Modern Films Thank Pre-code Films

Paper by Brenna Valenzuela.

The “pre-code” era is widely known within the film industry, as it discusses a time when there were restrictions amongst films. This time was considered a time of great creativity within the film industry. The Production Code, also known as the Hays Code, was created in 1930, to regulate films, but it was not enforced from the years 1930-1934 (Maestu). During this time, films had a certain “freedom,” in which they were able to show alcohol use, sexualize individuals (most commonly women) and other inappropriate concepts for this time. Looking at the pre-code films She Done Him Wrong (Cowell Sherman, 1933) and Red Headed Woman (Jack Conway, 1932), there are various similarities between these films that demonstrate the short and long term effects of the pre-code movies through the years in the US film industry. The Hays Code created many challenges to film making, however, during the pre-code years of 1930-1934, films did not have to adhere to the Hays Code guidelines. Instead many films, such as She Done Him Wrong (Sherman, 1933) and Red Headed Woman (Conway, 1932) bypassed these rules and are good examples of how movies showed what were considered controversial topics. This is relevant because the Hays Code and pre-code movies have impacted on the types of movies made in this modern era and contributed to the evolution of the U.S. film industry.

As pre-code was not enforced at this time, we see films create historical moments within the U.S. film industry. The pre-code films (1930-1934), had both short and long term effects within the US film industry. It began with “studios resisting the code,” that made the pre-code movie industry what it was in the early 1930s (Lewis, 115). Resisting the code was a risk at the time, but because it was new and filmmakers continued to desire to create “risky” films, the lack of a strict code did not prevent movie studios from creating films that are well-known in cinema today.

I have found that the connection between the pre-code era and modern films are highly related to one another. For example, Mae West, a well-known actress of this time, developed the character of Lady Lou, which was a very good representation of a pre-code eran movie, She Done Him Wrong (Sherman, 1933). Lady Lou is a representation of sexualizing women and how lax the code was at this time period. This has translated to many modern films, where women are often sexualized. Additionally, She Done Him Wrong (Sherman, 1933) used forms of profanity and “inappropriate” scenes to tell the story; another translation to many modern films. The U.S. film industry has evolved from the characters in this movie and has gained more freedom to show women such as Lady Lou in modern films. As pre-code films were “ ‘the series of wildly unconventional films- a time when censorship was lax and Hollywood made the most of it’ ” (Doherty, 4), Lady Lou was a large reason women can act the way they can on screen today.

The Hays Code originated from Will H. Hays, who was known for his plan to set regulations on films through studios and he eventually created the Motion Picture Production Code in 1930 (Film Reference). The Motion Picture Production Code was the beginning of what was going to be a memorable and historical time within the film industry. Due to a combination of controversial beliefs, the Hays Code was used to “protect” audience members from the very controversial topics that films can display. As mentioned, films were not supposed to show the sexualization of women, drinking alcohol or any other inappropriate content. However, that is why the pre-code era remained controversial and a time where films did not have restrictions– the beginning of modern era films.

The concept of the Hays Code, partially originated from religious beliefs, (Maestu). The National Legion Agency, consisted of Catholics wanting restrictions amongst films and that is why the code was finally enforced in 1934, likely because the films being created from the pre-code era contained too much content that was not family friendly (Wikipedia). Religious beliefs drove the origination of the Production Code, not giving freedom to filmmakers, actors, writers and other members within the film industry/community. That is why the four years of the code not being enforced upon filmmakers was highly important at that time and for modern films. The pre-code films were able to contradict the beliefs of the National Legion Agency and take control of how movies were made and what type of characters were in the films. In She Done Him Wrong (Sherman, 1933), Sherman is able to display alcohol use and present the racy character of Lady Lou, whose character rejects the standards of the Production Code. Furthermore, other films, such as Red Headed Woman (Conway, 1932), King Kong (Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B Schoesack, 1933), or Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931) also violated these regulations that were supposed to be set upon them, ultimately having a larger impact on the U.S film industry today.

