lococardinal Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 Anyone know when censorship was established in the movie industry. I remember seeing the silent version of Ben Hur and seeing bare-breasted women. And the original version of The Three God Fathers (which eventually starred John Wayne) the first talkie filmed outdoors according to Robert Osbourne, made the later 50's(?) version seem like a Leave It To Beaver episode. Exaggerating a bit of course but for instance it was quite clear what the 3 men in the original were planning to do when they realized there was a woman in an abandoned carriage. In the later version as I remember it, John Wayne and co. always seemed to have the purest of intentions. Obviously there was some censorship from the beginning, but it must of tightened up at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimbo3200 Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 There is no real start date for censorship. It started becoming popular in the mid 1910s, and kept going through the 20s, but it really reached it's height in the early 1930s. There was a Production Code established in 1930, but no one really listened to it. Around June-July 1934, the New Production Code was strictly enforced, thereby pretty much bringing censorship to the movies. In many movies made before 1934 (it is often said the years 1929/1930 to 1934 are the "Pre Code years") you will see things such as was mentioned in the silent version of Ben Hur. It is interesting to look at films made in the mid to late 1930s and on, because there are definite changes in the way they were made due to censorship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwtwbooklover Posted June 10, 2004 Share Posted June 10, 2004 Maybe you might want to find info about the Haye's office I think they dealt with censorship. I also think rated movies like G PG are a very recent development well about 30 35 years ago. Vincette Minelli talks some about censorship in his book I remember It Well-his dealings with censorship for Madame Bovary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brackenhe Posted June 10, 2004 Share Posted June 10, 2004 It's funny about how censorship swings back and forth over the decades. When I was watching "Smile" the other night there were several nude and semi-nude teenage girls walking around with some overly amorous 15 year olds trying to take Polaroids through a window. This movie was made in 1975. Brooke Shields was topless at 12 in "Pretty Baby." Both those films would be totally unacceptable these days. Now "they" don't even want actors to smoke in movies, so as not to influence young people. Not to mention there's no way Cheech and Chong movies could be popular today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeanddaisy666 Posted June 10, 2004 Share Posted June 10, 2004 Yes, I think it was Hays who brought his charming little personally biased views to the movie industry, and they were accepted carte blanche, it appears. I love the early 1930s movies, with their risque costumes and colorful dialogue. Not sure if it was at these boards where I talked about Basil Rathbone saying to a character who said he 'admired' Norma Shearer in 'Last of Mrs. Cheyney': I am paraphrasing..."any man who admits to 'admiring' a woman is insinuating that her underclothes are made of linoleum". I LOVE that line, just love it. Heck, it wouldn't even make it past today's censors! Then again, never mind, most of the audience wouldn't 'get' it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickdimeo Posted June 10, 2004 Share Posted June 10, 2004 Hays was merely a puppet put into power by Joseph Breene and the Catholic Church. It's very hard for me to believe that a patsy like Hays was making any crucial decision on decency in the movies without these people behind the scenes pulling the strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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