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	Baby Face (1933) Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent MGM (Warner), 1998 average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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Great fun; I hope they put this one on DVD soon- the sight of John Wayne is worth the price of admission alone- it proves, that, yes, he did grow as an actor, as scary as that is.

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The Title's Something of a Misnomer....

...because Barbara Stanwyck never really looked like a babyface to me--she's what the older generation called "a hard-looking dame". That notwithstanding, "Baby Face" is a real great Pre-Code movie. She's just so evil, right to the core! Baby Face just doesn't care who gets stepped on, cheated on, or even killed, just so long as she gets hers. Early on, she makes her vow to get even with lousy men and take 'em all for a ride, and she does, that is, until she meets that ladykiller, George Brent. Then, complications arise. Personally, I think the ending is a tack-on to soften the story a bit, because it just doesn't ring true to me, the way things were going. But don't take my word for it--see "Baby Face" yourself and draw your own conclusions!

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BEFORE VICTORIA BARKLEY

Stanwyck is a typically terrific as an ambitious working girl whose amorous adventures made the Hays Code blush. It's a sharp little melodrama very typical of the day with a fast pace and good performances. A great first half gives ways to the inevitable moral conclusion; John Wayne has a bit in coat & tie and it's a hoot. This video, along with NIGHT NURSE, THREE ON A MATCH among a few others is in the FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD series and they're fascinating pre-code doozies (a risque little flick called CONVENTION CITY with Joan Blondell (1933) was apparently destroyed because it was considered too raunchy. Blondell stated that there wasn't anything offensive about the film; it was just flippantly clever and "burlesquey" - what a shame! Also look for LADIES THEY TALK ABOUT.

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reviews: 1, page 2, 3

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