The 1930 Production Code aimed to remove objectionable content from movies, with clear guidelines on what was allowed. It showed bias and banned things like toilets. The code was dissolved in 1968 for a ratings system, which is still criticized for bias and censorship.
The 1930 Production Code, sometimes called the Hays Code, was a deliberate attempt by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), at the time run by Will Hays, to remove content from motion pictures that was considered objectionable, titillating, morally wrong, or sinful. . Some people are shocked to see some of the content allowed in movies before the Production Code was developed, even though it can be said for these movies that many of them are pretty innocent compared to modern R-rated or NC-17-rated movies. However, the popularity of the films has led many to denounce various things that were considered “indecency, blasphemy or corruption” in the film industry. To address this, and thus maintain a cinematic audience, Hays thought it best to clearly define what was and was not allowed in a film. All films released by major studios had to be certified by the production code.
From a cinematic history point of view, or just from a historical point of view, reading the whole code is really interesting. Parts of it are extremely specific, like banning certain dances like the cancan, which may be too influential and potentially morally corrupting for the impressionable. The costume guidelines, in which no costume should have intimate bodies, wearing skin-tight costumes, are also fascinating
A major goal of the Production Code was that audiences should never leave a film confused about the issues of right and wrong. The villains were clearly to be despised and the heroes absolutely celebrated. Matters of things commonly thought to be immoral such as adultery, premarital sex, or any commission of a crime, were to be specifically condemned in the matter so that there could be no confusion between right and wrong, and no individual would be tempted to act in a way deemed indecent or immoral because of watching a film.
There are certainly some things deemed immoral by the Production Code that elicit laughs. For example, toilets were considered vulgar. This led to some interesting choices later on. In the 1960s film Psycho, for example, the Production Code Administration wanted to cut the scene where Janet Leigh flushes papers down the toilet. However, they did not object to the violence in the film, because the code had begun to loosen if the film was being recommended to mature audiences. However, film historians often find it ridiculous that the murder of Leigh’s character was allowed, but the MPAA was very concerned about the flush toilet scene.
Parts of the code show considerable bias present in the 1930s. Showing any romantic relationship between people of two different races, especially African Americans and Caucasians, was highly questionable. Again, the code began to loosen, and certainly film noir directors were often able to inject considerable moral ambiguity into plots.
As more filmmakers in the late 1950s and early 1960s began to object to the code, particularly by releasing independent films or “foreign films,” the MPAA finally had to dissolve the Production Code in 1968 in favor of the system classification. Much like the production code, the ratings system has undergone changes, and there are many who criticize the way ratings are administered as biased (any reference to homosexuality or depicting a same-sex relationship tends to earn an R) and applied unevenly.
The questions that the Production Code and all rating systems raise are whether it is censorship to rate films based on their content. These same questions have applied to other visual arts, and essentially all creative media, be it sculpture, poetry, music or otherwise. The current MPAA rating system is thought to be fairer, as it doesn’t ban content, it just rates it. Some feel that this is not enough, since a rating means that some films may not be shown or that some viewers may not be allowed to see certain films. Whether this is censorship or merely guidance must be the individual’s decision.
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