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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Paramount
Salesrank: 6938
Released: November 18, 2003 |
| Our Price: $8.80 |
| Used Price: $7.97 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
A photographer becomes obsessed with a child prostitute in turn-of-the-century New Orleans.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 18-NOV-2003
Media Type: DVD
Description of Pretty Baby:
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
Pretty Baby Reviews:
Good story. 
2009-12-10 - I really liked the story it was well writen and very well acted. They did a good job of bring the past alive, this brothel was not a safe happy place. They start the movie with a nice plesent scene, violet is roaming around with the paino playing and every seems happy but it doesn't take long and this world to be shown in the light and the happness is empty...
To really understand this movie one must understand the time it was set in 1917, WWI had been raging for 4 years and everyone's mind set was one of shock and fear no one beleived they lived in a safe world, but go back 5 or 6 years ealery and the mind set was totaly different and ppl were livng in a fantasy world where they beleived they were safe and the world around them was a safe one. Open scene Violet is skiping happly through the brothel she lives in without a care of fear in the world and beleving her world is a safe one, her mother on the other hand was wiser and older and she knew the hell she was living in. I liked the 2 adventures these two ladies took, it made the story more beleiveable and it also made you understand why they mde the choices they made. For example at early point in the movie when Violet's mother wanted to leave and how Violet wouldn't leave, that made total since to me, there was no reason for her to leave let she thought she had everything she wanted she was living in her fanstay pre WWI world. Than when Violet's mother does leave and they begin to shater her world and the cold truth of life in a brothel is revealed to her it makes those parts even more powerful. I liked the parts where the guy was shooting the gun radomly into the air, the part where they auctioned off Violet, and also the part where Violet was in the bath and the old women came up to show her off, and finaly the part where they was thrown out into the streets, thoes were all great parts of the movie the added to show Violet what the real world is like also helped to grow her charecter so at the end when she faces the same choice she had in the begining she knows the dangers of the real world and makes the right choice, and if nothing had happened to shater her world the choice she made wouldn't have made any since.
It is a wonderful story the only problem I had with the movie is I didn't really care to have a 12 year old girl running around nude in this movie, yes because of the setting of the movie it wouldn't have made any since not to inculde them I just think they should have found an 18 year old girl that looked like brook shields for a stand in. My second problem with this movie is they were way to easy on the guy who married Violet, he hit, had sex with and threw out a naked 12 year old girl into the streets, he should have either been sent to prison for life or shot by the end of the movie, not just let off with a broken heart. Other than that I really enjoyed this movie
Pretty Baby 
2009-09-25 - Pretty BabyIn response to A Customer, I bought Pretty Baby last week and I don't know when or where you purchased your copy, but mine is not censored. Brooke Shields, Who was probably around 11 at the time was shown nude from the waist up and behind when shes locked out of the house and was shown completely nude in one of the photographs Keith Carradine is taking of her. Now I'm no prude, I was only 10 years old when this film came out and had wondered for years what all the fuss was about and I must say that I was a little shocked at the nudity of this small child. The film could not be made today, it would be considered child pornography. After all the fuss that was made about the film Hounddog with Dakota Fanning, Which I thought was a hauntingly sad film told in a tasteful matter I have only one thing to say : watch Pretty Baby if you want to see children exploited on film. Otherwise i thought Pretty Baby was a good movie, but how did they get away with the underage nudity???
modest and tasteful
2009-08-28 - A very good film for it's time. Too much hype was placed on Brook Shields and her nude scenes. Gives a realistic feeling for what the life of a child of a prostitute may have been like. Her scenes were modest and well filmed. No need to get so alarmed. Brooke's nudity was brief and never sexual in nature. Good film! Not for everyone. Prudes need not view. This is for open-minded adults.
Pretty Baby 
2009-08-11 - "Pretty Baby" is an excellent film that examines a difficult subject with sensitivity and taste. The photograhy is stunning and Brooke Shields is definitely a knockout. Mark Montgomery boboberg@nyc.rr.com
Buy the VHS not the DVD
2009-05-20 - The DVD wide screen version is really bad,they crop out the bottom of scenes! i.e. the famous bathtub scene etc.
Never buy the DVD unless one wishes to see the uncut director's full screen version.
I was surprised to see that the VHS had closed captions,
isn't described on listing.
