Pre-Code Hollywood (1930-1934)
The Pre-Code Period of movie making happened (debatably) between the beginning of 'talkies' (sound movies) around 1929, and July 1, 1934. After this time, the Motion Picture Production Code was enforced; essentially it is a group of rules as to what was deemed appropriate, and inappropriate to present to the general public (http://pre-code.com/the-motion-picture-production-code-of-1933/). Pre-code movies, in contrast, had violence, nudity, sexual innuendo, sexual freedom, strong and powerful women, and sometimes crime paid, and the criminals could even be the heroes. Although these movies may have many un-PC moments, and can be a little stiff in the acting, their allure comes from how un-sanitized they are compare to movies that have come since. Society has been altered by the code in so many ways, so these movies can give us a glimpse of where we were going before our experiences were censored. Here is just a taste.
avg. score: 14 of 75 (19%)
required scores: 1, 2, 6, 14, 26
