Filmikaze!

By: Alfred E. Green (director), Darryl F. Zanuck (story), Gene Markey (screenplay)

Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Donald Cook, Alphonse Ethier, John Wayne

Lily Powers has to do more than serve drinks at her father’s run-down speakeasy in a small industrial town. His death gives her the chance to get to New York. With her experience in using her looks to get her way she is soon on her way to the top, cynically stepping over her men as she no longer needs them.

Made prior to the enforcement of the Hays Code, Baby Face typifies the “fallen woman” genre that was popular at the time. There are two versions of the film: the original, and a censored cut that was created to comply with the New York State Censorship Board. Fortunately, I watched the original, although I did get to compare and contrast several scenes for my film history class. The rant I could make about the censorship of women’s sexuality I’ll save for another time, but it bears mentioning if only to establish a social context for when the movie was made.

The plot for Baby Face is flimsy at best, and it becomes evident very early in that the point of the movie is to be sensational. The main character essentially sleeps her way through the film, working her way from man to man, each more rich than the last. So, what we’ve got here is a woman who knows how to be sexual and isn’t afraid to use it, which is great, but it’s happening at the same time that she’s playing out a demeaning stereotype. The men in the film actually fare even worse than the women, though, as it seems that every man is weak-willed, salacious and desperate to get into Stanwyck’s pants.

I honestly didn’t expect a film from this time period to make me feel this uncomfortable in this particular way. There’s very little substance to be had in Baby Face; it’s just the story of how a good-looking woman fucked a lot of guys in exchange for favors and money, and that’s unsettling regardless of era. I think it’s worth watching academically, but I wouldn’t recommend it strictly for entertainment value.