Catalogue

Catalogue

Focus Film:

Item 1: Baby Face (1933) Alfred E. Green- I chose this film as one of my focuses due to it epitomizing films of the pre-code era. It was originally banned in some US states due to its use of sexual innuendo. From the beginning this film was to test the boundaries of censorship in the US having been rejected when it had been sent to the New York State of Censors. They demanded cuts and changes and were strict when enforcing such measures, partly due to the Studio (Warner Bros.) being one of the ‘big five’ conglomerates at the time and therefore practically counting for a major part of Hollywood’s Cinema income in the Golden Age. Watching the film in all its explicit suggestion, one can’t help but consider what the original, un-cut version must have been like.

Item 2: Red-Headed Woman (1932) Jack Conway- Jean Harlow stars in this 1932 pre-code film. The synopsis states how Lil (Harlow) intends to “sleep her way to the top of The Great Depression”- conveying from the outset the explicit, sexually driven themes usually tackled in 1930s Hollywood films. Scenes in this film range from partial nudity, adultery, and divorce, attempted murder and blackmail. Therefore this film epitomizes ‘pre-code’ Hollywood, and would, if been made just one years later, have been strictly cut and re-written in order to stick within the regulations of censorship rules and Hays-code guidelines.

Item 3: Party Girl (1930) Victor Halperin- this is one of many immoral pre-code films in which graced the ‘late night screening’ of Golden Age cinema. It is not considered one of the best of the era, due to being one of the earliest and therefore having some sound complications; as the ‘talkies’ were still a recently achieved milestone. It was also produced by Poverty Row studio, an almost unheard of company in this era of cinema.

Supporting Films:

Item 4: The Big Sleep (1946) Howard Hawks- I chose this as one of my supporting films after exploring censorship as part of my research and coming across many references to this film. In the 40s,  years after the reinforcement of the Hays-code many state censorship boards were continuing to ‘lay down the law’ with films obtaining similar themes seen in the pre-code era; in this case that meant crime, and possible romance. Therefore looking at this film allows for a reflection on the pre-code era, and thus the impact of the Hays-code on film.

Books:

Item 5: The Power of The Image- Essays on Representation and Sexuality-2^nd Edition by Annette Kuhn published by Routledge, 1985.

Ø                                    The Big Sleep: Censorship, film text, sexuality- Page 74-95 Chapter 4

This chapter is where I initially learnt of the strict censorship procedures such films had to follow after the introduction of the Hays code/ Production Code.

Ø                                    Living Dolls and ‘real women’- Page 13-17 chapter 1

This chapter helps fundamentally highlight how woman in film can be used as a device, one of desire, or glamour and perfection and therefore, one could argue, they are a ‘living doll’ that do not truthfully reflect on ‘real women’. I found this interesting as it conveyed how woman are objectified, they are commodities of the films in which they perform a role. At one instance, the book stated how, when objectified into this glamorous ‘doll’ women are “…stripped of will and autonomy…” and this reflected the desired, yet amoral ‘bad girls’ of the pre-code films.

Item 6: Film History: an introduction,-3^rd Edition, by Kristen Thompson and David Bordwell, published by McGraw Hill Higher Education, 1994.

Ø                                    The Hollywood Studio System, 1930-1945-Page 198-199 chapter 10

This book was particularly helpful at the beginning of my research, it told of the history of Hollywood and defined the MPPDA (Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America), its impact and reasoning.

Item 7: Introduction to Film Studies-4^th Edition, edited by Jill Nelmes, foreword by Bill Nichols, published by Routledge, 2011.

Ø                                    Gender and Film: Cinema, Identities and the politics of representation-Page 222-235 chapter 10

This chapter explored how woman in film were received by a western audience, it talks about how different cultures and ethnicities view the role of woman on film and how they have to be presented in a particular way to be accepted by the male spectator; this was helpful for understanding how audiences must have responded to the ‘bad girls’ of the pre-code era, due to the sexually liberated, amoral roles they were fulfilling. This chapter also explained that when woman possess such traits that are considered ‘masculine’; men accept them in a desirable way- this is why audiences of this time kept coming back to the cinema, to see such decisive leading females.