Currently, the U.S. film industry has grown from the pre-code films to modern films. Current films are able to demonstrate what was deemed inappropriate during the enforcement of the Production Code. The privilege and liberty filmmakers have gained, comes from the fight that pre-code films went through. She Done Him Wrong (Sherman, 1933) is only one of the many films that showed things that would bring the pre-code toward its end. These films are a demonstration of what freedom is to the U.S. film industry and how they can produce what is desirable for them and what they believe can attract an audience. If it were not for the strict regulations, these films would have continued past 1934, the ending of pre-code. Although current films in the film industry do not know the alarming aspect of going against film regulations or of not being able to produce films anymore because they are deemed inappropriate, there are still audiences and organizations that will do anything possible to not have a film shown or to have a film be hated. Filmmakers, actors, and other members in the U.S. film industry have learned to persevere and create the films that are going to be memorable for them and developed a greater message for the audience, such as the pre-code films once did.
At the end of the pre-code era, of course, films were finally restricted and were strictly managed. The U.S. film industry suffered the consequences of the lack of freedom within the film industry. Most commonly, filmmakers and actors were troubled and were neglected because their creative freedom was finally taken away. It was not until years later that the Production Code would be terminated. The ending of the Production Code from the “motion picture industry” was in 1968, but went through a lot before it finally came to an end (PBS). This was the beginning for the U.S. film industry.

It was not until the United States Supreme Court decision in 1952, that brought the Hays Code to an end (PBS). Furthermore, the years from the end of pre-code (1934) to 1952, brought difficulties within the U.S. film industry. The lack of freedom was detrimental to audience members except to those who thought that the code was meant to “protect” individuals. The lack of liberty gave a negative notion towards the U.S. film industry and rights being taken from individuals was brought to the Supreme Court, as mentioned. The beginning of the Supreme’s Court decision to terminate the Production Code was the entrance into a new chapter of films. These films were no longer restricted to requirements that used to be placed in the United States.

The Supreme Court’s decision deemed that the Production/Hays Code was unconstitutional, as it went against the freedom of speech (PBS). Once abolished within the U.S. film industry, a new series of films began and it was the ending of an “era.”

The ending of the Hays Code would bring the film industry together to create unspeakable films. The hardships within the film industry would bring modern films where they are today. Pre-code films eventually were remembered, eventually affecting the film industry forever. The freedoms of pre-code will be remembered, even though the scenes within these films were seen as both controversial and inappropriate.
As mentioned, She Done Him Wrong (Sherman, 1933) was the gateway for films today because it was a key pre-code film. It was similar to the film Red Headed Woman (Conway, 1932), where women were highly sexualized and was, too, a controversial film for this time. Red Headed Woman (Conway, 1932) was a film where “there ‘was’ every indication that the MPPDA was aware of the nature and extent of criticisms being directed at Hollywood ” (Jacobs, 69). There were no actions taken to prevent the film from showing, demonstrating the carelessness of the Production Code.

The importance of Red Headed Woman (Conway, 1932) demonstrates how modern films came to be what they are today in the U.S. film industry. Such as She Done Him Wrong (Sherman, 1933), it took a risk in showing the protagonist as a flawed female character. As mentioned earlier, Lilian does not fear demonstrating her sexuality throughout the film. Her confidence in seduction and with herself was the beginning of how women are perceived in modern films. An example of this can be seen in the movie Pretty Woman (Garry Marshall, 1990), Vivian is very comfortable with her sexuality and uses it to her financial advantage because she is a prostitute. The parallels of Red Headed Woman (Conway, 1932) and modern films are clear in the sense that women are still perceived in the same manner throughout films. However, as the US film industry progresses, women are becoming a little less objectified and filmmakers are allowed the freedom to create characters and scenes the way they desire with much fewer limits.

The pre-code film, She Done Him Wrong (Sherman, 1933), has demonstrated the evolution of film, but most importantly, the “looseness” of the Production Code. This film accentuates the stereotypical qualities of both men and women of this time. One of the beginning scenes discusses the nude painting of Lou. This represented the “wisecracks of questionable taste at least by standards of the time” (Lewis, 115). It goes against all standards within Hollywood film and provides an example of this “rule-breaking time,” that other films, such as Red Headed Woman (Conway, 1932), were also able to experience.

She Done Him Wrong (Sherman, 1933) discusses the story of Lou, who is a commonly known singer and discovers difficulties throughout her singing career. Her boss, Gus Jordan (Noah Beery) gets himself in trouble as he owns a prostituon ring. The reason for his ownership of a prostitution ring both started and continued for Lou. As seen throughout the film, Lou wears a lot of jewelry and jewels to add to her long, beautiful dresses. Men are known for giving her things because of her high beauty. In the situation of her boss, he is highly aware of her beauty, as the other men are, and needed a lot of money to give her the high-class jewelry that she desires. The social norms of both men and women display the time of pre-code well. Furthermore, the segment of when Lou goes to the jail is key on displaying the time of pre-code.

