baby Face

1933
Movie
76 min
English

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.

Insights

IMDb6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes75%
Director: Alfred E. GreenGenres: Drama, Crime

Plot Summary

Lily Powers, a young woman trapped in a life of poverty and exploitation, escapes her small-town existence by seducing and manipulating men in the city. She climbs the corporate ladder of a bank through her intelligence and undeniable allure, using each man she encounters to her advantage. As her ambition grows, she finds herself in a dangerous game of power and desire, ultimately challenging the patriarchal structures of the era.

Critical Reception

Upon its release, 'Baby Face' was controversial due to its themes of female sexuality and ambition, facing censorship in many areas. Despite this, Barbara Stanwyck's performance was widely praised, and the film is now recognized as a pre-Code classic that boldly tackled taboo subjects for its time.

What Reviewers Say

  • Barbara Stanwyck delivers a captivating and audacious performance.

  • The film is a daring pre-Code exploration of female ambition and sexuality.

  • Its controversial nature led to significant censorship upon release.

Google audience: Audience reception data for 'Baby Face' is not readily available through Google reviews. However, its enduring status as a pre-Code classic suggests a strong appreciation for its bold narrative and star performance.

Fun Fact

The film was heavily censored upon its initial release, with some scenes requiring re-shoots or complete removal to appease the Hays Code, making the surviving versions often incomplete.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

1 reviews
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

Barbara Stanwyck is at the top of her game in this cracking story of a young girl "Lily" who thanks to her pal "Cragg" (Alphonse Ethier) and some ideology from Nietzsche quickly discovers that she can use her femininity and her brains to ge...