Pretty Baby (Blu-ray)

Internationally acclaimed director Louis Malle (Elevator to the Gallows, Au Revoir les Enfants, Damage) has taken a taboo subject - child prostitution - and created in Pretty Baby a film of humanity and beauty. Keith Carradine (The Long Riders) is E.J. Bellocq, a photographer in 1917 obsessed with the prostitutes in New Orleans' red-light district. Brooke Shields (The Blue Lagoon) - whose "subtlety and depth are astonishing" (Roger Ebert) - is Violet, a 12-year-old girl who bewitches Bellocq with her curiosity and naïve coquettishness. Malle's level-headed treatment of this controversial theme, sumptuous cinematography by Sven Nykvist (Persona) and exceptional performances by the entire cast - especially Susan Sarandon (Atlantic City) as Violet's mother - make Pretty Baby a must-see for all serious film fans. Pretty Baby was co-produced and co-written by Polly Platt (Broadcast News, Say Anything, Bottle Rocket), the iconic producer who helped launch the film careers of legendary filmmakers James L. Brooks, Cameron Crowe and Wes Anderson.

Starring: Keith Carradine, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields, Frances Faye, Antonio Fargas, Matthew Anton, Diana Scarwid, Barbara Steele, Seret Scott, Cheryl Markowitz

Rating: R