This segment begins when Lou is entering the jail, already a part that does not go well with the Production Code. She is wearing something very flirty, sexy, and high-fashion for the time. Lou uses her sexualization as her advantage, which is prevalent in the jail segment. It consists of her talking to various individuals in jail, men in particular. The men are captured by her essence and are highly attracted to her. Men being highly attracted towards women, visible on screen, is a peak of the pre-code era.

The U.S. film industry was able to use stereotypes and sexualize women without any consequences. Moreover, the jail segment provides how this is demonstrated perfectly. The men in the jail cells all have previously known her and talk to her for a short period of time each. They ask for favors or simply flirt with her because they are highly encaptivated by both her appearance and her attitude. Her slow walk can be seen as both sexual, seducive, innapropiate, scandalous– everything pre-code. After she is done talking to all of the men in their jail cells, she enters the very last cell. The shadows glance upon her, showing the high tension. The last cell she enters is of Chick Clark (Owen Moore), her once boyfriend. He begins to talk to her rather than her talking to him. He threatens her if she talks to other men while she is gone and of course, knowing the character of Lou, it becomes an issue. Pre-code allowed for men to be displayed this way, where men can talk to women in a threatening manner, especially when women become a threat to other men in a sexual manner. This parallel can be seen in Red Headed Woman (Conway, 1932). Lillian (Jean Harlow) is a woman who has the power which becomes a serious threat to men, but she uses her sexuality as her advantage. Furthermore, Red Headed Woman (Conway, 1932) had a character that “sold their bodies to the higher bidder” (Benshoff and Griffin, 181). Nowadays, modern films are able to show women doing similar things because of the intensity of women being sexualized in pre-code films.

The segment of when Lou enters the jail, talks to Chick and is threatened by him shows the “pessimistic view of America, and to some degree, a critique of capitalist ideology” (Benshoff and Griffin, 37). The pre-code consists of this “capitalist ideology” (Benshoff and Griffin, 37) that men and women are supposed to act in a specific way. As Chick is threatening Lou, the close-up camera shot shows Lou in an uncomfortable position as a woman. At the end of the segment, Lou finally begins to talk about her life. She discusses her career as a singer and who she works for, Gus. Chick finds Gus as a threat because he does not know a lot about her and continues to threaten her. He is displayed as an ex-boyfriend that has a lot of control over Lou. During this time gender norms were still applied and men were still seen as more powerful. The segment ends with Chick and Lou getting close, but they must part alast. They have to both wait a year each to see each other outside of jail, and Lou seems as if she is going to wait. However, her reputation precedes her and she is likely to choose more jewels than that one man.

Pre-code films demonstrate the ability to change gender roles and allow women to have the power instead of the men. In the jail segment, although Chick appeared to have power over Lou, he did not. She was not in jail and her acknowledgement to every man was only a small way of showing her connections. Since pre-code was not enforced, this segment was allowed. The way Lou dresses was highly inappropriate, her sexualization, and the “switch” of gender roles, would not have been allowed by the MPPDA.

She Done Him Wrong (Sherman, 1933) was more controversial than any other pre-code film, but it led the way for modern films. Modern films have been able to grow with other popular women figures that have paralleled the journey of Lou. For example, Marilyn Monroe can be seen as a great figure from Lou. Once the end of the pre-code came to an end, movies faced hard times, as mentioned earlier. Although She Done Him Wrong (Sherman, 1933) was a well-known pre-code film, its controversies continued after the pre-code era, such as many other films. It contained various troubles, but Paramount fought for the film not be removed because it was believed that without it, it would spark too much hate (Jacobs, 69). It was a film that had “comedic elements… ‘but’ the comedy itself would offset the offensive aspects of the characterization of the gold digger (Jacobs, 82). The gold digger was popularly shown in pre-code films, but this film used the concept and created a film captivating the misogynistic society of this time. Red Headed Woman (Conway, 1932) was another way of showing how women desired money, power, and used the men around them to gain it all. The U.S. film industry has the ability to create these highly memorable films, but only because the pre-code was abolished and because these characters and the inappropriateness of pre-code was the beginning of how rules, guidelines, and social boundaries can be broken no matter the controversy that will be placed upon the film industry of today.

