Review of 1933's "Baby Face" (Pre-Released Version)

Here's a movie that I've actually wanted to watch for a LONG time: 1933's Baby Face starring the clearly-from-Brooklyn film legend, Barbara Stanwyck. 

SUMMARY

A young woman (Lily Powers--played by Stanwyck) uses her body and her sexuality to help her climb the social ladder, but soon begins to wonder if her new status will ever bring her happiness. [IMDb]

STORY

Lily Powers with her father, Nick (played by Robert Barrat)

This film's writers were definitely some great storytellers. I loved, loved, loved this story. The movie was so complete--it had its beginning, middle, and end and also provided us with a short, subtle, yet very intricate summary of the character's background. It was believable, it was genuine, and best of all--it was packed with feminism! Who doesn't love feminism?

CHARACTERS/ACTING

A worn-out Lily with her friend, Chico (played by Theresa Harris) 

Now, to the best part of the film (in my opinion)--the actors and the characters:

Every actor in this film was a natural. No one did "too much" and no one did too little either. The standout performance came from (as it should) its star--Ms. Barbara Stanwyck. 

I've only seen Barbara Stanwyck in two other roles: Ladies of Leisure and as Victoria Barkley in The Big Valley. Up until recently, her work as the butt-kickin' matriarch in The Big Valley was my favorite. Now, Ms. Stanwyck has captured my heart and smoothly made her way to the near-top of my "Favorite Classic Actresses" list. 

Barbara Stanwyck in Stella Dallas (1937)

Ms. Stanwyck gives a knockout performance as Lily Powers, the used and abused woman who's finally decided to take control of her own destiny. She begins to treat men in the manner that they've treated her ever since she was fourteen years old. While watching Baby Face, I got the sense that Barbara Stanwyck shared something with Lily Powers--her pain, her determination perhaps? Her performance left quite an impression on me and it's a shame that it didn't nab her an Academy Award nomination. 

****

I'd primarily borrowed this movie (or DVD collection rather) with a desire to check out more of actress/singer Theresa Harris' work and I must say I was a little disappointed. I've read a lot about Ms. Harris' magnetic screen presence and since her role as "Chico" is considered one of her more popular roles, I was expecting to see a groundbreaking, trailblazing performance. I didn't get that. Same old, same old here. 

Now, don't get me wrong, Ms. Harris was great in her role--quite a natural talent she was. We even got to hear a bit of her singing. However, although her character was supposed to be the "friend" of the lead character, she seemed to be nothing more than the "trusty black servant". I should have caught a hint when I saw how lowly credited she was though. 

DIRECTION

Alfred E. Green directed a lot of "human" stories--from risqué films like Side Streets (1934) to biopics like The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)--so I can see why he took on a film like Baby Face. 

This was a nice film to look at: the lighting was good--not too dark, not too bright; dark in places that needed to be dark, nicely lit in places that needed to be nicely lit--you know, basic, but good lighting. 

However, what stood out to me the most were the shots and camera angles. There were plenty of (and appropriately placed) close-ups, zooms, pans, etc. I loved watching the camera move "up" along the bank building in which Lily worked. A beautiful work of art.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Lily Powers and her new love, Courtland Trenholm (played by George Brent)

Overall, I think Baby Face is the best "Pre-Code" era film I've seen so far--one of the best films in general I've ever seen. It's definitely a movie that could be made today and enjoyed by today's audiences as well. 

Go purchase, borrow, rent, or download Baby Face as soon as you can't! You won't be disappointed!

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I do not own any of the photos in this post. In order to credit the sources in which I obtained the above photos, I added custom watermarks with their URLs. Photos without watermarks were obtained from Wikipedia. If the rightful owner(s) of any of these images wants them removed, please contact me and I will do so as soon as possible.--Adrienne