b is for 'babydoll'

well, what can i say about elia kazan's 'babydoll' that i haven't said already? it has a hard and fast place in my top five favorite black and white movies of all time. i can't tell you how many times i've seen it. it fascinates me on so many levels. even after repeated viewings, the performances crackle with fresh electricity. i've never seen a trio of actors in leading roles turn in finer performances than carroll baker, karl malden, and eli wallach in 'babydoll.' they're all so good its almost unsettling. its a dirty, hot, florid, unscrupulous, voyeuristic film. the main players never seen to know they're being watched. its wicked and funny and at times, even genuinely frightening. the famous 'hide and seek' sequence is every bit as scary as it is sexy. over the years, the image of carroll baker sleeping in the baby's crib has endured as an iconic image, but i would argue that the image of silva vacarro, (eli wallach) riding the rockinghorse with a whip in one hand, a pitcher of lemonade in the other, chewing on a piece of fried chicken, is every bit as provocative and brazen. if you've never seen it, go find it and watch it. i've never really seen anything quite like it.

babydoll

when something is banned, i sit up and take notice. you may have heard of director elia kazan in reference to his supposed standard-setting masterpiece 'on the waterfront,' but the lustier folks know his harder mark was made by the scandalous and steamy 'babydoll.' it was condemned by the 'legion of decency,' and even now, one could see why. its hot and cruel and tragic and has all the elements of southern-fried Shakespeare. it stars the underrated Karl Malden, the sinister and slithering Eli Wallach, and the powder-soft giggling lust of miss Carroll Baker in the title role. She was nominated for an Oscar for the part of Babydoll Carson McCorkle, and should have won. It is a devastating, horny entertainment. Pricking, even frightening...but nonetheless, required viewing. Dig it.