Baby Face

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Baby Face

Released Jul 1, 1933

1h 11m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

100%

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20 Reviews

81%

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2,500+ Ratings

This film follows the sexual escapades of Lily Powers (Barbara Stanwyck), the beautiful daughter of a speakeasy owner. Lily's dreary life in Pennsylvania takes a sudden turn when her father is killed in an accident. Unmoved by her father's death, Lily, along with friend Chico (Theresa Harris), jumps on a freight train and seduces a worker to avoid being arrested. Now in New York City, Lily uses her beauty and sexual prowess to seduce a string of successful men as she works her way to the top.

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Ty Burr

Boston Globe

A fascinatingly conflicted artifact of Depression-era do-me feminism.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 7, 2006

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

If you've never seen Stanwyck in a pre-Code film, you've never really seen Stanwyck.

Rated: 4/4

Feb 3, 2006

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Well worth looking at.

Jan 1, 2000

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Eileen Jones

The Jacobin

The gangster film represents “capitalism in a dark mirror..." That includes the way we feel the necessity to rise, to separate ourselves from our families, communities, and the whole suffering...

Aug 26, 2023

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Fedor Tot

Vague Visages

Baby Face is an open book, again cutting into the lazy hypocrisy and callousness of the many men who cross paths with Stanwyck and continually try to punish her for their infidelities.

Jun 13, 2023

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

Stanwyck's Lily flips gender and power dynamics on their heads.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 29, 2022

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Natasha F

This little gem is a must see. A very young Barbara Stanwyck is a ruthless femme fatale as she works her way up the ladder in a large NYC bank. Look for an also very young John Wayne as one of her conquests.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/13/24

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Jeff S

Provocative in a number of ways. It's a film fraught with hypotheticals that type keep turning over in the mind long after the credits have rolled.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/12/24

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acsdoug D

I know it's "pre code," but this film must have been shocking even for that era. Barbara Stanwyck's character literally sleeps her way into money and high society. And the movie isn't shy about depicting her exploits either. But the movie is more than just sex. The acting, story and dialogue are all terrific.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/24

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huck d

Oh my God Barbara Stanwyck at 26 just couldn't possibly have been more beautiful, more powerful, and more alluring as she gives a tour-de-force masterclass in acting, in the pre-code film, so risqué, it established the film code that would stifle films for decades. Pulled from theaters, it had to be censored, both dialog and the ending, to get it released. The uncensored version, lost for 70 years, was uncovered at the Library of Congress in 2004. TCM airs the uncensored version, don't miss it. 4 stars, and add a star if you live Stanwyck, and who doesn't?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/30/23

Full Review

A R

Barbara Stanwyck at her vampy best. I first saw her in comedy roles and it's such a blast to see in her range in more serious, sultry roles like this - she owns every scene and she's a joy to watch. The overall message about feminine empowerment is ultimately shallow, but tragically it remains relevant to this day - definitely worthy of discussion, though not necessarily praise.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/13/23

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Steve D

The script isn't as good as it should be but Barbra is great. I wish there was a bit more depth to her character.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/07/23

Full Review

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Alfred E. Green

Director

Barbara Stanwyck

Lily Powers

George Brent

Courtland Trenholm

Donald Cook

Ned Stevens

Arthur Hohl

Ed Sipple

John Wayne

Jimmy McCoy Jr.

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Synopsis

This film follows the sexual escapades of Lily Powers (Barbara Stanwyck), the beautiful daughter of a speakeasy owner. Lily's dreary life in Pennsylvania takes a sudden turn when her father is killed in an accident. Unmoved by her father's death, Lily, along with friend Chico (Theresa Harris), jumps on a freight train and seduces a worker to avoid being arrested. Now in New York City, Lily uses her beauty and sexual prowess to seduce a string of successful men as she works her way to the top.

Director: Alfred E. Green
Producer: Raymond Griffith, William LeBaron
Screenwriter: Darryl F Zanuck, Gene Markey, Kathryn Scola
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures, The Vitaphone Corporation
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 1, 1933, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2008
Runtime: 1h 11m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1), 35mm

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