Crime, profanity, sex, and violence — all of these taboo aspects became strictly prohibited under the Hollywood Hays Code from 1934 until 1968. This historic censorship set out to preserve moral integrity and to prevent perceived harmful influence amongst film audiences. Numerous “Don’ts” and “Be Carefuls” were first enforced in 1927 as a frantic effort to ban suggestive content previously under the code. However, it was merely after July 1934 that severe censorship of these rules was actually regulated. Hollywood censor Joseph Breen was the central person behind strengthening these restrictions, but what about Hollywood pictures between 1927–1934? Talkies started becoming the new hot trend after the success of The Jazz Singer in 1927. Cinema was subjected to a new standard of film production when the days of silent films ended, and sound films developed into the new normal. Subsequently, filmmakers realized that distinct imagery was no longer the singular practice of conveying stories and emotion.
Successively, the period of Hollywood between 1929 and mid–1934 came into focus and was coined: Pre-Code Hollywood. Since the inspection of censorship was mainly weak, studios effectively ignored these standards and produced several risqué films during this period. Almost every forbidden principle was either heavily implied or, in some cases, directly shown. Suggestive nudity, violence, crime, and blasphemous language ran rampant within this cinematic era, appalling authorities and audiences. Several genres existed and became popularised, for instance: crime, sex, and horror. Each film presented a different taboo or another, whether it was sexually vulgar or macabre.
As countless films in Pre-Code Hollywood exhibited socially immoral aspects, this period is principally an exciting pioneer for the cinematic subgenre: Exploitation Cinema. Motion pictures before Pre-Code did primarily exploit the taboo and shocked audiences alike. Early “stag” films that presented pornography were distributed secretly starting in the 1910s, such as A Free Ride in 1915, which was recently featured in the film Pearl. No other exploitation cinematic period or subgenre has established the impact that Pre-Code Hollywood cinema has demonstrated.
Throughout the years, a form of exploitation cinema generally showcases a collective of taboo-challenging films that exist outside censorship. This subgenre primarily aims to tap into subconscious immoral impulses and harsh boundaries as far as possible with their content. Exploitation cinema’s crucial objective is the creation of spectacle out of societally deemed sensationalist and corrupt values for entertainment. The nature of exploitation is viewing an everyday problem or social failure and understanding how one disappointment could be solved. By seemingly resolving a problem within society, escapism is then constructed. Any value situated outside the public consciousness became nearly always the main star in exploitation cinema. Fundamentally, a stylised and glorified portrayal of society was always present in these types of films. Any form of marginalised facets or the dark corners of the public excels in exploitation cinema.
Pre-Code Hollywood is no different from other forms of exploitation cinema that have existed throughout cinema’s continuous evolution. The late 1920s to mid-1930s were profusely populated with countless societal events and challenges. A considerable pinpoint was the 1929 Wall Street Crash and the ensuing Great Depression in America, lasting through 1939. Suddenly, the Roaring Twenties and the constant economic boom vanished. Unemployment was rising, and once tremendous economic success was completely decimated. The general population desperately required a solution to their deep troubles. A guide or even the slightest form of escapism to deal with the nationwide sorrow was pivotal. This is when Pre-Code Hollywood arrives. Since sound pictures were already enhancing, a defiance of societal rules and new technological advancement spawned the perfect solution.
Several genres became prominent in Pre-Code Hollywood as a direct response to the previous decade’s triumphs and nationally sensationalised events. One primary example was the gangster genre. A major influence during this period in American history was the Prohibition era which commenced in 1920. Through the 1920s, the consumption and sale of alcohol became illegal in the United States. Ultimately, this led to the immense rise of organised crime and gangsters swiftly founding various crime circuits. One name from the Prohibition era leaps into everyone’s minds when the word ‘gangster’ is mentioned: Al Capone. A notorious crime boss who was dubbed “Public Enemy No.1,” he reigned over Chicago and encompassed many feuds with gang rivals. Adored by the public until the St Valentine’s Massacre in 1929, Capone undoubtedly played a substantial role during the 1920s.
As a direct reaction, a cascade of crime films featuring gangsters as the protagonists arrived in the cinematic world. Almost every story concentrates on a gangster’s rise and ensuing fall in the crime circuit in an idealised and fantastical way. Various examples of the gangster genre include Scarface and Little Caesar. Each of these films integrated at least one element of Al Capone as a prime inspiration.
Scarface bears the same nickname he was addressed as and is mainly set in Chicago. It also depicts a pivotal moment that displays a striking resemblance to the infamous St Valentine’s Massacre. This critical event destroyed Capone’s publicly prescribed sophisticated image due to the seven members of a rival gang’s murders. Little Caesar showcases the titular protagonist with a striking resemblance to Al Capone and also principally situates its narrative in Chicago.
