Fun, but unexceptional
Barbara Stanwyck, one of the great ladies of American film, hadn't
quite found her cinematic footing yet when she made this forgettable little piece of pop nastiness for Warner Brothers in the early 30s. Times were more permissive then so there are some elements in this film that would not have been allowed in later films. However to some extent the opportunity is squandered by a fairly pedantic story and script that plays like a variation on Theda Bara's "The Vamp." There are some fun moments of seduction, there are ostensibly "heart warming" resolutions and statements, and you have to wish that the movie had more bite. It's not as funny as "Night Nurse", and Stanwyck seems rather unsure of herself in some ways. It doesn't help that she's got a lame duck leading man in George Brent. The story has something to do with her climbing the corporate ladder by way of affairs and blackmail. In a silly mid-story twist, she falls for Brent's supposedly suave and charismatic tycoon and goes straight in an effort to impress him, doing a job in Paris. The ending of the story is trite and conciliatory to the extreme. But on the whole I wasn't bored and I wasn't in any way angered by the film. I just feel that it's a fairly standard picture, a clean formula and with little embellishment in the way of visual art or acting. The film would have been a lot stronger with a good leading man ("Nurse" had her paired with Gable if I recall). And a little more subtlety in every department could have lifted this above average as well.. 
Baby Face= too innocent of a title
The movie "Baby Face," Has a very good lesson to be learned. You cannot
buy happiness. In the end, the main character Lily realizes that she could never compare real love to jewels and money. This movie is very interesting because it shows how easy it is to move up in the world, just by being charming. The movie teaches a very good theme. This movie was very true to the time, it showed how in the era of prohibition, how many people acted. Lily was always being treated by men as a possession, she found a way to use this to her advantage and make something of herself. Overall I found that this movie was very realistic. It was sad to see how many people are willing to cheat on their wives, or risk their jobs, just for sex from a beautiful girl. Sad, but true. This is something that still continues on today, and it is interesting to see that it was the case many years ago. I thought the ending where Lily realized that true love is better than using all the men was a good touch, although I do not see why her husband lived. It did not make sense for this girl to get everything she ever wants!. |
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