Licentious and Suggestive: Hollywood Before the Code
The Motion Picture Production Code was adopted by Hollywood studios in 1930. This set of guidelines attempted to persuade filmmakers toward a more aspirational view of their art, and the effect it had on their audience. Due to the mature content being brought to the screen and the occasionally scandalous behavior by filmmakers and stars off-screen, The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA), led by Will H. Hays, attempted to reverse the negative press and protests by religious groups laid against the industry in an attempt to save it.
The Code, however, wasn’t fully enforced until the middle of 1934 and there were hundreds of sound films created in this period that pushed the boundaries of content, theme, and, sometimes, decency. From dramas to historical epics, from gangsters to freaks, the films in this series exemplify elements of what Hays was trying to filter out of motion pictures.
March 3: The Divorcee (Robert Z. Leonard, 1930)
March 10: The Sign of the Cross (Cecil B. DeMille, 1932)
March 23: The Bitter Tea of General Yen (Frank Capra, 1932)
March 24: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Rouben Mamoulian, 1931)
March 30: The Story of Temple Drake (Stephen Roberts, 1934)
April 14: Queen Christina (Rouben Mamoulian, 1933)
April 21: Scarface (Howard Hawks, 1932)
April 27: Freaks (Tod Browning, 1932)
April 28: Tarzan and His Mate (Cedric Gibbons, US 1934)
Events in this Series
Tarzan and His Mate
Licentious and Suggestive: Hollywood Before the Code Johnny Weismuller and Maureen O’Sullivan’s second turn as Tarzan and Jane turned out to be the most controversial due to a nude swimming scene.
Freaks
Licentious and Suggestive: Hollywood Before the Code Browning's classic, which shocked the world and was partly responsible for the establishment of Hollywood's production code, is still as creepy as it was 90 years ago, if not more. Using genuine sideshow acts like the conjoined Hilton sisters and Johnny Eck the Legless Boy, Freaks tells the story of a corrupt trapeze artist and her seduction of an unfortunate midget.
Queen Christina
Licentious and Suggestive: Hollywood Before the Code Greta Garbo delivers one of her best performances as the beautiful and powerful Queen Christina of Sweden. Loosely based on the real Queen Christina, who assumed the throne in 1632 at the age of six, this fictionalized love story depicts one of the most highly educated women of the seventeenth century who often dressed as a man and had sworn off marriage.
The Story of Temple Drake
Curator’s Choice | Licentious and Suggestive The Story of Temple Drake (Stephen Roberts, US 1934, 70 min., 35mm)