Item 8: From Reverence To Rape: The treatment of women in movies- 2^nd Edition, by Molly Haskell, published by University of Chicago Press, 1987.

Ø                                    The Thirties- Page 90-91-, 92-93, 94-95, 122-123, 146-147.

This chapter talks of the early 30s as a Renaissance, a new wave of cinema. I learnt from this how the pre-code era is consider nowadays, no longer the ‘dark-age’ of film history. The chapter states: “until the Production Code went into full force, between 1933-1934, women were conceived of as having sexual desire without being freaks, villains…” which conveys perhaps a time of immoral chaos, or perhaps of social acceptance?

Item 9: Imagining Women: Cultural Representations and Gender-3^rd Edition, Edited by Frances Bonner, Lizbeth Goodman, Richard Allen, Linda Jones and Catherine King, published by Polity Press, 1992.

Ø                                    Obscenity and Censorship, Article 5.2, by Suzanne Kappeler- Page

Demonstrated the line between freedom of expression and obscenity. I learnt that what is consider ‘obscene’ change with the changes of society and is never a fixed concept; this could suggest how the pre-code films considered ‘over the line’ in the 30s would be viewed as mild nowadays. Lastly it talks of how freedom of expression and sexual liberation is all well and good however a spectator who does not share the same values as the representative onscreen should not be subjected to watch if they do not choose to, therefore this is how such pre-code films and films that explored similar themes gained the ‘late night screening’ reputation.

Item 10: Flesh and Blood: The National Society of film critics on sex, violence and censorship- 1^st Edition, Edited by Peter Keough, published by Mercury House, San Francisco, 1995.

Ø            CENSORSHIP: “America” versus Hollywood- Page 258 chapter: Sex and Sensibility by Peter Keough

This chapter talks of the transgression from sex on screen to violence and how this transgression occurred. Keough explains how when sex was not ‘allowed’ onscreen this allowed for other such themes to take a front seat and be exploited and therefore the ‘sensibility’ of this.

Ø            CENSORSHIP: “America” versus Hollywood- Page 259-262 chapter: What’s wrong with Hollywood? By Carrie Rickey

This chapter focuses on how Hollywood “…was a culture that used to trade in discreet                imagery to one that exploited the explicit” this helped me again with audience response and the reflection of the 30s now. 

Ø            CENSORSHIP: “America versus Hollywood- Page 295 chapter: Too much sex and violence by Michael Wilmington

This chapter explores how much sex and violence can be shown in the movies, how it effects and audience and why there has been a censorship struggle for a century. This was key to my research as many of the pre-code films centre around sex and contain violence as a result..

Ø            CENSORSHIP: Breaking The Code- Page 302-306: Warner Bros Before The Code by Stuart Klawans

This chapter talks of the initiation of the Hays Code and why it occurred. It also explores what else was lost when the code came into play and therefore why the pre-code years were as stand-alone as they are considered now. I learnt from this more about the Has Code and who enforced it, plus how Warner Bros studio dealt with pre and present code production.

Item 11:The Story Of Film-1^st edition by Mark Cousins, published by Pavilion Books, Great Britain, 2004.

Ø            Japanese Classicism and Hollywood Romance (1928-1945) Cinema enters Golden Age. Pages 96,97,99.

These pages were helpful in explaining the origins of sound within film and the impact that had on genre such as the gangster film and as a result the attitudes of audiences. This section also talks of Howard Hawks- the director of my supporting film The Big Sleep- and his career.

Item 12: Working Girls: Gender and Sexuality in popular cinema-1^st Edtion by Yvvonne Tasked, published by Routledge, USA, 1998.

Ø            ‘New Hollywood’, New film Noir and the femme fatale. Page 137

this chapter was particularly interesting to me as it talked of the roles in which women play in film, and more specifically noir film (helpful for The Big Sleep) I discovered that the women in these pre-code films therefore act as almost the first of the femme fatales due to possessing many of the characteristics being shared. It also allowed me to question how The Big Sleep conformed to the ideals of roles and moral obligation due to the Production code.  

