PRETTY BABY

US, 1978, 109 minutes, Colour.
Keith Carradine, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields, Eric Roberts, Frances Faye, Antonio Fargas, Barbara Steele.
Directed by Louis Malle.

Pretty Baby is a portrait (Sven Nykvist's beautiful photography and Louis Malle's often static direction highlight this) of a 12 year old girl, born in a 1917 New Orleans fashionable brothel, a part of this environment, with ambitions to follow her mother in her profession. Brooke Shields gives a very intelligent performance, avoiding so much potential exploitation, as does the film as a whole. It portrays (rather than probes) happiness, sorrow, vulgarity, disappointment in a fringe world of elegantly housed vice. Long close ups of the actors require the audience to try to probe the enigmas of the characters and episodes presented. The film does not have a persuasive inner logic but relies on acting and atmosphere.

1. An interesting film? Its merits? The controversy attending it? The controversy affecting audience response?

2. The importance of its thews, social issues, treatment? A film of sympathy, insight? A portrait of a facet of American society? American morals? The relationship between people and their morality? Morality in general? How well did the film present its themes, was it exploitive?

3. The vision of Louis Malle, his French background and filmmaking? His perception of Louisiana, the French heritage in New Orleans? The importance of the colour photography by Sven Nykvist? The use of traditional American songs and melodies? An authentic flavour to the film?

4. The film as a piece of Americana: the South, society, the French Quarter, the world of the brothel? American morality and its traditions?

5. The point of view of the film: sympathy for the characters, critique of the situation, the emphasis on the humanity of the characters, their strivings, interactions, change? The change to respectability especially as seen in Hattie? The film's comment on the origins of American morality - a bawdy basis and a cloaking over of this with surface respectability? A just critique of American society?

6. Brooke Shields and her performance and presence, her sustaining the film? Questions of child pornography? How was she used in the film, presented? The title and its reference to her, the lyrics of the popular song? Presenting her as a child growing up in this situation? Her beauty, childlikeness, childishness? Her response to her baby brother, her response to her mother, her imitating her mother when she received the present of the doll? Her growing up with the norms of morality of the brothel?

7. The opening and its atmosphere, the birth of the child, Hattie's screaming, the atmosphere of the brothel, the negro slaves and servants? Violet and her reaction to the birth, her running to tell all the prostitutes? Telling the piano-player? Madam Nell and her reaction? A way of introducing themes emotionally, the establishment itself, the characters and their way of life? Interesting the audience successfully and swiftly in the brothel?

8. The focus on Violet: her personality, charm, age? Her expectations in life? Seeing her playing, riding the donkey, talking with the little boy and his messages, the various odd jobs around the house, her observing the prostitutes, imitating their manner, being scolded especially be her mother, being prepared for the way of life just as her mother had before her? An enclosed world, its own values and norms, Violet's acceptance of these and developing with them and despite them?

9. The portrait of Hattie as the prostitute, as mother? Her personality, being moulded by her upbringing, her relationships with men, sexuality, love? Her general unhappiness and her explanation of this? Giving birth to the boy and her looking after him? Relying on Violet? Pretending that Violet was her sister? Her clutching at her beauty, her image? The incident of the earrings and her being bashed? Her slatternly style and demanding coffee from the negro servants? Her interaction with Madam Nell? Her response to the photos? Getting money, care for Violet? Seeking the opportunity to leave? How much was Hattie a symbol of the place itself, changes? Her quick moving into respectability and forgetting her origins? Her return for Violet and her demands on her? Her sympathetic side, hard side of her character? A rounded portrait of this woman?

10. Madam Nell and her owning of the establishment, her work as a Madam, her age, relationship with men, drugs? As a hostess, the fashionable dinners, the fashionable clients, the turnover of money? Her allowing Poppa to come and photograph the girls? Her manner, her control of the situation, Harry and the odd jobs, getting rid of the hammer after the attack? The reaction against the brothels and her burning the money? The goodness in the woman, the evil? Her place in society and audience judgment on it?

11. The picture of the girls in the brothel? Seeing them at work, their false manners to charm the men and bolster them, their talk, dancing? Their expectations in life? The European girl and her using the rich man to get out of the place? Ambitions? The importance of using the men as well as entertaining them? Seeing them in the salon, at the meals, in the bedrooms? Their girlishness and arguing amongst themselves, the playing of hide-and-seek with Poppa? Their interest in Violet? Clashes with Hattie and jealousy of her? The reaction against them and their packing to leave? The wedding and the picnic with Poppa, the men swimming from the barge and their continuing to be prostitutes? The ugly side of their way of life? The human side of their life?

12. The picture of the men: Harry and his work as a bouncer and his cowardice, the various old men needing bolstering, the senators and the rich clientele, the brutality of many of the men, Hattie’s boyfriend and the earrings and bashing her, her husband-to-be? The men at the auction for Violet and their various reactions, the man who bought her and his reaction? Poppa and his presence amongst these men? An unsympathetic portrait of the men? The contrast with the piano-player, his sympathy, friendship with Violet, playing the melodies?

13. The enigmatic character of Poppa? His arrival, stilted manner, as a photographer, his art, work and dedication to it, his observation of people? His anger at his camera being upset? His slapping Violet and her hurt? Hattie and her interest in the photos? The long sequences preparing the tableau, the focus on Hattie's sensual beauty? The photography of Violet? His presence in the brothel and fascination by it, relationship with Madam Nell, his presence at the auction of Violet? Playing hide-and-seek? His home, Violet's going to him, his fascination with her, buying her the doll, treating her with respect? The marriage and its possibilities? The picnic and its humour, the girls having to get into the mud, the swim? Hattie's arrival and the confrontation, Violet being taken away? The effect on him? How well drawn a character? The audience identifying with him in his observing of the way of life in the brothel? His sharing the approach of the screenwriter and the director of the film?

14. The portrait of Violet and the portrayal of her character? As a girl, as growing older, her expectations of being a prostitute? Her hopes for this? The build-up to the elaborate ceremony, her being carried in with candles, her dress? The auction and its revelation of attitudes towards sexuality? Her coy and pretending attitudes with the first man? Her developing these routines, making money? The significance of her being ripped by Harry, her humiliation, her running away? Her decision to stay when Hattie left? Her going to Poppa, the puzzle of coping with life? The blend of childishness and early maturity? The doll and her imitating her mother? The happiness with Poppa, the wedding, the picnic? Her going off with her mother at the end and wanting Poppa to come? His allowing her to go? The final still and the audience looking at her face and trying to understand it as the credits went on?

15. The change after she left the brothel? Corresponding to the changes in public opinion? The war and its atmosphere, the comments about the brothel closing down during the summer but in favour because of the naval base? Popular demonstrations and the closing of the brothels? The group packing up - yet the delight of the picnic?

16. Hattie and her transformation at the end, fighting Poppa, the respectability, the clothes?

17. The impact of the sequence at the station, Violet leaving New Orleans and the way of life, the final look at her face?

18. How much insight into the social issues of the time, their contemporary relevance prostitution and its necessity, its history, the law, morals?

19. The film as a portrait of people and their way of life? Morality, society, responsibilities? Audience judgment?