Baby Face (1933) is an American pre-Code drama directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Barbara Stanwyck and George Brent. The supporting cast includes Theresa Harris, Henry Kolker, Margaret Lindsay, Nat Pendleton, and John Wayne in an early screen performance.
The Ascent of Lily Powers
Set during the Prohibition era and the Great Depression, Baby
Face introduces the audience to Lily Powers (Stanwyck), a young woman
living a difficult life in a dreary industrial town in Pennsylvania. Forced
into dire circumstances by her unscrupulous father, Lily is trapped in a life
of exploitation and hardship. Her only source of intellectual and emotional
guidance comes from an unlikely friend, an older, philosophical cobbler, who
encourages her to reject her current predicament and seize control of her own
destiny by embracing a ruthlessly self-serving worldview.
An Ambitious Relocation
Motivated by a fierce desire to escape her past, Lily leaves
her small town with her loyal friend, Chico (Harris), heading for the promise
of a big city—New York. She quickly sets her sights on the Gotham Trust
Company, a towering symbol of wealth and power. Armed with her intelligence,
ambition, and striking beauty, Lily makes a calculated decision to use her charm
and sexuality as her primary tools for advancement.
Climbing the Corporate Ladder
Lily begins her calculated ascent within the bank, moving
systematically from department to department. As she progresses, she encounters
a succession of influential men, each of whom she manipulates and seduces to
secure promotions and financial gain. Her ruthless ambition leaves a trail of
ruined careers and personal scandals in her wake, as the men she uses are
unable to resist her influence.
The Height of Power and a New Test
Lily’s relentless climb eventually brings her face-to-face
with the bank’s President, a man who is both powerful and intrigued by her
unique drive. For the first time, her single-minded focus on material success
and power is challenged by a more complex emotional dynamic. As financial
disaster threatens the bank and her new life, Lily must face a crucial test of
her values, forcing her to decide what truly matters to her and if her
carefully constructed world is worth the price she has paid.
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| Theresa Harris and Barbara Stanwyck |
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Baby Face trivia
- Helped
Trigger Strict Censorship: Baby Face is widely considered one
of the most notorious films of the Pre-Code Hollywood era and was cited as
a major catalyst for the strict enforcement of the Motion Picture
Production Code (the Hays Code) in 1934. The film’s frank depiction of
a woman using sex to advance her career was deemed scandalous by censors
and moral reformers.
- The
Censored Ending and Rediscovery: The version initially released to
theaters had a heavily censored ending imposed by the Studio Relations
Committee (the enforcement arm of the Code), which showed the main
character, Lily, reformed and losing her ill-gotten gains. The original,
uncensored ending—which was much less punitive and suggested she was
rewarded—was presumed lost for decades until a complete pre-release print
was discovered in the Library of Congress in 2004.
- Early
John Wayne Role: Look closely at the cast list! A young John Wayne,
years before he became a major star, appears in an early, uncredited role
as one of the Gotham Trust Company employees—specifically, one of Lily
Powers’ initial romantic conquests within the bank.
- The
Power of Philosophy: In the initial, uncensored cut of the film, Lily’s
philosophical cobbler friend quotes German philosopher Friedrich
Nietzsche, encouraging her to reject traditional morality and become a
“master” of her own life. Censors forced this Nietzschean dialogue to be rewritten
and dubbed over to remove the immoral suggestion and replace it with a
more conventional lesson about taking the “right way” to success.
Discussion questions
- Morality and Agency: Lily Powers is often cited as a classic example of a "fallen woman" in film, yet she is also one of the few women in Pre-Code Hollywood to successfully gain and hold power. Do you view Lily as a victim of her circumstances who is simply fighting back, or as a cold manipulator who willfully exploits others? How does the film challenge or reinforce traditional ideas about female morality and agency?
- The Role of Men and Institutions: The film portrays the men in Lily's life—from her father to the bank executives—as easily corrupted by their own desires and entitlement. Does Baby Face suggest that these powerful men and the institution (the Gotham Trust Company) are inherently weak or corrupt, and that Lily is merely taking advantage of a pre-existing moral rot?
- The Impact of Censorship (Pre-Code vs. Post-Code): Considering that this film was a major reason the Production Code was strictly enforced, how does the Pre-Code version's ending (if you are familiar with it) fundamentally change the film's message compared to the censored version? Does the original ending support a truly anti-moral message, or is it simply a more realistic portrayal of consequences?
- Economic and Social Commentary: The film is set against the backdrop of the Great Depression and touches on themes of wealth inequality and the struggle for survival. To what extent is Lily Powers a product of the economic despair of the time, and how does her ruthless pursuit of money reflect a cynical view of the American Dream during this period?
- Lily's Relationship with Chico: Lily's only constant, trusted relationship is with her African-American friend and eventual maid, Chico (Theresa Harris). Given the rigid racial and social hierarchies of the 1930s, how is their relationship portrayed differently from Lily’s relationships with the white men in the film? Does their bond offer a commentary on class, race, or female solidarity in a world of male exploitation?
