Hollywood Before the Code Changed Everything

Course Description

What did American movies look like before we had a ratings system? We explore many of the films from 1930-1934, four astonishing years in filmmaking history, to see surprisingly contemporary Depression-era pictures of social uncertainty, gangsters, relationships between men and women, and to hear subversive responses to government and notions of patriotism as well as women’s voices. We learn the motivation behind the Motion Picture Production Code, how it was finally put into place and how it changed the business of moviemaking. Students research questions from a historical, cultural, political and ethical perspective in looking at the Code, and are encouraged to synthesize their study of this pivotal time period in film history to apply what they discover to the present day, to look at the larger repercussions of censorship of art and ideas.