Louis Malle’s 1978 film Pretty Baby remains one of the most controversial mainstream releases in American cinema history. Set in the red-light district of 1917 New Orleans, it tells the story of Violet, a young girl raised in a brothel who eventually follows in her mother's footsteps.

Pretty Baby won the Technical Grand Prize at Cannes and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Score. Roger Ebert praised its “unblinking” realism, while other critics, like Pauline Kael, found it morally dubious. Decades later, many scholars view it as a troubling artifact of pre-#MeToo cinema.

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: Cinematographer Sven Nykvist captured the period with a "luxuriant look," using soft lighting and detailed set design to recreate the atmosphere of early 20th-century New Orleans.