Red-Headed Woman

Red-Headed Woman is a 1932 pre-hays code film in which stars Jean Harlow as a amoral 'man-eater'. In the film synopsis it states that her character 'Lil' intends to "sleep her way to the top of The Great Depression"- conveying from the off-set the explicit, sexually-driven themes usually tackled in 1930s Hollywood films. Scenes in this film range from suggested nudity, adultery, divorce and crime. Therefore this film epitomizes 'pre-code' Hollywood, and would, if been made just one year later, have been strictly cut and re-vamped in order to stick within the means of censorship rules and Hays-code guidelines.

The films full synopsis is as follows:

Lilian 'Lil' Andrews (Harlow wearing a red wig) is a young woman who will do anything to improve herself. She seduces her wealthy boss William 'Bill' Legendre Jr. and cleverly breaks up his marriage with his loving wife Irene. Irene reconsiders and tries to reconcile with Bill, only to find he has married Lil the previous day.
However, Lil finds herself shunned by high society, including Bill's father, Will Legendre Sr., because of her lower class origins and homewrecking. When Charles B. Gaerste, a nationally known coal tycoon and the main customer of the Legendres' company, visits the city, Lil thinks she has found a way to force her way into the highest social circles. She seduces him, then blackmails him into throwing a party at her mansion, knowing that no one would dare offend him by not showing up. It seems like a social coup for Lil, until her hairdresser friend and confidante Sally  points out that all the guests have left early to attend a surprise party for Irene (who lives across the street).
Humiliated, she decides to move to New York City, even if it means a temporary separation from her husband. Will finds Lil's handkerchief at Gaerste's place and correctly guesses what Lil has done. He shows his evidence to his son, who hires detectives to watch Lil. They find that she is conducting not one, but two affairs, with Charles and his handsome French chauffeur Albert. Bill shows Charles damning photographs.
When Lil learns that Charles has found out about her, she returns to Bill, only to find him with Irene. Furious, she shoots him, but he survives and refuses to have her charged with attempted murder. However, he does divorce her and remarry Irene. Two years later, he sees her again, at a racetrack in Paris, in the company of an aged Frenchman. He discreetly hides Irene's binoculars. In the final scene, Lil and her elderly companion get into a limousine ... driven by Albert.

I chose this film as it is listed as one of the 'Forbidden Hollywood' movies that I have previously mentioned. It not only stars a renowned leading female- which was very common-place at the time, but also contains many themes in which were severally counter-acted once the hays-code was enforced, and for a number of reasons.

This film, though not unlike many others of its time and topic, was controversial for many reasons, all concerning the lack of morality and virtue of the era. Divorce, is one theme explored in this film, it is not only touched upon, but is a main focus- Harlow's character forces her boss/ lover to divorce so that he can marry her, then later divorcing him. In the 30s it would be rare, if not unheard of for couples to get divorced if they were not Hollywood celebrities or elopers; this is even portrayed in the film by Bill's upper-class friends, whom shun Lil for being a "homewrecker". This attitude of the upper-class is so reflected the time and views of society and was one of the reasons these sorts of films were (from 1933 onwards) banned, changed as well as stopped altogether.

Prior to Red-Headed Woman, the producer- Irving Thalberg worked with the Will Hays Office to ensure it would receive approval for general release. The production code at the time stated that "...a criminal could not be seen to profit from the crime, or to go unpunished, and sin must be punished..." this along with  Jean Harlow's character being portrayed as overtly sexual and confident in several scenes where she was partially undressed, or making obvious sexual advances, very difficult to be accepted by censorship laws.

Although the Hays Office could not ban a film as such, a refusal to issue approval for a particular film could lead exhibitors to refuse to screen it. Thalberg agreed to seventeen cuts to enable it to screen in the United States; however upon release, it still received a large number of complaints from affronted cinema patrons^. The original release in 1932 was banned in cinemas in the United Kingdom and was only reconsidered in 1965. The controversy surrounding its release generated considerable publicity, and the film was a box-office success.

The comedy allows the film a rather nastier edge than if it had been straight melodrama with some scenes still disturbing (a frustrated Bill knocks Lil around the room with his fists while she screams “I like it!, Hit me again!”, with the comedy coming in the form of her roommate listening at the door getting an entirely different idea of what’s happening in the room). - See more at: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/reviews/article_1231810.php/DVD_Review_TCM_Archives_-_Forbidden_Hollywood_Collection_Vol._1#sthash.uLliY4QB.dpuf

The budget for this film was: $401,000 (estimated).
With rentals worldwide, the box office hit: $761,000
This makes it relatively successful, having made profit.

The comedy allows the film a rather nastier edge than if it had been straight melodrama with some scenes still disturbing (a frustrated Bill knocks Lil around the room with his fists while she screams “I like it!, Hit me again!”, with the comedy coming in the form of her roommate listening at the door getting an entirely different idea of what’s happening in the room). - See more at: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/reviews/article_1231810.php/DVD_Review_TCM_Archives_-_Forbidden_Hollywood_Collection_Vol._1#sthash.uLliY4QB.dpuf

The comedy allows the film a rather nastier edge than if it had been straight melodrama with some scenes still disturbing (a frustrated Bill knocks Lil around the room with his fists while she screams “I like it!, Hit me again!”, with the comedy coming in the form of her roommate listening at the door getting an entirely different idea of what’s happening in the room). - See more at: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/reviews/article_1231810.php/DVD_Review_TCM_Archives_-_Forbidden_Hollywood_Collection_Vol._1#sthash.uLliY4QB.dpuf

The comedy allows the film a rather nastier edge than if it had been straight melodrama with some scenes still disturbing (a frustrated Bill knocks Lil around the room with his fists while she screams “I like it!, Hit me again!”, with the comedy coming in the form of her roommate listening at the door getting an entirely different idea of what’s happening in the room). - See more at: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/reviews/article_1231810.php/DVD_Review_TCM_Archives_-_Forbidden_Hollywood_Collection_Vol._1#sthash.uLliY4QB.dpuf