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Baby Face, released in 1933, is a pre-Code film that stars Barbara Stanwyck as Lily Powers. The movie is set during the Great Depression, and it follows Lily as she rises from the depths of poverty to the upper echelons of New York society by using her beauty and sexual prowess to manipulate powerful men. The film begins in a grimy speakeasy in Erie, Pennsylvania, where Lily works as a bartender. She lives above the bar with her abusive father, who has been pimping her out to patrons since she was a child. When a boiler explodes and kills her father, Lily decides to leave Erie and start a new life.

She hops on a train to New York City with her friend Chico (Theresa Harris), who gives her some advice about how to get ahead: "Go as far as you can with a man, and then take his money." Lily takes this advice to heart and begins using her looks and charm to seduce powerful men and climb the social ladder.

Her first conquest is the owner of the Gotham Trust Company, whom she flirts with to get a job as a filing clerk. She quickly moves up the ranks, becoming a secretary and then the boss's mistress. She uses this position to make strategic investments and build up her own wealth, all the while sleeping with anyone who can help her advance.

Lily's next target is a young executive named Jimmy McCoy (played by Donald Cook). She seduces him and convinces him to help her get a job at his father's company. Once she's there, she starts climbing the ladder again, sleeping with the boss's son and then moving on to the boss himself.

But Lily's ruthless ambition and sexual promiscuity eventually catch up with her. Her affairs become public knowledge, and she is forced to flee New York and go into hiding. She realizes that her life of manipulation and exploitation has left her empty and unfulfilled.

The film's climax takes place in Lily's hometown of Erie, where she confronts her past and tries to make amends for her past misdeeds. She gives all of her ill-gotten gains to her childhood friend Chico, who uses the money to buy a more respectable business. Lily then turns herself in to the police and faces the consequences of her actions.

Baby Face is a fascinating portrait of a woman who uses her sexuality to gain power in a male-dominated world. Barbara Stanwyck gives a captivating performance as Lily, capturing both her vulnerability and her ruthlessness. The film also has a strong supporting cast, including George Brent as one of Lily's lovers and Theresa Harris as her loyal friend.

The film is notable for its frank portrayal of sex and its sympathetic treatment of a female character who is often vilified in Hollywood movies. Despite its age, Baby Face still feels fresh and relevant today, offering a powerful commentary on gender, power, and ambition.

Baby Face is a 1933 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 11 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.5.