Pretty Baby

1978 Louis Malle movie
It would be difficult to say one felt particular anger, or even any physical repugnance towards this picture; but, in the final analysis, for my mind this is morally pretty much unacceptable.
Shot with Malle's usual soft lights, he creates a detailed, as always high key and well lit, rich furnishings and look of the time. Their is also some nice shots of individual faces, alone against the pillows.
The problem here is that fact that, for all the way it clearly wishes to show the location as vile, it frankly takes far too much pleasure in it. It simply fails to show the grimness of the situation, and ends up because of that affirming it. What is disgusting, is presented more often as fun than as vile. Abuse is engaged with, but ultimately shied away from, and subordinated as one part of a classical romantic narrative. Racial discrimination, the atmosphere of oppression of the 'house', is taken as an aesthetic to be wallowed in. The wallow is undoubtedly pleasurable, this is well made narrative cinema.
I have no doubt Malle had nothing but good intentions, to show the misery of the situation, the comradeship that sprung up in that too (not at all to be ignored in an adequate film of the subject; but it must be better balanced...). But the from this film takes is simply not able to contain its content.