All of these films exploited the overall image of this notorious gangster and utilised this aspect for further escapism. The immense wealth of the gangster characters equally undertook its share in promoting the escapist fantasy whilst in The Great Depression. Scarface and Little Caesar portray their protagonists as petty criminals rapidly rising in the ranks of their syndicates to become powerful and ruthless crime lords. Nonetheless, both storylines illustrate their corresponding downfalls in their criminal careers as an almost moral justification for exploiting the gangster genre.
Significantly, Scarface’s final seconds flash these words on a large billboard in the film: “The World is Yours.” The ideals of power and influence presented in these films were the crux of promoting the escapist solution to The Great Depression. By exhibiting these rich desires, they served as a reminder of America’s glorious period in the Roaring Twenties and deceivingly prompted viewers that this was possible to achieve. Escapism became apparent through this demonstration, therefore creating exploitation.
However, these themes were not exclusively tailored to the gangster genre. Another example of a genre in Pre-Code Hollywood was the sex genre. These films often depicted open discussions of sexuality and women’s issues during the 1930s. They regularly challenged conceptualised norms, such as marriage and sexuality, through the means of exploitation. Strong female leads were the stars of these pictures, and all exemplified their sexual freedom and status in society in an often playful yet vitally ground-breaking way.
One crucial example of the genre is Baby Face (1933), an infamous film within Pre-Code Hollywood. This film follows Lily Powers (Barbara Stanwyck), who begins to advance her social position by sleeping with countless men. Based on its subject matter, Baby Face was so controversial that it was immediately censored even before release. As suggested, the core element exploited is the sexual content and descriptions that Lily Powers undergoes. Whilst no sex is actually illustrated, the honest discussion of sex is what fully emphasises the film’s nature. A leading female protagonist in a film dealing with feminist themes was essentially unheard of before Pre-Code Hollywood. What makes the film stand out in the sex genre is Stanwyck’s confident and delightfully commanding presence. She conveys the bravado of Lily Powers so effectively and transforms her into an influential character that overcomes her struggles. Since she dominates the narrative, Baby Face succeeds in generating the escapist fantasy of wealth and power, therefore creating a cinematic solution.
Gangsters and sex genre films served as a response to societal failures and exploited those challenges to solve them superficially. But some films in this cinematic period aimed to show macabre and horror as means of exploitation. Take, for example, the early Universal Monster films, for instance, Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man. Gruesome imagery and abnormal concepts populated these sorts of films for exploitative effect. Frankenstein, which is based on Mary Shelley’s novel, is a key example since the subject is a monster created from human body parts. Many scenes in the film defied censorship, such as the monster accidentally drowning a little girl and Dr. Frankenstein’s god complex. Imagery like this broke countless cinematic boundaries since they both challenged morally coded ideals of innocence and religion. Dr. Frankenstein’s proclamation, “I know what it feels like to be God!” was deemed blasphemous and obscene. However, because of these provocative aspects, exploitation surfaces beneath the narrative.
Since these defy societal standards, Frankenstein subtly comments on American society in an indirect satirical way by shifting responsibility onto the viewer. Dr. Frankenstein’s God comparison and the murder of an innocent girl force the viewer into an uncomfortable state. By presenting these horrifying moments, it reflects on society and challenges its artificial models through the means of exploitation. Monster films like Frankenstein indirectly represent the failures and limitations of society by directly subverting moral standards.
Each genre within Pre-Code Hollywood helped pave the way for Exploitation cinema throughout the decades. Without the representation of certain characteristics, such cinematic depictions would never exist. Every period in Hollywood’s history has always coded a set of guidelines that are destined to be disobeyed. Pre-Code Hollywood was the main pioneer in exploiting censorship rules that shunned progression in cinematic portrayals. Various exploitation cinema movements, for example, Grindhouse, the B-movie genre, and 1980s video nasties, owe a debt to Pre-Code Hollywood. Hollywood, from 1927–1934 acted as a spark for what future exploitation films would further advance. They regulated the B-movie structure, which focused on low budgets and capitalisation on current social issues.
Grindhouse and 1980s video nasties concentrated on both of these elements through explicit violence and taboo subject matter. This often led to a cascade of banned or severely cut films due to their excessive nature. Nevertheless, both of those movements have Pre-Code Hollywood to thank for their unique provocations and fearlessness. No matter how nasty or obscene, they all fundamentally evolve their respective genres for new stories and perspectives.
In summary, Pre-Code Hollywood was a distinctly innovative period in cinematic history. New concepts and voices became the centerpieces and confronted preconceptions about what cinema could get away with. No other movement could ever replicate these films’ energy and, significantly, immense bravery to depict what they did. At a time of staunch conservatism and social turmoil, these films were needed. Whether in the 1930s or the present day, exploitation with a purpose will always be necessary.
Exploitation cinema covers crucial social issues and provides perspectives that even sometimes Hollywood never dares to express. Although the solutions may appear insincere, undervalued problems and voices are offered a place to thrive in exploitation cinema. The fact that Pre-Code Hollywood was from the big industry itself and not an outsider demonstrates this. Exploitation cinema is only true when meaning is behind the exploited. Eventually, it creates an illusion of life itself through our own cinematic consciousness.
