Baby Love [DVD]

As expected!

I don't know what movie many of the other reviewers (NY Times, IMBD, etc.) of this film saw, but I certainly disagree that Luci set out to seduce every member of the family. She seemed to me to be an extremely insecure teen, extremely neurotic, and that she was behaving strangely because of her own inner demons. Any sexual acting out came from trying to cope with her anxieties and not from any conscious or diabolical means. If Luci was clingy, it was because she was desperately trying to find some real love in her life. Unfortunately for those type of people, they drive away the very love they crave . . . unless those in authority over her are extremely understanding and even trained to cope with such anxiety. Fear is being afraid of something external to you; anxiety is irrationally being afraid of things that exist only in one's mind. Almost everyone encounters a person such as Luci at some point in their life. While the circumstances are very different, the German movie "Forest for the Trees" is also about a young woman who is so desperate for friends she manages to drive everyone away from her. Parents may want to show this movie to teens who've encountered such a person and discuss how it would be best to handle the situation, both lovingly and yet without letting the person control their life. I would warn that there are a few nude scenes with Luci, but (at least in my opinion) they are not particularly offensive.

Baby Love (1968) is a British drama film, directed by Alastair Reid & starring Ann Lynn, Keith Barron, Linda Hayden, & Diana Dors. The film tells the story of a teenager who seduces her adoptive family after her mother commits suicide. Here are the pros & cons of this film as I see it, I hope this helps you. (Also remember to check that the format that you are purchasing will work in your player). Pros: 1. Considering this film is from 1968, the cinematography is actually very good & interesting. 2. The story is not bad & has some interesting family, communication, & psychological disfunction to it. 3. I love the outfits & costumes from this time period in Britain! 4. Linda Hayden does a pretty good job acting the part considering she was only 15 at the time the film was made. Cons: 1. The soundtrack is a little off in places and the volume is high to low in some places, but considering this was transferred from a 1968 film, it really is not that bad.

This Blu-ray is coded for Region B only! There is no mention of this in the description and the exclusion of a picture of the rear of the case, which shows this, looks like they are trying to hide this fact. I was initially going to buy the DVD, which does state it is PAL and would play on my region free DVD player, but instead opted for the Blu-ray because it didn't state this, and I have many region free foreign film Blu-rays.

Unable to view due to the dvd being coded for a NON-USA region, despite there being no indication that I can find to that effect.

The DVD wouldn’t play in my DVD player

The descriptions for the DVD and Blu-Ray versions of this film clearly states: "Playback Region 2 : This will not play on most DVD players sold in the U.S., U.S. Territories, Canada, and Bermuda. See other DVD options under “Other Formats & Versions”. Learn more about DVD region specifications here" So you can ignore the reviews that complain that the disc won't play on their Blu-ray or DVD players. As for the film, it is an interesting character study, one well ahead of its time in 1968. But also one that probably could not be made today.

Linda Hayden stars as a 15 year old girl whose mother commits suicide. This movie was set in, and filmed in, late 60's London and it's suburbs. After the girl's mother offs herself, the girl goes to live with the family of a man who once courted the mother. It's a difficult adjustment for the girl. The family-mother-father-son is uptight and there are problems from the get go. The boy walks in several times on the girl, not only in the hopes of seeing her naked, but also in the hopes of losing his virginity to her. The trouble is, the girl is attracted to the father. Another complication-the girl has a bad case of post traumatic stress disorder and keeps reliving the horror (in her dreams) of finding her mother dead. She wakes up screaming more than once. The mother figure, feeling sorry for the girl, finally decides to sleep with the girl to help her through the night. When a sexual attraction develops, the wheels come off the wagon. And this is just a small part of the heavily layered plot of this movie.