Works Cited
Benshoff, Harry M., and Sean Griffin. America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and
Sexuality at the Movies. Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. “Censorship.” Film Reference,
http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Academy-Awards-Crime-Films/Censorship- AMERICAN-FILM-CENSORSHIP.html.
Culture Shock: The TV Series and Beyond: Hollywood Censored: The Production Code.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service,
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/beyond/hollywood.html.
Doherty, Thomas Patrick. Pre-Code Hollywood : Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema, 1930-1934. Columbia University Press, 1999.
Jacobs, Lea. The Wages of Sin: Censorship and the Fallen Woman Film, 1928-1942. University of California Press, 1997.
Lewis, Jon. American Film: A History. W.W. Norton, 2019.
“National Legion of Decency.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Jan. 2022,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Legion_of_Decency. Unit 6: Lecture, Reading, Clips, Links (Nico Maestu)

About this entry

You’re currently reading “Modern Films Thank Pre-code Films,” an entry on Student Film Reviews

Published:: 06.20.22 / 11am

Category:: Academic Papers, Films

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Film Review Club: Reviews of current film releases, streaming films, and revivals by student members of the SBCC Film Review Club.

Prof. Nico Maestu: Faculty Advisor ([email protected])

Film Festival Course: FS108: Film Festival Studies: Santa Barbara International Film Festival and AFI Fest: Hollywood (2 or 1.5 units). Field course at film festivals to study U.S. and international fiction, experimental and documentary films.

Contact: Prof. Nico Maestu ([email protected])

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telyssa samuel 07.09.22 / 11pm

This review helps me to get some ideas for my proposal paper. This review gives good insight into how women were treated in the United States film industry and how they were hypersexualized and how men were able to stereotype them. This film mentions a point in time when a man threatens a woman because he doesn’t want her to talk to other men or talk to them a certain way. This was a very common thing back then; men were able to threaten and control women however they wanted if they felt that their woman was talking in a sexual manner to other men. But because men have acted this way towards women, women have the ability to use their sexuality to their advantage.

Frania Campuzano 07.11.22 / 2pm

Reading this review helped me understand how women were been seen at that time. Women have dealt with getting their equality but they always seen women as weak who can’t live without a men. It gives a great insight on how women were being seen and being portrayed in the films. Men always wanted control and power and we do what they say so and films portrayed this as well. Women being hit by men and treated badly.

Jeronimo Rabino 07.16.22 / 2pm

Hey Brenna,
I find it unbelievably unfair how women were mistreated in the film industry for so long and no one even bat an eye at it. Women in films could be portrayed any way the industry wanted them to and most of them were basically used as props. It is sad to think how much better the industry could have been if they would have incorporated women fairly. I believe that we use these times to reflect on what not to do and how we can improve the treatment of women in the film industry.

Tatum Johnson 07.16.22 / 3pm

reading this review educated me on how there were restrictions on films. it deducted me about how everything all changed. It was cool learning the developments of the film industry. This review also opened my eyes about how women were treated and seen in this time in this industry.

Brianna Jacobs 07.16.22 / 5pm

Reading this review really opened my eyes to how women were viewed in the 1930s. It makes sense because in a lot of older movies I have seen, women are mainly used as props. The movies filmed before the pre-code era really show the evolution of how women were perceived in the film industry. Also, I find it very interesting that there were restrictions on movies because it took away a lot of the creative freedom that makes movies so entertaining.

Reading this review really opened my eyes to how badly women were treated in the 1930s. In a lot of older movies I have seen, the women are mainly just props. This makes me happier to see that women now play big roles, as main characters. Movies before the pre-code era really help show the evolution of how women were perceived in the film industry. Also, I find it very interesting that there were restrictions on movies because it takes away the creative freedom that makes movies so entertaining.

Brian Avram 07.16.22 / 5pm

Hello Brenna,
I appreciate your review on Modern Films Thank Pre-Code Films. I find your review to be educational and shocking, as I did not realize the mistreatment in the film industry. I appreciated your examples of pre-code films and how they paved the way for modern films. I know that the mistreatment of women in the professional field is a very real thing but I never thought about in the film industry. With movies and Hollywood seemingly being such a cut throat scene, I can imagine the mental toll that female actresses, directors, screenwriters, etc. have to go through in order to reach their dreams.

