I had been about to write about the movie rating system that began when I was a young adult and continues to give letters(G,PG,etc.) to films when I began to wonder why the movies of my growing up years were so free of anything troubling. Why, for instance, did the married couples have twin beds?(All the adults I knew shared beds.)
In the same way that I was mostly unaware that the books in my school library, classroom and public library were being selected by others, I was unaware of the “Hays Code,” officially the Motion Picture Production Code which affected all United States movies from the early 1930’s to the late 1960’s. Named after the above pictured William Hays, this code laid out specific restrictions on everything from depiction of sex to scenes of violence. Below I have pasted a copy of part of the 1934 rules.
So it turns out that my experience in the movies was being as carefully curated as my experience with books. Although I had no idea, it is clear why movies began to jar me with scenes of violence and sex. I had been kept from both for many years. Now it would be up to me to choose what I saw. Now it would be helpful to have a rating system.
Tomorrow I expand on the successor to the “Hays Code.”
Saved By Words 
There are still many ‘Pre-code’ films avaiable to watch. Most are on You Tube, or available on DVD. We had strict censorship in the UK for decades, but once that ‘opened up’, it was a revelation!
Best wishes, Pete.
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I didn’t know that. Now that I have learned about the kind of film available before the code I am curious to see some of it.
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Here is a list of pre-code movies, dozens of which I’ve seen, and some of which I’d be happy to recommend if you’re interested:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pre-Code_films
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This You Tube list is from the UK but I am sure it ill be much the same in America.
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(The other films appear in a list next to this one.)
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Thanks.
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I wonder where they found the perfectly virtuous people to write these rules? I mean, personally I could do without a lot of things one sees on television and in theatres these days – but most of it is a reflection of real life. So, who decided where to draw the line in media?
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That is an excellent question. I will see if I can figure it out.
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Good luck with that Elizabeth!
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We have a censorship system from PG to X ratings here in Australia for the public viewing of movies & tv programs.
However, it has shifted recently & this I find disturbing.
What you think is an okay rating to take your grandchildren to view may not necessarily be!
When Clinically Counselling I appreciated the older system for my patients.
As many with physical, sexual or emotional abuse in their background are triggered by graphic scenes, scenes that quite frankly are psychologically disturbing within themselves!
My patients could avoid such triggers by choosing a rating that they knew would be an enjoyable form of entertainment without triggering past horrific experiences.
Thank you Elizabeth, Jennifer
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I appreciate your additional thoughts. I use a site called kids-in-mind when in doubt since there seems to have been a slippery slope about the ratings.
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I like the sound of that Elizabeth! I wonder if we have something similar here…
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Our ‘acceptance standards’ have certainly dropped…..what was labelled H for horror in the 1950s would be quite mild these days.
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To say nothing of the language.
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Never aware of this because I was never a fan of films.
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That makes sense.
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I think it was the same everywhere.
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Amazing. I wonder why everyone decided to drop the codes.
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I did not know of the Hays Code, although in retrospect it seems there must have been some code of sorts.
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I just thought we had better taste in those days!
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Yes!
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Hi Elizabeth, you have to wonder how we went from this conservative system to the free for all we have now in such a short time. I don’t like either, something in the middle would be better for me.
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Me too. Hard to know how it might happen.
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