Baby Face ( 1933)

This was an interesting movie; especially interesting that at various parts of the movie it seemed like they were trying to send the message that if you're promiscuous you can manipulate men and have whatever you want. And I seemed to get the feeling that it wasn’t supposed to be frowned upon on the women using men like that, but the movie being more a message to guys saying that if you sleep with women in the workforce and give them power or things it will come back to haunt you.

You don’t really know what happens to the guy on the train or the one that gets her the initial job, but once she starts to sleep with the men in her office, to rise through the ranks to the top, something bad happens to the MAN after making the decision to help her for sex. They all get caught, whether it’s by the boss in the bathroom; by the fiancé in the office, by the bitter lover in the room (who both end up dead), or through wedding announcement. And they all either get fired or shot or both. To me it looks like the men are being punished not her, she doesn’t actually care until she is sent to Paris then her game plan changes.

And I know Lily changes her character a bit at the end; by not sleeping with the guys at the Paris office, marrying the last guy (Trenholm) and going back for him at the very end. This change in character can be argued could be due to a number of things for maybe she got tired of sleeping with different men, maybe she wanted a challenge, maybe she did really love him. But going along with the theory I stated above, it could also be contributed to Trenholm. He was the only one that called her on the bluff, sending her to Paris, so it could be retribution when he lives and gets the girl that he loves. Although he does get shot so that might be making up for that fact that he did give in and sleep with her, maybe making her an honest woman and for seeing through her is what saved his life.

Buts that’s another aspect I found interesting; Lily’s struggle with her conscious at the end. I truly don’t think she actually breaks characters or changes her morals until the very end when she goes back for him. I think the whole playing coy thing in Paris was just to prove a point, that she really is the queen manipulator. After being sent away to Paris she has to change her usual way of doing things, especially after going through the whole food chain at the last place, got her there in Paris. That’s why I think it was a strategic move not to be social with the men at her work in Paris because she has bigger fish to fry and this one is smarter than the others. It was her manipulating him the entire time though, with the rain and getting a ride, going to dinner and saying he was just like the others (not like the fact that she wanted him to be different but disappointed that it was so easy), and asking him to marry her (they can get a divorce but I think she just wanted the status that came with the title and that he was getting way to comfortable with the current situation and she wanted to be at the top). And all that is proved when he asks her for the money to help him. So she was just a really really good manipulator, and only at the very end develops a conscious.

So based off that I feel like this movie was making the generalization that women are heartless manipulators and men are easy superficial victims. I don’t think that’s right but it’s just something to think about I guess.