Mia Nonni 07.18.22 / 1pm

Hi Brenna,

Your review of “Modern Films Thank Pre-Code Films” was wonderfully written. I found your assessment to be both enlightening and alarming because I was unaware of the abuse in the movie business. Reading this review made me much more aware of how women were perceived during that decade. I feel it really unjust that women were abused in the film business for such a long time and that no one even gave it a second thought.

Silas Rowen-Herzog 07.22.22 / 11am

Hey Brenna,
This review reinforced my idea that the mainstream film industry is always a representation of how a patriarchal society will view women. The idea that a code disallowed women to be portrayed as more than an object shocks me. One more example of men deciding what is appropriate for women. It was nice to read, however, that there were some smaller films that went against the mainstream Hollywood narrative.

Carolina D'Amore Giampietro 07.23.22 / 6pm

I really enjoyed reading your film review as it taught me a lot. Reading your review showed me just how little I actually know about the film industry and its history as I had no idea there was such a thing as Production code also known as the Hays code. I guess I always assumed that that only in more recent decades that films would show alcohol, sexualization, and other inappropriate concepts. I think I always believed this based on the assumption that earlier decades would find these topics too taboo to publicize, however, after learning about pre-code movies I was proven wrong. Your film review also taught me a lot about how poorly and unfairly women were treated and portrayed in the film industry. Your review has also made me wonder about the inequalities that still exist today in the film industry.

Jaden McDonald 07.23.22 / 8pm

Hey Brenna,

Reading this review made me realize how poorly women were treated in the film industry during the 1930s. The fact that no one bat an eye or decided to stand up despite how unfairly they were treated is sick. It makes sense because in this era, women in the film industry were generally treated as props. However, it satisfies me to know that women today in the film industry are playing big roles as main characters. I think movies before the pre code era really show this evolution in the film industry. But, I still feel actors have to go through different kinds of abuse to achieve their dream so the job is far from finished in providing a fairness for all actors.

Reading this review made me realize how poorly women were treated in the film industry during the 1930s. The fact that no one bat an eye or decided to stand up despite how unfairly they were treated is sick. It makes sense because in this era, women in the film industry were generally treated as props. However, it satisfies me to know that women today in the film industry are playing big roles as main characters. I think movies before the pre-code era really show this evolution in the film industry. But, I still feel actors have to go through different kinds of abuse to achieve their dream so the job is far from finished in providing fairness for all actors.

Hello Brenna,

Marcelo Correa 07.23.22 / 9pm

Hi Brenna,
After reading your review I realized how much mainstream media had made women appear less than men, especially in the 1930s and 1940s. It was alarming to read about the codes and rules that Hollywood would enforce to keep women at a disadvantage and to keep a horrible stigma around women. It shows unfairly women were actually treated during the time since movies would reflect how society viewed people. It’s interesting to see how different the narrative that Hollywood would push to the media was back then to what it is now. It was good to hear that there were many movies that broke the Hollywood standard and helped women get more respect.

Angel Guerrero Palma 09.05.22 / 12pm

After reading this review, I didn’t know up till today, that women were treated poorly in the film industry. They were treated like props. I didn’t know much about the history of the film industry. I learned about the Pre-Code Hollywood era, introduction of the Hays Code, from this review. Films in the 1920s and 1930s depicted sexual relationships, mild profanity, drug use, etc. I always thought that back then, movies didn’t add sexual acts in their films. Hollywood added codes and rules that kept women at a disadvantage. Women are respected more in the film industry today. If I were to guess, there are way more films today maybe with sexual and inappropriate acts compared to back then. Overall, it was an interesting review, and it was great learning about something new.

McKile Albino 09.06.22 / 9pm

Hey Brenna,
I really enjoyed reading your review and analysis of such an important topic within the early film industry. It truly made me aware of the many issues during the pre-code era and acts as a point of reflection on where the industry stands today. It is quite disturbing to think that women in films were exploited and sexualized during this particular time period and how the effects of this era still had rippling effects in films created afterward. You did an amazing job at showing these main points and presenting examples in pre-code films, overall a great and fascinating review.

