- Starring Brooke Shields - ... — Pretty Baby - 1978

At the time of filming, Brooke Shields was only 11 years old. The inclusion of nude scenes and the film’s central theme of child sexual exploitation sparked immediate international outrage:

Despite the controversy, "Pretty Baby" is lauded for its technical brilliance. It won the at the Cannes Film Festival . Pretty Baby - 1978 - Starring Brooke Shields - ...

: The film was banned in various Canadian provinces, including Ontario and Saskatchewan, until 1995. It was also banned in Argentina and South Africa for several years. At the time of filming, Brooke Shields was only 11 years old

: Critics like Rona Barrett labeled the film "child pornography," and director Louis Malle was heavily criticized for his "continental" and seemingly detached treatment of the subject. : The film was banned in various Canadian

The film is loosely based on the life of photographer (played by Keith Carradine ) and historian Al Rose’s account of Storyville. Violet lives in a brothel run by Madame Nell ( Frances Faye ), where her mother, Hattie ( Susan Sarandon ), works as a prostitute.

: While Malle argued the film was an "apprenticeship of corruption" intended to disturb and enlighten, others felt the marketing—such as Shields' appearance in Playboy at age 12—was a tasteless commodification of a child. Directorial Vision and Critical Legacy