Internet:

Item 13: IMDb

Ø                                    www.imdb.com/title/tt0023775

Baby Face- This web page for Baby Face on IMDb helped throughout my research, it contained important information on the film as well as a short synopsis and plot summary and box office stats. I also learned of similar films that other IMDb users liked; which helped me to find more pre-code movies such as Party Girl.The site also contained links to external reviews that talked of the film and critique they had.

Ø                                    www.imdb.com/title/tt0023385/

Red-Headed Woman-I learnt of costumer reviews and was able to find out cast, directors, studio and response to the film nowadays with the public, especially after re-release. I also found through this page an interesting external link to a golden age movie blog.

Ø                                    www.imdb.com/title/tt0021239/

Party Girl- I originally found out about Party Girl through IMDb and therefore this is where I got most of my information. There is not a whole lot more information on the internet or in books about this film as it was of bad quality, produced by a known unknown of studio form the golden age, therefore this film is just lost in the depths of many others like it.

Item 14: Wikipedia

Ø                                    www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Code_Hollywood

This site was a great starting point for understanding the different themes explored in this era. It also defined the brief years counted as ‘Pre-code’ and lists Baby Face and Red-Headed Woman as part of the leading films of this era due to the ‘strong women that dominated’ Lastly it explores the ‘origins’ of the time and how it came to an end and thus the actors with it. .

Ø                                    www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression

I wished to research The Great Depression in more depth due to this being the reason for the pre-code era. It helped me to understand the reasons behind such outrageous films and what was going on socially and culturally at the time. Furthermore it allowed me to get a firmer grasp on the attitudes to Americans living in this time and therefore how Hollywood was able to thrive.

Item 15: www.pre-code.com

Ø            This blog was very useful as a critical view on Red-Headed Woman. It talked of the time, the studio as well as the leading female-Jean Harlow and therefore allowed for a deeper understanding of the movie and I therefore felt I could analyse at a higher more in-depth level.

Ø            The site also had a list of pre-code films from 1929-34 and in this list- Baby Face. I therefore was able to earn a lot about the breakdown of this film and it offered some interesting. links that talk of the film from different critically analytical perspectives.

Item 16: www.moviediva.com

Ø      A wonderful website for Baby Face, it tells of the background of the film, how it was certainly one of the reasons for the censorship laws tp be revisited. I also learnt that it was Warner Bros. Answer to Red-Headed Woman that was now becoming notorious for a number of reasons including the leading lady Jean Harlow, the witticism and themes. It also goes into greatd detail about when, where and what censors were added, with a list from scene-to-scene. Lastly the article talks of Barbara Stanwyck as the leading lady, her origins as an actor and her appeal.

Item 17: www.rottentomatoes.com

Ø      This was particularly useful for reviews on all my pre-code films and supporting films. I learnt of a modern audiences response to these films in the present day and why they think ones such as Baby Face and Red-Headed Woman have achieved longevity.

Magazines:

Item 18: Hollywood Before The Censors- Sight & Sound, May 2014.

Ø      This was my initial starting point in all of my research; reading through this article sparked my interest in the era and allowed me to focus on specific films. It referenced different genres in the pre-code era, such as ‘bad girls’ ‘gangster films’ etc. and even talks of Baby Face and Red-Headed Woman.

Item 19: Slim Pickings-Sight & Sound, October 2014.

This article on Lauren Bacall and her death helped explain how she was discorverd and talked of her relationship with her Husband Humphrey Bogart. It was also very helpful in explaining the success of The Big Sleep and contained an interesting comparison to To Have and Have not.

Items not used:

I did not use the book ‘Working Girls’ apart from one page due to it not being relevant to the time considered pre-code; it focused more on the modern day woman in contemporary cinema.. Lastly I initially found a substantial amount of research on The Divorcee (1930), which would have been one of my foucs films however I was unable to get a hold of a copy. 

