MovieChat Forums > Baby Face (1933) Discussion > Plot Twists That Don't Work

Plot Twists That Don't Work


For all the talk of the "censored" scenes there are other scenes that totally seem out of character.

Why would Lily want the young executive's fiancee to see them together? She knew the girl was the daughter of a vice president and she really couldn't guess what the outcome would be - more probable would be Lily and her young lover would be out on the street (hard to believe the VP would be so understanding about his prospective son-in-law cheating on his daughter). She would have been far more likely to try to seduce the VP behind the young man's back rather than cause a scene that could make him very hostile toward her.

And what was the point of Lily being a "good girl" while working in Paris? She could have had secret liasons that George Brent would have never known about even if she planned to snare him.

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And what was the point of Lily being a "good girl" while working in Paris? She could have had secret liasons that George Brent would have never known about even if she planned to snare him.



Lily is only interested in trading up, no one in Paris would have been a move up for her, she had one more floor in the bank to go, her only goal was to sleep her way to the top floor where the CEO (Courtland Trenholm) is, and that's what she waited for and counted on. I think she knew that she would be watched and expected to play one of her old tricks there, she played it smart, and worked hard to keep her job all the while keeping her facade up, they never really had anything on her. Besides being a sexpot, Lily Powers is one smart woman!

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The play of letting the fiancee catch them together was probably to bring things to a head. Maybe she could see herself with him (for a while at least), and wanted the fiance out of the way. Or, she realized it was time to shake things up and see what happens. As they say, fortune favors the bold.

I don't think she did it just to move in on the father...as you said, it was too unpredictable what could happen. At this point, she had faith in her wits and cunning, and probably just planned to take what came and turn what had become a static situation to her favor.

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Found her last minute change of heart unconvincing. Saw it yesterday in Britain's National Film Theatre-lot of laughs when she said she'd known "a lot of Pratts"!
Lily -she realised early that virtue's its own/And also its only reward.

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Found her last minute change of heart unconvincing. Saw it yesterday in Britain's National Film Theatre-lot of laughs when she said she'd known "a lot of Pratts"!
Lily -she realised early that virtue's its own/And also its only reward.

That was the inferior censored version: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023775/alternateversions

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I believe what Lily really wanted all along was what she told Trenholm; to be a Mrs. She wanted what Ann had. Knowing Stevens had developed strong feelings for her she thought he might be the guy who would marry her. It might mean him leaving his job but she probably believed he would be able to get an equal or better position elsewhere.

After they're caught together she pushes him to stick with her but the best he'll do is suggest she become a kept woman; not working, just seeing him on the side. Had she just been after money, that would have been fine. She ends up being Carter's kept woman only agrees to go away for a time.

By the time she ends up with Trenholm she had almost forgotten what she really wanted. Trenholm knew all about her and accepted her. He was also her match having outsmarted her at their initial meeting. With him she she didn't have to play her usual tricks. Everything came almost too easily with him. She also never expected that anyone would ever love her so she didn't realize she already had everything she always wanted; until it was almost too late.

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