It's child porn because...

Nudity never adds anything to any story. Movies were perfectly fine back during the decades when nudity wasn't allowed. Are you saying all movies with adult nudity are porn?

Porn means sexually explicit. Nudity has nothing to do with it.

While I agree with the OP that the story and narrative was lacking, however certainly not pornographic at all.

The reason that the subject matter comes off as trying to be "tastefull" has to do with the character of Bellocq, the photographer. He was a real person who did take photographs of the Storyville Prostitutes circa 1912 (although the movie dates it as 1917). So in a way, this movie could be a biopic or homage to the man and his work. But again, like the OP suggests, as a movie, the narrative, plot, and purpose of this movie is lost. No real dramatic moments. Just a pituresque look into that life in that era...which is what a photograph should be right?

I suggest googling his name and taking a look at the pictures. They are quite haunting and certainly captures a piece of New Orleans' history.

The definition of porn isn't whether it "adds anything to the story" or not; it's whether it was SOLELY designed to titillate...






Born when she kissed me, died when she left me, lived whilst she loved me

None of the nudity is placed within a context that forces the audience to confront how awful it is, on the contrary it's all supremely tasteful

Instead of making a porn reference to this film howabout you talk about the fact that.Brooke shields mother on top of being your typical stage mother she had a pimp mentality.Also how she it seems without reguard just was so willing to hand over her daughter for profit .I think this is a more important topic it also scarred brooke shields as well.She's bi polar or has depression one of thoses two let's talk about the negative affects.That showbiz can have a family the greed it instills in people is more disturbing.

From what i read the nude scene seemed tasteful she gets out of a tub nude end of story .Nothing pornographic about it well it is graphic but not porno-graphic also the guy who directed this is french.Over in europe they have nude beaches where men woman and children run around naked as the day they were born .They also im sure have films that show children nude in a non sexual way.

Once again the real issue here is people like brooke shields mother allowing her child to do this .Not for artistic endeavor but for the money the bitch is greedy she whored her daughter out.To line her pockets ,not good every other thread should be blasting the bitch .Damning her to hell .then praying for her return so we can damn her to hell again .It's not like brooke shields had much of a choice her moms had her under her thumb .This is fact not fiction she even admits to it that's why she suffers from depression even now .

In Europe an actor is an artist. In Hollywood, if he isn't working, he's a bum.

****POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT*****
I respectfully disagree with the OP's argument that nudity does not add anything to Pretty Baby. As I understand it, a main thrust of the movie was to depict the 'sexualization' of a young girl at an age long before most girls have become aware of their sexuality. I do not see how the director & writers could have shown this without nudity.
Violet has, after all, grown up in a house of prostitution. She's seen many women nude or in various states of undress for years. By age 12, she has adopted their own casual attitude toward nudity because that for her is the norm. It is very different from a girl who, say, grew up in a "normal" American household.
Director Malle demonstrates this by the fact that in many scenes, Violet runs around the house wearing a thin gown and apparently nothing more. He also uses nudity to show how vulnerable is a young girl in those surroundings. In the bathtub scene, the Madam takes a man into the room where she is bathing. The Madam pulls away Violet's towel, baring her to the stranger. The girl's nudity makes us realize how vulnerable she is, and foreshadows the later auctioning scene.
When Violet is with Bellocq, we see that she is bored, not embarrassed, when posing nude for him. And why not? Earlier she watched as Bellocq took photos of her mother topless, and thought nothing of it. This nude scene, and Violet's behavior while nude, is used to again remind us that modesty is not inherent, but rather learned from our environment.
In the final scene, Violet is now part of a 'respectable' family. How do we know? She is fully clothed, wearing far more than in any previous scene. The scene reminded me of those missionaries who would go to South Pacific islands to bring religion to the natives. The first order of business was to get them to put some clothes on because up to then the natives, like wild child Violet, had thought nothing of being nude or nearly so.

Please read up on the definition of porn, you sound very uninformed.

You have to be off you're flippin rocker to think this is child porn. I've routinely seen more child nudity at the beach on a hot day. You're a nut job! You yourself have even said that her nudity in this film adds impact, but yet you also say it adds nothing. You say the nudity is "all supremely tasteful", yet you call it "child porn". You write in circles that only amount to one thing, irrational thought.

The Supreme Court established the basic legal standard for pornography in Miller v. California in 1973. One of the three criteria material must have to even be considered pornography by law, is that there actually is sexual conduct. Therefore since there is actually no real sex in this film, it definitely could not even nearly be considered pornographic by a court of law in the United States.

Up tight, irrational thinking, anti social odd balls like you have been trying to censor art for God knows how long, however the courts have thrown out many better arguments than yours, that's for sure.

It's not child porn because...most people on earth are more realistic and reasonable than you are. End of story.

My body's a cage, it's been used and abused...and I...LIKE IT!!