Illustrative Slides Analysis

1. Introduction: this will consist of my statement/ title 'Immoral Hollywood: The Pre-Code Era' as well as my aims, which are to discuss what the 'hays code' is and the types of films that were created during the brief window called the 'pre-code' era which lasted between 1930-1933. Another of my aims is to discuss the themes and attitudes to sex and immorality in general within the films. 
2. What is Pre-code: this slide will define what is meant by pre-code and what the hays code is. 
3. Focus Film 1: Why i chose Baby Face
4. Focus Film 2: why i chose Red-headed Woman 
5. Focus Film 3: Party Girl 
6. Themes explored: the themes and attitudes in which the films share 
7. Lead females: Barbara Stanwyck as Lily Powers, Jean Harlow as 'Lil' and Judith Barrie as Leeda Cather
8. Supporting females: the wives, fiancees, the absence of a mother figure?
9. Male Representations- the adulterers, husbands, fathers and business men- how they are passive, the reception of this in a patriarchal society? 
10. Studios: Which studios made them, was this kind of film a trademark for them?
11. Box Office: How were they received, some reviews etc.
12. Audience: Social context, what was going on- The Great Depression 
13. The introduction of the Hays code/ production code_ what did they change and what was the impact
14. Impact: example of supporting film- The Big Sleep (what did this mean for the roles women could play?)
    
15. Impact: example of supporting film- The Wicked Lady 
16. Conclusion- Did pre-code films produce a corrupt society and encourage immorality?

Illustrative slides

The Wicked Lady

The Wicked Woman is a 1945 film starring Margaret Lockwood, created by the studio Gainsborough Pictures. This film is not in the pre-code era, however adopts many of the same themes, such as the liberation of women's sexuality. Themes such as these explored in the film are particularly obscene as it is set in the 17th century.

The synopsis is as follows:
17th-century beauty Barbara Worth starts her career of crime by stealing her best friend's bridegroom. Her next exploit is to recover gambling losses by donning mask and cloak and taking to the roads as a highwayman! The thrill of these ventures proves addictive...especially when she meets a male highwayman who becomes her lover. Together, the two desperados lead a gay secret life, pursued by the local magistrate Sir Ralph Skelton...Barbara's husband! To what further crimes will the wicked Lady Skelton descend?

This film was extremely popular, although not with critics, whom thought it was just another full-blown melodrama, yet one review said:
"The Wicked Lady has an undeniable sweep and a vigorous dash that carries the audience right along. It may be too excitingly plotted for some, but it always looks so terribly authentic, it is hard not to be drawn into the machinations of villainess Lockwood or sympathize with the careless, carefree vigor of James Mason's full-blooded Captain Jackson. A welcome cast of deservedly popular support artists help round out the movie's terrific production values. Aside from some obvious process screen effects, no expense has been spared. In fact, this Wicked Lady is lavish to a fault". IMDb

This film may be classed in some terms a 'melodrama' however due to the departure of the pre-code era, women were drawn to such a genre, it was thought of at the time as the only female-led genre going. Unfortunately the gangster movies, westerns and thrillers of the time all cast women as the 'damsels in distress' or the ones to get the beating. The production code put a stop to any other liberating female role; therefore women were left to such roles as these; however this still pushed the production code laws, even after 12 years of its enforcement.

The Big Sleep

The Big Sleep will be one of my supporting films. It is a film noir from 1946 and is therefore not apart of the pre-code era which is my focus. However I read, when doing research about censorship about how the production code in America asked for many cuts and changes to be made to this film, in order for it to fit with their requirements and thus be shown in Cinema.

It is a Bogart and Bacall movie (Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, husband and wife) whom were known to do a collection of films together, probably most renowned for To Have and Have Not, along with many others. The film was directed by Howard Hawks, and much like most pre-code or 'Golden Age' films was adapted from a book, in this occasion, of the same name.

