The Motion Picture Production Code was Hollywood’s system of

self-censorship, enforced from 1934 to curb violence, sexual imagery and “indecent” dialogue.

This course explores its origins in early American cinema, when growing public pressure led studios to adopt a national set of rules. Real power arrived in 1934 with the creation of an approval office led by Joseph Breen, overseen by Will Hays.

We’ll look at the boundary-pushing “pre-code” era, the changes that followed enforcement, and amusing examples of scenes the censors tried to ban — from revealing musical numbers to increasingly graphic violence.

Finally, we’ll ask whether the Code was a restriction… or a surprising force for creativity during one of Hollywood’s greatest periods.