Baby Face

Blunt, almost cartoonish, but just fun. It's satisfying to be able to watch, in the 21st century, the restored, pre-Hays-code version that would later be ravaged with cuts to make it less suggestive. In subsequent years nothing this risqué was produced because the cuts were expected. It's an uncomplicated movie but its straightforwardness and fluid pace work in its favor.

Gal from the gutter gets read a few lines of Nietzsche and transforms into Kriemhild the Invincible Babe. Fun story of how she gets just about everything she wants by eyelash-fluttering any man in sight into submission

Barbara Stansyck's influence over men in this movie has to be called a superpower. Still, it's an enjoyable film and has a brief appearance of John Wayne.

Quite racy for it's day.

Great, amoral fun, and Stanwyck is just fantastic. John Wayne never again in his career had a role so perfectly suited to his capabilities.

anxious to see the original ending

Sleazy pre-production code drama about an ambitious girl working in a New York high rise who literally sleeps her way to the top. Good Stanwyck vehicle.

Ah, that pre-Code era, where the plot can start with a man pimping out his daughter to keep his speakeasy running. I kept thinking throughout the film that HR training sessions would be a lot more interesting if they showed this. Stanwyck is the true star; most of the men are pretty average and interchangeable. As a fan of hers, I'm glad I watched it. I just don't think I'd want to see it again.

Aesthetically very pleasing. Stanwyck plays her role really well and the fast pace is maintained throughout.

It's exciting to see this salaciousness in old movies, but the gender roles remain rather quaint. It's still the mother or the whore, only this film has the guts (and lack of censoring oversight) to be about the latter. Swift and to the point, there is no subtlety here, but that's part of a lurid and outlandish appeal. What a vehicle for Stanwyck, the camera highlighting and dwelling on her figure and features: the details of her hair, clothing, and indeed, her legs. And she owns it with gusto.

Star Rating: ★★★

I love Barbara Stanwyck, but I wouldn't call her "beautiful" and I'm not sure she was totally right for this role. Also, this movie had questionable implications for feminism. Still, it was very enjoyable.

Overall Enjoyment: 32/40, Plot/Themes: 15/20, Cinematography/Direction: 11/20, Acting/Writing: 14/20

What a fantastic movie. Barbara Stanwyck plays a gal who moves to the big city and uses her power over men to move up in the world and get what she wants, and it's shown as a smart approach rather than a moral problem. The visual metaphors in the film are rich and striking. Make sure you watch the restored/uncut version with a runtime of 75 minutes.

Barbara Stanwyck as a manipulator of men to get all that she wants. And the movie is good. So is she, but one can't help but feel she was wrong for the part as well. She's just too decent to be such a vamp. It's like she tried to be Jean Harlow in Red-Headed Woman (1932) done with a Mae West style of sexual confidence. And Stanwyck is a totally different person then those two and it looks false. But hell, Stanwyck blows both when it comes to beauty, so it still becomes very much watchable.

If just one character in this mediocre plot could come close to what Stanwyck brings to the table, it'd be so much easier to think better of this. On the positive, it does happen to have a certain elegance to the editing and camerawork for such an early sound flick.

This is the first Pre-Code film I've seen. It really makes me wonder about just how good post-code films could have been. The ending is a bit tacked on but otherwise it's a very good film.

Ahh, Barbara Stanwyck. Man, oh man.

Ugh.

Charming and well made lighthearted drama with an abundance of pre-code daring and Stanwyck's great presence. It falters a little in a few spots but for the most part is a whole lot of fun.

Energetic and pre-Code as hell. Frontloaded with really fine, moody camerawork, but once they get to NY it kind of drifts away. Stanwyck is great as usual, and Theresa Harris absolutely rocks it. The fact that she wasn't a major actress is one of the great crimes of American film.

Really great movie, whenever I see these pre-code movies, I wonder how much more awesome all the movies I love from the 40's and 50's could have been if the people making them weren't constantly fighting with the censors.

Serpente de luxo estreava há 90 anos na França. Amo, amo esse filme, talvez seja por causa dele que sou tão apaixonada pela Babs, só não é perfeito por causa do final que é meio destoante do resto do filme. Não à toa foi uma das maiores influências para a implementação do Código Hays. Box OP Cinema Pre-Code.

The always magnificent Barbara Stanwyck anchors this film and elevates it from decent to good.