The synopsis is as follows:

Summoned by the dying General Sternwood, Philip Marlowe is asked to deal with several problems that are troubling his family. Marlowe finds that each problem centers about the disappearance of Sternwood's favoured employee who has left with a mobster's wife. Each of the problems becomes a cover for something else as Marlowe probes.     

In the 40s the Production Code (or PCA) was laying down the law, so to speak, on all Hollywood big named films, so that they were eligible for mass public viewing. However the guidelines in the PCA then stated that the Warner Bros. studio could not in any of their pictures reference many things, some of which were: "illegal drug traffic" "sex perversion" or "complete nudity" which were written about in the original book, The Big Sleep. Therefore Carmen's drug taking, Gieger's homosexuality and his pornographic book racket, which were never in detail mentioned in the film, were written out of the script in the early stages of production.

As The Big Sleep's forty-two day shooting schedule (1944) was about to go underway the final scene was rejected by the PCA. This scene depicts Marlowe having been responsible for Carmen's death; therefore not keeping in suite with the typical 'hero figure'. The script was looked at and altered further so that Carmen does not die. However more complications arouse and various shots had to be re-shot. In the summer of 1945 the film was premiered, released and found, both too bleak and too complex and disfigured to follow; due to this the PCA then advised more romance to be portrayed between Marlowe and Vivian, so that the story was one of love, more than of crime and murder; this meant more re-writes and further shooting and therefore a re-release with additional scenes and retakes to give Bacall a bigger part, finally came out in August 1946.

Some reviews:
"The Big Sleep is one of those pictures in which so many cryptic things occur amid so much involved and devious plotting that the mind becomes utterly confused. And, to make it more aggravating, the brilliant detective in the case is continuously making shrewd deductions which he stubbornly keeps to himself. What with two interlocking mysteries and a great many characters involved, the complex of blackmail and murder soon becomes a web of utter bafflement. Unfortunately, the cunning script-writers have done little to clear it at the end"-Bosley Crowther

"The plot's crazily mystifying, nightmare blur is an asset, and only one of many"-Time

"This classic of American cinema, actually made during the war and released in 1946, got a whole nation of young men affecting Bogey mannerisms, raising their eyebrows or showing their teeth while grimacing, and especially pulling on their earlobes while deep in thought, a smoking cigarette dangling between their lips. It was the genius of Howard Hawks, who directed, to do everything possible to make Humphrey Bogart a matinée idol, including having Lauren Bacall slump down in the car seat so as not to tower over him. With this movie a new kind of cinematic hero was created, the existential PI, a seemingly ordinary looking guy gifted with street smarts and easy courage, admired by men, and adored by women"- IMDb

"Perfect on every sense. Great cast, with terrific Bogart and Bacall. Complex and interesting plot and smart dialogues. Only "funny" thing, if we want to say something, is the "perception" of the women roles in the movie. They are strangely all sexy and attracted to and tempting Philip Marlow"-Movie Database

Box Office:
rentals: $3,000,000
Budget wise its hard too find out, due to the many re-shoots and re-writes as well as the two different realises.

Party Girl

This is one of many immoral pre-code films in which graced the 'late night screening' at theaters. It is not considered the best of the pre-code era, due to being one of the earliest (along with The Divorcee) and therefore having some sound difficulties, as the 'talkies' were still a recent milestone. It also was produced by Poverty Row studio, an almost unheard of company from the 'Golden Age' of cinema.

This film was banned in the UK until 2003, even though it was first made in 1930. 

The synopsis is as follows:
 Jay Rountree, son of a wealthy manufacturer and young, rising businessman, gets caught up in a web involving an escort service or 'party girls.' While eluding the wily Diana Holster, the self-proclaimed Queen of the Party Girls, he manages to get trapped in a web spun by Leeda Cather and her supposed mother and, much to his consternation and to the surprise of his fiancée, Jay soon finds himself an unhappily married man. And, as events would show, Diana isn't all that happy, herself.


