Amazon.com Essentials:
A semi-scandal upon its release in 1978, this Louis Malle film is set in
a
turn-of-the-century, New Orleans bordello and focuses on a girl named
Violet (then-child actress Brooke Shields) whose imminent twelfth birthday
signals her "readiness" to become a career prostitute. Typical of Malle,
the
outwardly forbidden nature of the story and relationships within are
morally
obscured by the immediate experiences and unqualified urges of the
characters. The little heroine brings a distinctly youthful and innocent
view
to the milieu, and the introduction of a photographer (Keith
Carradine)--who
eventually marries Violet--in the brothel carries the suggestion that there
is art and beauty to be explored there. Susan Sarandon is beguiling as
Violet's mother, who seems to unfold in the cameraman's presence. The film
moves a little stiffly, a little slowly, possibly from a heavy emphasis on
period art direction and Sven Nykvist's moody if gorgeous photography.
--Tom Keogh
