Pretty Baby (1978)

Pretty Baby is a 1978 American drama film directed by Louis Malle, starring Brooke Shields, Keith Carradine and Susan Sarandon.

The screenplay was based on Al Rose's book "Storyville, New Orleans: Being an Authentic, Illustrated Account of the Notorious Red Light District."

The film attracted controversy due to its theme of child prostitution and a nude scene featuring Brooke Shields (who was only 12 years old at the time).

Plot
The film is set in 1917 in the red light district of Storyville in New Orleans where a prostitute named Hattie (Susan Sarandon) and her 12-year-old daughter, Violet (Brooke Shields) lives in a brothel owned by Madame Nell (Frances Faye).

After photographer Ernest J. Bellocq (Keith Carradine) visits the brothel, he becomes interested in Violet. One day, Madame Nell decides to auction off Violet's virginity for $400.

When Hattie marries a wealthy client and moves to St. Louis, she leaves Violet alone in the brothel. Then, Violet decides to marry Bellocq and ends moving in with him.

In the end, Hattie and her new husband return to get Violet. Even though Belloq doesn't want to let her go, Violet decides to go to St. Louis with her family.

Cast

 * Keith Carradine as Ernest J. Bellocq
 * Brooke Shields as Violet
 * Susan Sarandon as Hattie
 * Frances Faye as Nell
 * Antonio Fargas as Professor
 * Matthew Anton as Red Top
 * Diana Scarwid as Frieda
 * Barbara Steele as Josephine
 * Seret Scott as Flora
 * Cheryl Markowitz as Gussie
 * Susan Manskey as Fanny
 * Laura Zimmerman as Agnes
 * Miz Mary as Odette
 * Gerrit Graham as Highpockets
 * Mae Mercer as Mama Mosebery

Production
"Pretty Baby" was filmed in New Orleans, Louisiana and in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

For the role of Violet, various actresses such as Tatum O'Neal, Jodie Foster, Melanie Griffith, Diane Lane, Ally Sheedy, Linda Blair, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Debra Winger either auditioned, were considered or were offered the part in the film. The part ended up going to Brooke Shields.

For the role of Bellocq, actors such as Robert Redford, John Travolta, Sylvester Stallone, Dustin Hoffman, Joe Pesci and Rob Reiner were considered or offered the part. The part ended up going to Keith Carradine.

For Brooke Shields' nude scenes, Susan Sarandon gave her a g-string so she wouldn't have to be totally nude.

Film Content
"Pretty Baby" received an "R" rating in the United States, an "X" rating in the United Kingdom and an "R18+" rating in Australia due to the nudity and sexual content in the film.

Due to the controversy of Brooke Shields' nude scenes, the film was banned in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Ontario.

In the United Kingdom, the BBFC censored two scenes from the film to remove nudity.

Box Office
In the United States, "Pretty Baby" earned $5.8 million.

Critical Reception
"Pretty Baby" mostly positive reviews from critics.

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 79% of 14 critics had given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 6.9 out of 10.

The issues of prostitution and child pornography were not far from critics' thoughts.

In Vincent Canby's review for the New York Times, he wrote:

"Mr. Malle, the French director ... has made some controversial films in his time but none, I suspect, that is likely to upset convention quite as much as this one – and mostly for the wrong reasons. Though the setting is a whorehouse, and the lens through which we see everything is Violet, who ... herself becomes one of Nell's chief attractions, Pretty Baby is neither about child prostitution nor is it pornographic."

He ended his review with the claim that "Pretty Baby" is "the most imaginative, most intelligent, and most original film of the year to date."

Similarly, Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert discussed how "'Pretty Baby has been attacked in some quarters as child porn. It's not. It's an evocation of a time and a place and a sad chapter of Americana."

He also praised Brooke Shields' performance in the film, writing that she "really creates a character here; her subtlety and depth are astonishing."

On the other hand, Variety wrote that "the film is handsome, the players nearly all effective, but the story highlights are confined within a narrow range of ho-hum dramatization."

Asheville, North Carolina, Mountain Xpress critic Ken Hanke, looking at the film from the perspective of 2003, said of "Pretty Baby": "It was once shocking and dull. Now it's just dull."

Accolades
1978 Cannes Film Awards
 * Technical Grand Prize: Louis Malle (won)
 * Palme d'Or: Louis Malle (nominated)

1978 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
 * Best Cinematography: Sven Nykvist

1978 National Board of Review Awards
 * NBR Award for Top Ten Films (won)

1979 Academy Awards
 * Oscar for Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score: Jerry Wexler (nominated)