Pretty Baby (1978)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Louis Malle

Writers:

Polly Platt (story)
Polly Platt (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

5 April 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Tagline:

In 1917, in the red-light district of New Orleans, they called her "Pretty Baby"

Plot:

A pre-teen girl grows up in a house of prostitution in the Storyville section of New Orleans in 1917.

Plot Keywords:

Prostitution | Virginity | Prostitute | Auction | Photographer

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Brooke Shields	...	Violet
Keith Carradine	...	Bellocq
Susan Sarandon	...	Hattie
Frances Faye	...	Nell
Antonio Fargas	...	Professor
Matthew Anton	...	Red Top
Diana Scarwid	...	Frieda
Barbara Steele	...	Josephine
Seret Scott	...	Flora
Cheryl Markowitz	...	Gussie
Susan Manskey	...	Fanny
Laura Zimmerman	...	Agnes
Miz Mary	...	Odette
Gerrit Graham	...	Highpockets
Mae Mercer	...	Mama Mosebery
Don Hood	...	Alfred Fuller
Pat Perkins	...	Ola Mae
Von Eric Thomas	...	Nonny
Sasha Holliday	...	Justine
Lisa Shames	...	Antonia
Henry Braden	...	Harry
Patrick M. Burke	...	Fanny's Customer
C.C. Courtney	...	Naval Officer
Joe Catalanotto	...	Hattie's Customer
Philip H. Sizeler	...	Senator
Don Lutenbacher	...	Violet's First Customer
Hobe May	...	Farmer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stocker Fontelieu	...	Brothel Patron (uncredited)
Bill Holliday	...	Gussie's client (uncredited)

Directed by
Louis Malle

Writing credits
Polly Platt		(story)
Polly Platt		(screenplay)
Louis Malle		story

Produced by
Louis Malle	....	producer
Polly Platt	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Gerald Wexler

Cinematography by
Sven Nykvist

Film Editing by
Suzanne Fenn

Casting by
Gary Chason
Juliet Taylor

Production Design by
Trevor Williams

Set Decoration by
James L. Berkey		(as Jim Berkey)

Makeup Department
Dave Grayson	....	makeup artist
Charlene Johnson	....	hair stylist
Charlene Roberson	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Tony Wade	....	unit production manager
Lindsley Parsons Jr.	....	executive production manager: Paramount (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Donald Heitzer	....	assistant director (as Don Heitzer)
Toby Lovallo	....	second assistant director
John M. Poer	....	assistant director

Art Department
Mark Wade	....	property master
Richard Speed	....	carpenter's apprentice (uncredited)

Sound Department
Donald F. Johnson	....	sound mixer (as Don Johnson)
Dick Vorisek	....	sound re-recordist
Skip Godwin	....	sound engineer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Maureen Lambray	....	special photography
Michael McGowan	....	camera operator (as Mike McGowan)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mina Mittelman	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Suzanne Baron	....	supervising editor
Ruth Blakeslee	....	assistant editor
Mateel Hoppe	....	assistant editor
Alice Miller	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Raymond Burke	....	musician: clarinet
Louis Cottrell	....	musician: clarinet
Bob Greene	....	musician: piano solo
Ferdinand 'Jelly Roll' Morton	....	composer: additional music
Kid Thomas	....	musician: trumpet
Jerry Wexler	....	music adaptor
Jerry Wexler	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Greg Van Dyke	....	transportation coordinator (uncredited)

Other crew
Alan Greedy	....	script supervisor
Al Rose	....	researcher
Karen Moore	....	assistant to director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corp. (197?) (UK) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1978) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Fotomat (Drive-Thru Movies) Video (1979) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• New Orleans Film Commission, The  film commission
• The New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra  additional music

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:16 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Netherlands:12 | Netherlands:16 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Finland:K-16 (1988) | Finland:K-18 (1978) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:R | Chile:18 | France:-16 | Norway:18 (1978) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Dana Plato later claimed that she had been offered the lead role but her mother Kay had turned it down.

Quotes:

Bellocq: Her father unknown, and her mother deserted the child.
Violet: My mother's name was Hildegarde. Hildegarde Marr. M-A-R-R.
Priest: And she was Caucasian, or other?
Violet: She was a whore, Father.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "20 to 1: Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (#6.6)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Swipesy

An incredibly frank but humane movie of the type that doesn't seem to be made anymore.

A beautifully filmed movie which tells a difficult story with a subtlety and power that leaves you thinking about it during odd moments for days. It's that much more disconcerting because all the while you're keenly aware that this isn't based on "a true story" but on millions of true stories throughout history, including today, and in every part of the globe.

Due to my age I'd never seen 'Pretty Baby' in the theater or, for some reason, read much about it. I was aware of the basic plot but didn't know I'd be seeing quite so much of a naked 12 year-old Brooke Shields. A couple of moments were honestly difficult for me to watch, but I've come to the conclusion that the nudity is absolutely essential to the telling of the story. You *have* to be forced to see exactly what those men were paying for.

The brilliance of director Loius Malle's film is that he constantly subverts the audience's desire to be aghast at what we see. The camera finds happy little moments throughout the movie, your mind is left to fill in the ugly realities. This trend continues to the end, which is like a cruel mirror image of the typical happily ever after Hollywood ending.