What was production code

The irony , of course, was that, when it became clear how terrible the Nazis were, the US government actually commissioned Hollywood to make anti-Nazi propaganda and war films. As you may have guessed, the Motion Picture Production Code was not built to last. The s brought the first signs of its demise in the form of court cases and new foreign movies that were not bossed around by the PCA.

Some of these foreign films included classics from the Italian Neorealism movement, while the later French New Wave would also make its presence known in North America. These films featured more risque subject matter and helped give Hollywood peace of mind about government intervention, thus weakening the Film Production Code.

Featuring men in drag, murder, booze, and Marilyn Monroe, the film was actually not approved by the PCA. As the s rolled on, the old Hays Code was basically a joke that no one followed. An American film by a famed Italian director, Blow-Up was more frank in its sexual topics, which in itself came with controversy. That same ratings system allowed for the burgeoning New Hollywood scene to be as varied and daring as it was. Now that we have gone over the Hays Code and what it was all about, why not see what came after its retirement?

Create robust and customizable shot lists. Upload images to make storyboards and slideshows. The Hays Code. The moral code that governed midth century American film-making. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account.

Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Home Resources RSS. Censorship in Film. Production Code The Motion Picture Production Code of If motion pictures present stories that will affect lives for the better, they can become the most powerful force for the improvement of mankind.

General Principles 1. Particular Applications I. Murder The technique of murder must be presented in a way that will not inspire imitation. Brutal killings are not to be presented in detail. Revenge in modern times shall not be justified. Methods of Crime should not be explicitly presented. Theft, robbery, safe-cracking, and dynamiting of trains, mines, buildings, etc.

Arson must subject to the same safeguards. The use of firearms should be restricted to the essentials. Methods of smuggling should not be presented. Illegal drug traffic must never be presented. The use of liquor in American life, when not required by the plot or for proper characterization, will not be shown.

Adultery, sometimes necessary plot material, must not be explicitly treated, or justified, or presented attractively. No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin.

Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, shall be presented. Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.

In short, the bad guy can never win, crime must never be glamorized and social taboos such as homosexuality can not be expressly depicted. While these guidelines were technically voluntary, not adhering to them became disastrous for studios and filmmakers. As such, the Hays Code and similar strictures enforced by the massive Catholic Legion of Decency influenced almost every American film made between and