Pretty Baby

1978 • 109 minutes
4.2
125 reviews
71%
Tomatometer
R
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

Internationally acclaimed director Louis Malle has taken a taboo subject - child prostitution - and has created in Pretty Baby a film of humanity and beauty. E.J. Bellocq (Keith Carradine) is a photographer obsessed with the prostitutes in New Orleans' red-light district. Violet (12-year-old Brooke Shields), a young girl in 1917, bewitches Carradine with her curiosity and naive coquettishness. Malle's level-headed treatment of this controversial theme and exceptional performances by the entire cast (especially Susan Sarandon as Violet's prostitute mother) makes Pretty Baby a must-see for all serious film fans.
Rating
R

Ratings and reviews

4.2
125 reviews
Chelsea Lyons
January 2, 2019
I think this movie is one of the best I have ever watched. In today's world, it is extremely controversial and kinky. It is beautifully done and so creative. The clothing and the set is amazing. This movie gives real insight into the world we once lived in and how it has changed. To be frank, people used to marry at 14... so an 11 year old prostitute isn't at all surprising. I think this movie should be considered an all time classic. It is a masterpiece!!! Highly, Highly recommend!!
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Dori Burke
September 5, 2021
Having lived thru something similar i say this is absolutely beautifully done and yet still retains a good level of truthful reality. My mother sold me daily growing up from a very young age and it took everything I had to keep myself and to always remember where I came from and work towards better.I can say from experience that she thought she was in love bcause he gave her everything she thought she wanted & he treated her well emotionally and I toothought at her age that you don't get both.
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Bevin Allison
November 25, 2014
Her age is wrong in the discrption. She was 11 when it was actually filmed. I like that it's based on true events and show cases a part of history often considered way to taboo to touch. Good job to all involved!
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