Aidan Arney 09.07.22 / 2pm

Hi Brenna,
I thought that your analysis of the pre code era was very detailed and informative. I had no idea how woman were portrayed and treated in the movie industry in the past, and this educated me on that topic. I always thought movies had all the creative freedom they wanted and had no restrictions, that was until I learned about this pre code era. I was surprised to learn how misrepresented woman were in the past, being used as sex objects and generally stereotyped. It goes to show the form of how movies during this era were made, and the narratives on woman that were pushed. It makes me appreciate movies and characters like Wonder Woman, Kim Wexler, and Black Widow because they are female leads that are strong, well written and not misrepresented. The Pre Code era shows me how the film industry in general has progressed through history, as movies then had woman only for very small roles, to now where woman have prominent roles in almost all films and some that are getting their own feature films.

Kayla Bryan Latham 10.16.22 / 3pm

This review was such a great read, I am glad that you touched on this topic and opened a lot of people’s eyes to how women were actually treated in the industry in the 1930s. It is so sad to me how women were traded during that time, and of course, no one ever spoke up because standing up and speaking up would be the “uncool” thing to do. At that time in the film industry it was a big no-no to get involved in the dealing of female contracts and was almost always met with discord and backlash from peers and fellow showbiz employees. To be fair we can shun this generations actors for them using women as sex symbols, but against a lot of what has been said, we are doing the same thing in this generation, I honestly think our current generation might be making it worse. Yes we are giving woman close to equal pay, but we are still sexualizing them in film, media and even worse on social media, editing and changing their bodies giving girls and women a fake sense of what they should look and act like. Watching movies and reading articles like yours about movies prior to the pre-code era have really shown me the evolution in the film industry. I am interested to see it continue to evolve, but I fear that the false social expectations and over sexualization in media will keep this industry from ever being truly equal and fair.

Bianca D'Ambrosio 10.17.22 / 9am

This is an excellent article detailing the transition from pre-code years through the abolition of the Hays Code in 1952. Interestingly, the Hays Code was created in response to Catholic protests and dissolved based upon the First Amendment ‘s right to free speech. In 1952, we see a true separation of the ideals of church from the promise of state. This is relevant today as America seems to be drifting towards theocracy. There are constant cries to bring America back to what it once was. If this can be done by embracing the the rulings of the 1952 Supreme Court, I am listening. I fear, however, that we are approaching the years of the Hays Code, which limits not just movies, but us all.

Trinity Jennings 10.19.22 / 1pm

This review really shows how woman were mistreated within the film industry during the 1930s and how the film were during the Pre-Code era. The film, Red Headed Woman (Conway, 1932) is a great example for both of these–Red in the film was portrayed as a money hungry woman who would stop at nothing to reach her goal of being rich and known. First this film and many others during the time sexualized these woman which also went against Hays Code because of all the revealing scenes by showing women being unfaithful and jumping from man to man–this violated Hays Code while also portraying woman in a negative light. Women were stereotyped and mistreated within the film industry and can obviously be seen throughout the film Red Headed Woman (Conway, 1932) as well as how films like this caused controversy as it violated the Hays Code because of its obscene narrative and revealing scenes that sexualized these women.

Rebecca Lennon 10.19.22 / 9pm

Brenna,
I think it’s fitting you show the picture of Cary Grant and May West and then later go on to describe her accomplishments in Hollywood. When first seeing May West’s outrageous dialog I was first taken back that a woman would be asked to say those lines. I later found out that May West was a prolific writer and wrote many of the films she appeared in. The Hay’s codes eventually caught up to her when the sensor neutralized her brand of comedy making her less of a box office draw and then the movie roles dried up.

Gabe Copeland 10.21.22 / 2pm

Pre-Code films were around in the 1930s before the year 1934. These pre-code films allowed for more freedom in what they filmed. Movies like the Red-Headed Woman are perfect examples of this pre-code film era. These film practices were abandoned with the implementation of the Hays Code. Until more recently in the past 30 years, more film companies are free to artistically express themselves in movies with adult content, sexualization, violence, drug use, and language which had been gone from films since 1934. This change in the film industry allowed for movies like pulp fiction and superbad to be created, these films have high uses of drugs and adult language.

