Post by klep on Jul 26, 2021 11:35:52 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 7/26: Baby Face
PRE-CODE WEEK!
Note: This week's essay is graciously provided by a guest contributor.
One of the notable factors of the Pre-Code era in film is that women were more frequently in control of their own sexuality. In fact, what this movie makes clear is that the character started out being expected to use it for someone else, and she uses it for herself because that's the tool she knows she has in order to succeed. What's a little sad is that it's clear over the course of the movie that she is not limited to sexuality as something that she's good at, but for the security she's looking for, it's pretty well what she seems to have.
She is Lily Powers (Barbara Stanwyck). She works at her father's speakeasy, and she is protective of her friend Chico (Theresa Harris), and insists that she will leave is Chico is fired. Instead, her father tries to barter her body for protection from the law. She resists, her father goes to beat her, Chico tells him that his still is smoking, and he's killed in an explosion. Lily and Chico go to New York, where Lily begins systematically sleeping her way into security. She gets a job by sleeping with someone in the personnel office, and she sleeps with progressively higher people in the company. Eventually, one of her lovers kills his successor, and she is sent to Paris to get away from the scandal.
The one person who's consistent in her life is Chico. And that is where we get into "well, this was 1933." Because Chico is black. It's clear that the film knows that Lily has advantages that Chico does not; early on, they are being arrested by a railroad cop, and it's Chico he physically grabs. (And Lily who sleeps their way out of it.) As Lily makes her way higher, she keeps Chico as a maid. In 1933, that's probably the only way she could keep Chico close to her in some of those buildings; Chico couldn't be her roommate, but she could live in servants' quarters. Now, I feel like Lily could eventually afford to hire an actual maid on top of that instead of having Chico do the work, but there's a scene late in the movie that makes it clear that Chico at least has seriously lovely clothes to wear when she's not working and still thinks of Lily as her friend.
Besides nearly being sexually assaulted by a cop early in the film, which can definitely put a damper on your outlook, Lily's mentor (Alphonse Ethier) outright tells her to use her body to control men. I mean, direct quote, you know? "That's what I'm telling you—exploit yourself! Use men to get the things you want!" He comes across as an incel, and it doesn't help that he quotes Nietzsche at her. Further, since her father has been using her as a lure and a way to keep police protection since she was fourteen, we can also probably assume she hasn't had much in the way of formal education.
Which honestly makes it a bit surprising that she's obviously as smart as she is. Or rather not smart but good at jobs that clearly require more than just raw ability. All right, filing doesn't take a lot of education. But as we see her move up in the company—rather cleverly portrayed by showing ever-higher windows on a model of a skyscraper—she's mostly in jobs that take ever-higher amounts of skill. Skill that generally must be learned, and we know she has not been there long enough to be trained in HOW TO WRITE A MORTGAGE. She's a quick study and what's more knows how to learn, which is its own skill. And if marrying a millionaire is what she thinks will keep her from ever being that poor, put-upon fourteen-year-old again, it's understandable. She made her decision in that beautiful shot watching her father's still burn her past, and she's smart enough to get what she wants.
One of the notable factors of the Pre-Code era in film is that women were more frequently in control of their own sexuality. In fact, what this movie makes clear is that the character started out being expected to use it for someone else, and she uses it for herself because that's the tool she knows she has in order to succeed. What's a little sad is that it's clear over the course of the movie that she is not limited to sexuality as something that she's good at, but for the security she's looking for, it's pretty well what she seems to have.
She is Lily Powers (Barbara Stanwyck). She works at her father's speakeasy, and she is protective of her friend Chico (Theresa Harris), and insists that she will leave is Chico is fired. Instead, her father tries to barter her body for protection from the law. She resists, her father goes to beat her, Chico tells him that his still is smoking, and he's killed in an explosion. Lily and Chico go to New York, where Lily begins systematically sleeping her way into security. She gets a job by sleeping with someone in the personnel office, and she sleeps with progressively higher people in the company. Eventually, one of her lovers kills his successor, and she is sent to Paris to get away from the scandal.
The one person who's consistent in her life is Chico. And that is where we get into "well, this was 1933." Because Chico is black. It's clear that the film knows that Lily has advantages that Chico does not; early on, they are being arrested by a railroad cop, and it's Chico he physically grabs. (And Lily who sleeps their way out of it.) As Lily makes her way higher, she keeps Chico as a maid. In 1933, that's probably the only way she could keep Chico close to her in some of those buildings; Chico couldn't be her roommate, but she could live in servants' quarters. Now, I feel like Lily could eventually afford to hire an actual maid on top of that instead of having Chico do the work, but there's a scene late in the movie that makes it clear that Chico at least has seriously lovely clothes to wear when she's not working and still thinks of Lily as her friend.
Besides nearly being sexually assaulted by a cop early in the film, which can definitely put a damper on your outlook, Lily's mentor (Alphonse Ethier) outright tells her to use her body to control men. I mean, direct quote, you know? "That's what I'm telling you—exploit yourself! Use men to get the things you want!" He comes across as an incel, and it doesn't help that he quotes Nietzsche at her. Further, since her father has been using her as a lure and a way to keep police protection since she was fourteen, we can also probably assume she hasn't had much in the way of formal education.
Which honestly makes it a bit surprising that she's obviously as smart as she is. Or rather not smart but good at jobs that clearly require more than just raw ability. All right, filing doesn't take a lot of education. But as we see her move up in the company—rather cleverly portrayed by showing ever-higher windows on a model of a skyscraper—she's mostly in jobs that take ever-higher amounts of skill. Skill that generally must be learned, and we know she has not been there long enough to be trained in HOW TO WRITE A MORTGAGE. She's a quick study and what's more knows how to learn, which is its own skill. And if marrying a millionaire is what she thinks will keep her from ever being that poor, put-upon fourteen-year-old again, it's understandable. She made her decision in that beautiful shot watching her father's still burn her past, and she's smart enough to get what she wants.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 8/2: The Fisher King
MYTHOLOGY WEEK!
The Green Knight has inspired us to take on another film tackling Arthurian legend with Terry Gilliam's The Fisher King, starring Robin Williams as a man on a quest for the Grail. Come join our discussion next week! The Fisher King is available for rent at the usual places and is free for Prime subscribers.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 7/27: Crumb
Next week the podcast starts tackling a pair of documentaries on unique individuals starting with Terry Zwigoff's portrait of cartoonist and comics artist R. Crumb. Be sure to join us Wednesday for our discussion of Crumb, available for rent at the usual places.
MYTHOLOGY WEEK!
The Green Knight has inspired us to take on another film tackling Arthurian legend with Terry Gilliam's The Fisher King, starring Robin Williams as a man on a quest for the Grail. Come join our discussion next week! The Fisher King is available for rent at the usual places and is free for Prime subscribers.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 7/27: Crumb
Next week the podcast starts tackling a pair of documentaries on unique individuals starting with Terry Zwigoff's portrait of cartoonist and comics artist R. Crumb. Be sure to join us Wednesday for our discussion of Crumb, available for rent at the usual places.