This film even though being immoral to the core, and making little attempt to hide the fact that these 'party girls' are in fact prostitutes, had a warning prologue advising those of how such themes explored in the movie are of a corrupt nature and make innocent girls bad. The warning ends with a foreboding statement that the next innocent girl gone bad, could be your daughter!

Some reviews for this film include:

" The acting is unbelievably bad, with Fairbanks jnr being particularly atrocious. And the dialogue is cringe-inducing. In spite of this (or possibly because of this), Party Girl is wonderfully entertaining. The Art Deco interiors and the gorgeous women’s costumes certainly help. This is very much a Jazz Age movie. If your idea of a good time is lots of bathtub gin, wild parties and loose women, this is a movie for you"- Classic Movie Ramblings 

"It’s very much in the style of the classic American exploitation movie, ostensibly condemning some deadly threat to public morals but actually being very much on the side of wickedness. These party girls are not just shamelessly debauched, they’re enjoying every minute of it"- Classic Movie Ramblings

"...this is a pleasant diversion that pushes the envelope even for pre-Code Hollywood.." - IMDb

I originally chose this as one of my focus films, however, found that The Divorcee was better suited for many reasons; such as how it was one of the kick-started of pre-code films of this kind. Therefore Party Girl will be one of my supporting items, as it still pushes the boundaries of pre-code cinema and epitomizes obscenity and corruption within the liberation of woman and sex and hiw they are represented in Hollywood film in the early 30s.

The Divorcee

The Divorcee is considered as one of the first real pre-code film, certainly the first to be a commercial success and rouse controversy and interest nationally. This film lead to many others of its kind and shaped the pre-code era we know today.

It stars Norma Shearer, who won an Oscar for best actress for her role. Shearer, much like Miriam Hopkins, was the poster-girl for the 20s and 30s and certainly pre-code films. She played strong, sexually liberated women and by doing so, was granted the title of a 'sex-symbol'. Shearer was the wife of MGM production head Irving Thalberg, whom brought the rights to the book Ex-Wife in which the film was then based on. He originally wished for Joan Crawford to play the role, as he did not believe Shearer had enough sex-appeal. Yet Shearer arranged a photo session with photographer George Hurrell and convinced Thalberg that she could indeed play the role. It also stars Chester Morris, who was also the leading male in Red-Headed Woman. The film was directed by Robert Z. Leonard; this earned him an Academy Award nomination for best director.

This film was originally created to counter-act and reflect the hard times of The Great Depression. It was an attempt to get the American public back into cinemas at a very hard time.

The synopsis is as follows:
Jerry and Ted are young, in love, and part of the New York 'in-crowd'. Jerry's decision to marry Ted crushes a yearning Paul. Distraught Paul gets drunk and wrecks his car, disfiguring young Dorothy's face in the process. Out of pity, Paul marries Dorothy. Years later, the apparent perfect marriage of Ted and Jerry falls apart from infidelity on both sides. Inwardly unhappy, popular Jerry lives a party life while Ted sinks into a life of alcoholism. Jerry then runs into Paul, who still loves her. After spending time together with Jerry, Paul plans to divorce Dorothy. When Jerry sees Dorothy again, she has second thoughts about where her life is heading.
I chose this film, as I have previously mentioned, due to the fact that it acted as the initiation of pre-code films. It confronts, boldly, the issues of divorce and adultery- which, before, had hardly been touched on in such in film; and caused controversy as a result. Much like Red-Headed Woman it was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. However due to not being able to purchase it, or get a hold of a copy in any other way, I cannot use it as one of my focus films; therefore I will place it under the 'not used' section of my catalogue.

Some reviews:
"Surpisingly strong, effective early talkie from usually tepid MGM"- Rotten Tomatoes

"It's doubtful that this melodrama, in which Norma Shearer challenges society's double standards about sexual mores by flirting with several men, could have been made after 1934 due to strictures of the Production Code"- Rotten Tomatoes

"[Shearer] certainly deserved her Oscar for this one"-Rotten Tomatoes

Box office:
The budget for this film was estimated at $340,691
Rentals reached $1,218,000 (Worldwide)