The Pre-Code Films: Hays Code Censorship and the Ever-Changing Hollywood

by Sophie Cook

Films captivate our imagination, stir our emotions, and transport us to another dimension. Whether you’re watching a romantic comedy that makes your heart swoon, or a horror movie that keeps you up at night, you feel the effects of a movie – even long after you’ve finished watching. But aside from stimulating your senses, films also impart messages and promote ideas. Just think of Birth of a Nation and how it fueled racist ideals supporting the KKK. Or how Philadelphia transformed attitudes toward the gay community, destigmatized AIDS, and inspired action to support research to eradicate this deadly disease. Whether we realize it or not, the movies we watch influence our way of thinking, and consequently, our actions. That’s why one of the first things targeted by those seeking to control a society are its films. Censorship is nothing new, and even today, movies continue to be cut, censored, or outright banned for several reasons. And it’s not just the filmmakers who suffer because of it – it’s also us, the audience. One of the most egregious periods of censorship started during the 1930s when the Hays Code was put in place. This code not only affected the films created after it was established, but even those released before… These movies were sending out messages to their viewers… messages the establishment didn’t want them to receive. In this discerning account of the pre-code period, you’ll understand what made these movies so offensive, and why you should go and watch them. Inside, here is just a fraction of what you will

48 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2022

About the author

Sophie Cook, an attorney and mediator, was born in Budapest, Hungary, and immigrated to the United States with her family in 1951. She has a Master’s Degree in fiction writing from Johns Hopkins University. In 2009 the Hungarian-language edition of Anna & Elizabeth was published in Budapest. Cook divides her time between Washington, DC and New York City and two sets of grandchildren.

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who knew you could self-publish a poorly written undergraduate paper and sell it on Amazon? Well, I suppose Sophie Cook knew because that's what she has done. A majority of her source material came from Wikipedia, which most academics shun because it is not a reliable, peer reviewed document. There is some weirdness with Chapter 9 appearing twice in the Table of Contents. The text provides a scant history of the Motion Picture Production Code, touching briefly on its disappearance in 1968 with no insight into why it was replaced by the Motion Picture Association and its rating system. Sophie Cook provides some examples by genre of films that were censored under the Hays Code, but if you want to see these films for yourself? TOO BAD. Cook often provides spoilers. What she forgets to provide for some of the films are why the films didn't make it--which scenes offended the censors. Sometimes she does, but she is inconsistent often enough that I can't imagine her media studies professor or whomever her original intended audience was gave her more than a C. I certainly wouldn't grade this more than that, either. The most tragic part is that I am one of the people who bought this on Amazon, expecting much more than the shiny turd that it turned out to be.

[Eve Taliaferro · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Pre-Code Films

Would not recommend as it is lacking information. Provides brief description of respective movies and how Hays Code censorship affected each one yet not specifically in detail

[Jessica Siler · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a complete waste of 3 dollars. The first 8 chapters are either blank or show only a film title or two. Chapter 9: Action & Adventure is the first to have any actual text and, at that point, I was so angry I didn't even read it. Do not purchase this!