Review of Pretty Baby (1950) by Zenobia O — 16 Feb 2009

I watched this movie about 20 years ago and it scared me. I watched it again recently it scared me again.

Things that are wrong with this movie other than the obvious (glamorization of childhood rape):

1. The acting, (specifically of the Bordello Madam, and of Bellocq) there were times when the lines were so awkward I laughed out loud. Also, no one was able to successfully pull off a New Orleans accent. No one has a French accent. Most of the cast didn't even try a southern accent and the ones that did ended up sounding like Scarlett O'hara imitators which is bad.

Also Antonio Fargas could not be anymore obviously NOT playing the piano. He's not that great of an actor, they could have found a real piano player I'm sure. What a great way to diss the birthplace of jazz music by not even caring enough to get a real piano player.

2. Accuracy. First of all Bellocq took pictures of lots of prostitutes all over storyville, not just one house (and not just 2 subjects). He was also Creole and short, not Waspy and very tall. Aah this movie is shady shady shady. I've seen a great many of those photographs and I cannot recall one featuring a girl with no breasts or pubic hair. Basically nothing is known about the real Bellocq except for how outstandingly brilliant his work was. This movie takes one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century and reduces him to a creepy pervert with a camera. The history of Storyville is so rich with potential for great stories. Its so sad that the best that these writers could come up with was a cliche story about a man obsessesed with a bratty child whore. What's even sadder is that they fabricate this whole story using a real person, E. J. Bellocq, who was too dead to defend himself against this.

The obvious: I'm well aware that child prostitution was prevalent in storyville but I have a real problem with the way the character of Violet seems to blindlly enjoy her rapes. There's never a moment of reflection with her character, she's a child constantly having fun. One would think that a child prostitute might begin to take on a more serious outlook, but she's like "yay, its fun to loose my virginity to "a live one" who shamefully flees the scene." I don't see any semblance of an adult in a kid's body or a wise beyond her years pre-adolescent in Violet. There's no irony or jadedness. She is a funloving child in mind and body with makeup on. But the movie seems to say that its okay that Bellocq fucks her breastless hairless body after she throws tantrums and destroys his pictures, because he really loves her. Weird.

That being said, I'm a real sucker for this period and for the most part the costumes and design were quite nice. Susan Sarandon and Brooke Shields were both very good and saved this movie from being a total exploitation disaster.

Overall its one of those movies that only white french filmmakers can get away with and I feel like a lower person having taken the time to watch this.