The film "Baby Face" has earned some notoriety for its pre-Code depiction of a woman who flaunts the conventions of polite society to achieve success. Released in 1933, it stars Barbara Stanwyck as a young woman who feels trapped in an unhappy life. Circumstances give her the freedom to change her life, so she departs for the big city, determined to "use men" to accomplish her goals.Her musical theme is "St. Louis Blues", a popular song quite familiar with the audiences of 1933. Its lyrics lament the "St. Louis woman" who "pulls my man around by her apron strings." It's a suitable theme for Lily, who has decided to disregard emotions in her drive for money. She is, surprisingly, inspired by the words of Nietzsche, who posits that "sentiment is opposed to reason."The film moves swiftly as Lily quickly works her way through the men-and the hierarchy-of a powerful bank. We might ask if she is a heroine on a noble quest. Or maybe just driven to achieve an order of success---seen as the vanquishing of her impoverished, powerless past. Some might see it as a version of feminism, to achieve one's goals despite the motivations and machinations of men. But she is never a feminist heroine, because she never approaches her obstacles from a position of power.Unfortunately, the ending of the film is rather weakly resolved. But it is engaging till its final moments.It is interesting to compare "Baby Face" to the more modern "Sucker Punch" (2011), starring Emily Browning as the character Babydoll. Each film has a protagonist who is victimized by men and searches for a way to gain her goals, in part by using her wiles. The endings are very different, allowing for contrast and comparison.Stanwyck is convincing as Lily, but she portrays an emotionally one-dimensional woman. Still, you can see the machinations behind that placid façade--a tribute to fine acting.

Before reading any reviews on this movie I was shocked to see what it turned out to be. A modern day R rated film. A young girl being pimped out by her father, one day turns the tables to become an powerful woman sleeping her way to the top, getting jewels, and not taking the easy way out along the way.

There are several things that make this salacious pre-Code film worth watching, starting with Barbara Stanwyck, of course, who with her eyes and sexy come-on's seduces man after man to get ahead, literally f'ing her way to the top. There are some fantastic scenes from the beginning, where she fends off the advances of one man at her father's bar by pouring coffee on his hand, and explodes with anger at her father for essentially pimping her out since the age of 14. It's when he perishes in a fire that she has to fend for herself in the world. I'm not a big fan of John Wayne, but for those who are, you'll see him in an early role as one of her men along the way, and it was great to see Theresa Harris, who plays her maid. Lastly, I liked the elements of Nietzschean philosophy that at least form a basis for, and perhaps attempt to justify, Stanwyck using sex to get what she needs and wants out of men.On the other hand, the film is quite cynical and pretty linear in its plot. Stanwyck simply screws man after man – starting with a railroad worker who catches her hitching a ride to New York, and ending with an executive in a skyscraper. The film is brazen about this, and at one point she has sex in the ladies room, so if you're looking for elements of romance, this is not your film. How interesting is it that these "gold digger" themes are so common in films of this period, with men "victimized", when the far more prevalent situation in offices is sexual harassment, the inverse. While Stanwyck is one of my favorite actresses of the period, and it was exciting to see her in this steamy role, with those "take me" eyes and slow lead-ins to kisses, it's really rather hard to like any of the characters. The ending was a lame effort to patch some of that up, and didn't work for me. There are several Barbara Stanwyck pre-code films I would recommend over this one, including Night Nurse (1931), Ladies They Talk About (1933), and The Purchase Price (1932). If you're looking for high-wattage pre-Code shock value, though, this one is hard to top.

. . . because it began the Women's Liberation Movement in Real Life, and Wayne's role here is so pivotal. In fact, it is Wayne's character "Jimmy McCoy" who dubs Barbara Stanwyck's "Lily Powers" fast-track social climber as "Baby Face" 23 minutes, 12 seconds into the longer Pre-release version of this movie. Though Jimmy is the third of Lily's seven shown lovers on her Odyssey from Erie, PA to New York City to Paris and back, he's the most important one. The two bozos before him are one night stands (if that): a greasy Railroad Dick and a chunky office receptionist. Two of the four after Jimmy get fired from Lily's bank, one is shot, two shoot themselves, and the whole quartet are caught up in the tangled web of Public Sex Scandal. Meanwhile, Jimmy rescues Lily from the clutches of a Nietzsche-spouting Commie back in Erie. Only Jimmy is an average Joe, keeping Lily's best interests as a woman foremost in mind, unlike the Fat Cat Banker Sex Perverts out to enslave Lily as a "Kept Woman." BABY FACE inspired the Generation of Riveting Rosies who won World War Two. So when Hillary is sworn in Jan. 20, she had better thank John Wayne for her Triumph!