Simon Alexander 10.21.22 / 11pm

The Hays code in the film industry is an interesting topic entirely, and in many ways reminds me of prohibition. Interestingly enough prohibition seemed to have ended right before the code was introduced, both having somewhat religious roots in their idea keeping purity makes the lining up of these two events seem even more interesting. In a similar fashion both of these historical bans had ended from a plea of freedom. Your analysis of Red Headed Woman expressing an idea of the gender roles that people are placed in, but I think another interesting idea to consider would be the general lack of freedom any roles put someone in. Much like the prisoners in Red Headed Woman, a lack of freedom was telling for the time, and so perhaps there lies a hope for the modern day for the ultimate freedom we can experience. Freedoms that films of the past couldn’t even consider even within the idea of pre-code film.

Jakob Pangan 10.22.22 / 12am

Hi Brenna! Your very detailed very perfectly shows the transition from pre-code through the abolition of Hays code. It’s crazy to think about how these strict Hollywood guidelines were to keep women at a disadvantage. Though these women were at a disadvantage through these codes, the industry would still try to use them purely as objects to enhance the aesthetics of the film. It is a reflection of how women were viewed during the time. I also appreciate that you used a picture of Mae West as she one one of the first sex symbols of Hollywood and a screenwriter that would be later censored due to these ridiculous codes.

Sam Szpor 10.27.22 / 10am

I think you make a fantastic point about what pre-code films did. I think so often we view this era as a travesty to film because of the heavy censorship, and whatever we think about that, it is fascinating to think about how they had to do something other than really sexualize women. I do wonder though, were women heavily sexualized before the code? And why after the code was there such an increase in sexualization on screen? I love the challenge here to create deeper characters and tap into something that the production code did have (again, not wanting to ignore the things that weren’t right in that era). I do find it interesting that a lot of the most classic films that have high reverence today came out of that era. perhaps we should try and tap into what was so successful there.

Diana Diaz 11.04.22 / 3pm

It’s interesting reading about how the Code changed movies through the lens of these two pre-code movies. I think, no matter what the rules were, Mae West would always have found a way to push the envelope. It’s even more amazing to think that she wrote her own scripts. The code really yanked the rug out from under her. Right now, I am taking a French film class, and they did not have a code at all. There were things which they could depict without a concern. A character could be a prostitute or a gangster and a women could be pregnant, or could show her breasts without it being a really big deal. People did get their just desserts at times, but it wasn’t because of a moral failing where the character had to be punished (as in America because of the code.) Characters suffer because the world-view tended to be very fatalistic and ironic.

Kara Raynaud 01.28.23 / 4pm

I found this article very interesting. I never knew such codes were proposed. I always find when art imitates life and its authentic – it works. I think when the camera veers off inappropriately without reason – well, we’ve seen this happen and it’s not artist at all. If the character is a prostitute and capitalizes on her sexuality I think that can be shown within reason as long as there is consent which appears to be where we are today. It will of course be much better when women have seats at the directing and editing tables. We’ve come a long way – that’s for sure, but we still have far to go.

Michael Burton 06.21.23 / 9am

I thought your post on this topic was very intriguing and definitely gave me an idea as to what kind of position society was in back in the 1930s. I feel like this post ultimately does a very good job of demonstrating the kind of impact that film can have on the world around it whether that be socially, economically, politically, etc. It’s very interesting to know that something that took place a little less than a hundred years ago has an impact on society’s worldview today and how woman fit into that worldview specifically. I find it interesting how the Hays code had to be implemented and seen as a failure just to give movie producers/directors the gift of creative expression.

German Ramos-Lopez 06.21.23 / 8pm

Hi, it’s interesting to think that old Hollywood was so anti violence and sex. Those are two reliable things that distributors seem to typically use in order to advertise and promote films now. What’s also interesting is how censorship and prohibition in our country ends up inevitably failing. I believe because of the production code, a market was created that could supply American audiences with themes of sex and violence. Exhibition circuits sprang up that were profitable, because they were unique in this way. International films also increased their market value during that time, because they had a growing audience that wanted edgier films.
Thanks for your insight.

Liv Chitamun 10.19.24 / 11am

Hi! Its very strange to me how PG Hollywood was at the time. They were against violence and sex which is ironic because those two things make a great film even greater. One film I viewed was the Red Headed Women, it was filled with sex, violence and crazy characters. This film was against pre-coded rules considering how much sex and violence played into this film, as well as the “villain” having a happy ending. I also find pre-coded films interesting, as said in the article above, is how the women have control in the films. Your review has made me question if strong female characters were against precoded films.

Student Film Reviews

Modern Films Thank Pre-code Films

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