People have all sorts of motives for watching movies, ranging from boredom to fascination. Mine was an inquisitive search for hoping to better understand human psychology, namely the links between early sexuality driving, and in part, defining our characters as adults. Selecting this movie unaware of the contents was a gamble, but also a 'risk' worth taking I felt. I wasn't disappointed. Yes, it was shot in the late sixties and so the audio is a little off, and yes it obviously had a very limited budge compared to a modern block buster film but this would never have made the mainstream as it's too 'out there' for most consumers. The great acting kept it afloat. The plot makes a rapid start. The girl of focus who the rear of the DVD disk says is meant to be playing the part of a 15yr old schoolgirl (the actress looks more like 20) is meant to be a bit of floozy from the North of England. Due to a dramatic event, she is re-contacted by a man (a wealthy doctor with is own family) her mother has a past relationship with and 'ethically' rehoused from a modest and arguably broken background to one of comfort and wealth. It is here, in her new environment that bolsters a sense of new found confidence and safety, her overt sexuality flourishes with almost anyone who will show her attention - a magnetic personality, with hints of sociopathy/narcissistic personality disorder perhaps. Yet instead of hostility, the viewer isn't made to judge the character too negatively by her episodically seductive or suggestive behaviour, rather than understand how/why a teenager would become like this in the first place - her unfortunate past, which suggests an element of being abandoned. In time, we observe that the dramatic death of her mother (which we don't see in detail) has installed some form of PTSD, involving flashbacks, night terrors and hallucinations/psychosis episodes, triggered by everyday interactions. Whilst viewing and getting comfortable with the actors, you can tell within 30 minutes of it's 1hr 30+ viewing time this will be a quality film, for sure not astonishingly good or bad, just a worthwhile film to pass the time as an observer. In my opinion this is what this movie's market is for, an analysis opportunity of a dramatisation of human sexuality, Linda Hayden (who plays the lead role of 'Luci') really is a great actress, utterly believable. If you take that on board, and don't purchase this thinking you'll see some hot teenage actress in a mini skirt and will be gawping at something contraband, then you'll be pleased with your purchase because behind the repeat, albeit glimpses of 'Luci's' nude top half, this is a serious film - or at least can be if this is how your brain is wired and not thinking this is going to be like a 'Carry On' film, or a 'Hammer Horror' - it certainly isn't. In fact, if anything, when watching it, it had more of an odour of a Hitchcock film with the clever use of camera angles to intensify the scene. My interpretation of this film, is it can be seen by some at least, as an adult's view of inter-family relationships and the drama that can unfold within them, namely, that the pretty lead character Luci is manipulative both emotionally and sexually, and makes this clear to the younger son who's advances she constantly rejects as he continuously paws at her desperate for more than a kiss. Luci, however, makes it clear. she likes older men, as in the age of a father figure or older - shades of 'Lolita' perhaps, especially with the swimming pool scene. Ultimately, because of her looks, charm and care free attitude, Alice has the power to seduce the whole household - male and female alike yet all of this strangeness has become attenuated since moving to her new grand house down south, a veritable palace compared to her previous abode in Lancashire. I would argue this is another take home message - environmental conditioning, can alter our personalities, literally. Money and power, enables Lucy to thrive, but to a pathologically deranged level. She can and will 'have' anyone at her choosing, she is not as innocent as she appears. This is an 18 rated film, but perhaps unfairly so as in today's world, the film's past 'X rated' film certificate back in 1968 is arguably draconian with only one disturbing adult natured scene where the quick to anger husband, almost begins to rape his wife when drunk, yet thankfully this assault is aborted due to another situation halting it. On that basis, it could be argued this is a 15 rated film, at least to a modern day audience. In conclusion, for an old film to pass the time, this was a good purchase. Improvements cannot really be made as it's more of a play than a feature film. Characters could have been expanded upon, and you could argue it could have been longer to enable this, but then the story would have become perpetual. By the end of the film, we have gotten to know Luci well enough. Like her deceased mother, she is broken. To me, this is the take home message. Luci is wild and exciting, but wild with danger attached, yet none of this is her fault. Her traumatic past has moulded her into the desperate need for a mother figure, but one formed by a confused need to attach sex to an infantile need to be comforted alongside it - this again suggests a big detachment complex, she is detached from her own reality and doesn't really know what she's doing, but then does, but then doesn't. Luci is a mess. As for her need for a father figure, she announces in the middle of the film she ''hates men''. I would argue, she hates everyone (not just men), because deep down, she hates herself. The viewer can probably end on this thought, satisfied that the movie produced what it may have aimed to do originally. Not excite, but educate, on the basis of displaying we are all loose cannons mentally and physically, given the right ingredients...

Quite interesting as a period piece but that's it. It is not an erotic film and there is no nudity or sex. A film of innuendo and some subtlety, absorbing but creaky. Flagged as an erotic masterpiece is completely misleading, and those with a healthy interest in nubile young flesh will be disappointed. Sad to see poor old Diana Dors looking so wasted.

`Baby Love' is a somewhat `odd', striking, yet brilliant film starring the superb Ann Lynn with Keith Barron. I doubt very much if such a film could be made with much success today... All parts were ideal for the Players - Ann Lynn probably at the peak of her big screen career at that time, and Keith Barron (a grossly underrated actor) in probably his best part ever... Barron is rather 'brooding' in this, and never once cracks a smile, but his character is the only one not to succumb to 'Luci's' machnations! (the short straight haircut really suits barron and makes him extremely handsome here!) This is a great production, and every scene a gem! One of the most beautifully dramatic being the bed scene with Ann Lynn and Linda Hayden - Hayden seducing Lynn. Whilst left feeling somewhat `uncomfortable' (Ann being one of my favourite actresses) I'm not sure anyone else but she could have carried this off so well... I always say that Ann does not need a script - and this scene is a fine example of that analysis! Luci (Linda Hayden) has lost her mother to cancer, (Diana Dors) and is taken in by one of her mother's ex boyfriends. (Barron) Whilst genuinely disturbed at having found her mother's dead body after the suicide, it is understood that she's definitely manipulative and disrupts the whole household and tears the family apart... At the same time, there's an awful lot of perhaps undeserved sympathy and tolerance from a very generous family... Some great scenes with a peek at `Swinging London', including one with the rather dishy Vernon Dobtcheff (looking really hot!!!) in the cinema coming on to Hayden. (I'm not sure the character Nick would have got me away from that guy quite so easily though...!!) NIck (played by Derek Lamden) though very attractive, does not succeed in getting his wants from the taunting 'Luci'... Also stars: Sheila Steafel, Patience Collier, Terence Brady, Mariannne Stone and a rare chance to see Dick Emery playing it `straight'. Long overdue on DVD

This Network release represents a step up from the unofficial DVD versions that have been available in recent years. Here, the picture is of good quality and the aspect ratio is correct - but the sound is disappointing. At normal listening levels the sound is low and rather indistinct, and increasing the volume a lot makes the music ans sound effects too loud. There is a similar problem on at least one other Network item in my collection (Seance On A Wet Afternoon). The film itself catches the flavour of its time. Being from a novel written by a woman, the male characters won't quite ring true for male viewers, but this is minor point. The story is about schoolgirl Luci (played well by Linda Hayden) whose mother dies. Luci goes to live with one of Mum's ex-boyfriends, a wealthy doctor, and his elegant and slightly lezzy wife, and their teenage son. Sexual mayhem ensues. I particularly liked Ann Lynn as the wife.

This is one of the best and most serious exploitation films of the sixties. If you like Radley Metzger or Tinto Brass or Jess Franco sixties films, buy it now, you will love it. It's one of the best films in the exploitation genre Great acting, direction, photography and atmosphere.