Brief rant on film history

[jetpack_monkey]

niqaeli will appreciate that I've hit my limit on this.

You know that saucy black and white film you just saw that was way, way sexier or violent or effed up than old classic films seems like they should be? You will hear it called pre-Code everywhere, even by film historians who should know better. This annoys me to no end.

The "Code" in question was the Motion Picture Production Code, which was put in place in 1930 to make sure that films met certain decency standards (and to eventually wear down and eliminate the then-prevalent state censorship boards). A lot of it was moralistic censorship -- criminals must always be punished, authority must always be respected, the clergy could never be portrayed in a bad light. Unsurprisingly, a lot of it had to do with sex, specifically in such a way that it must be made to seem unglamorous or just bad outside of marriage. There was some serious racist crap in there as well.

Anyway. If a film was made after 1930, it was not, by definition pre-Code. It was, however, pre-Code enforcement. It wasn't until 1934 when the  Production Code Administration office was established (and Joseph Breen installed at its head) that any actions were taken. The PCA required that all films be certified as meeting the standards of the code before they were allowed release.

So by definition, the saucy film r you are talking about is pre-PCA or pre-Breen if it was made between 1930 and 1934. It's not pre-Code and calling it that really dissipates an interesting era in film history where the studios were given a set of rules they were expected to follow for the sake of decency... and then threw them out.

How the hell James Whale got half of the crap he pulled in 1935's Bride of Frankenstein past Breen is a story for another day.

Comments

[truelove]

So, I finally posted that ENG102 paper I wrote about the dissolution of the Hays Code. Though, really, for all that the Hays Code is the slang for it that anyone's heard of it beyond 'the production code'... it was the Breen Code. And no, the paper's not really good because of reasons. But it does have a lot of useful dates in it!

Also, man, the fucking code was specifically super Catholic, not just super Christian/religious. The formal overhaul of the don'ts and be carefuls was by a couple of Catholics, Breen was Catholic, it was in part the threat of an organised Catholic boycott that pushed the industry to create the PCA and start enforcing self-censorship. It's kind of creepifying, if enlightening, insight into what made the Code, well... the Code.

(PS, hi! Yes, you know me, if you look at my profile you ought to be able to figure out who I am. I keep my various personas separate online as much as possible because of the great god Google. And the paper got written under my legal name, so! Here I am under my legal name online persona.)

[jetpack_monkey]

In my reading on the subject, the original MPPC was Catholic as well, like drafted in part by a Catholic bishop or some other high-ranking Catholic clergyperson? So the Code was *always* Catholic, both pre- and post-enforcement.

And yes, I know who you are. *G*

[truelove]

Yes -- no, what mean when I say the formal overhaul, is the overhaul from the pre-Code regulations into the actual MPPC.

Because even before there was the MPPC, there was a really weak and universally ignored advisory regarding content issued by the MPPDA (later to become the MPAA) to its member companies in 1927 -- they were called the "don'ts" and "be carefuls".

The advisory "don'ts" and "be carefuls" laid the foundation of the bulk of the MPPC -- but before 1930, there was no Code that the MPPDA, in theory, required its member companies to abide by. So, what I meant was, the formal overhaul of the one into the other was done by a lay Catholic journalist, Martin Quigley, and a Catholic reverend, Daniel Lord. And then, of course, when it started being enforced, it was by Joseph Breen.

...I'm a film geek, does it show.

(Some day I will write the story of Steve Rogers reaction to modern cinema being: "Huh, when did they let the skin and violence back in?" As opposed to "OMG WHAT IS THIS OH THE HORROR MY DELICATE EYES". Because oh my god, YOU GUYS, he was an NYC artist/student who grew up during the freaking Depression.)

[shati]

They had movies in 1930? :O

[bradcpu.livejournal.com]

Preach on, brother.

[kittycat22.livejournal.com]

I now feel ever-so-slightly more prepared for the next time I force myself to play Trivial Pursuit (Cannot express how much I do not like that game)!

Really, though, very neat. I had no idea of the history of this stuff... I mean, not enough to refer to anything with the word "Code." YAY LEARNING! =D

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

*pats you gently* I agree with you, but alas, that ship has most most definitely sailed.

But your timing is impeccable. I just hauled this book to several murder mystery rehearsals for photo-call reference. It's been a while since I actually read it, but the introduction is basically an expanded version of this post, with an aside that, yeah, the term is inaccurate, but we're pretty much stuck with it. :-)

[qkellie.livejournal.com]

Very cool! I feel super informed.