What is a Pre-Code Film?
During the 1920s and into the 1930s Hollywood was largely uncensored. Which meant many pre-code films were produced during that time. The pre-code films would largely form the basis for filmmaking of that era. Except where local regulations placed emphasis on the restriction of pre-code style filmmaking. But what is a pre-code film? And what caused such widespread change in the film industry after this time period?
History of Pre-Code Hollywood.
Historically, Hollywood films were largely uncensored, especially in the 1920s and early 1930s. During this time, the American film industry was scrambling.
Between the idea of widespread adoption of sound in films. And whether or not to enforce censorship through the motion picture production code.
While the production code, also known as “Hays Code” wouldn’t actually be fully adopted into the industry until 1934. Early adopters lacked enforcement of the code. And, as a result, more and more films fell into the pre-code film era.
What is the Pre-Code Film Era?
The pre-code film era, or pre-code Hollywood, was represented by uncensored films that depicted or otherwise implied explicit content.
Usually either sexual innuendo, profanity, illicit drug use, infidelity, abortion, harsh violence, prostitution and promiscuity. And things like homosexuality or biracial relationships.
In these films, we saw gangs and gangsters profiting with little or no repercussion for their wrong-doing. Doing wrong was seen as heroic rather than being evil.
It was these types of storylines and characters in pre-code film that were largely to blame for this era of Hollywood filmmaking being deemed immoral. This also led to a rise in the desire by the Government to take over film censorship in the U.S. and clean up the industry.
What is the “Code” in Pre-Code Film?
As you look to answer the question, “What is a pre-code film?” It only makes valuable sense then to explain what the “code” in pre-code film is. When referencing the pre-code film era, the references to “code” is regarding the introduction of “Hays Code.”
Hays Code was a set of recommendations, dubbed “the Formula” that were for studios and filmmakers to adopt willingly in order to abolish any plans by the U.S. Government to censor Hollywood and the film industry.
While “the formula” was not formally adopted as “code” in 1929 Father Daniel A. Lord presented a code of standards that Hays approved of and for which studios and those involved in Hollywood filmmaking were encouraged to follow.
The idea of creating and adopting the code among the industry had multiple underlying benefits:
1) it would help to reduce the likelihood of direct Government impact, and 2) it would alleviate some of the negativity and scrutiny for which Hollywood was facing due to the lack of censorship currently underway.
Thus, what is a pre-code film? It’s a film that was produced in the pre-code era, before 1934, when the adoption of Codes to censor films and reduce the amount of explicit content that was created in the industry.
