The Motion Picture Production Code, also known as the Hays Code, was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It was adopted by the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) in response to concerns about the negative impact of movies on public morals.

The Code prohibited a wide range of content, including:

• Sex outside of marriage
• Nudity
• Obscenity
• Profanity
• Violence
• Criminality
• Cruelty to animals
• Sympathy for criminals
• Depictions of drug use

The Code also required that movies promote traditional American values, such as:

• Patriotism
• Monogamy
• The importance of the family

The Code was in effect for over 30 years, and it had a significant impact on:

• The content of American movies
• The way that movies were made and marketed.

The Code began to weaken in the late 1950s due to a combination of factors, including the influence of foreign films, the rise of independent filmmakers, and the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Burstyn v. Wilson (1952), which ruled that movies were protected by the First Amendment.

The Code was officially abandoned in 1968 and replaced by the MPAA rating system, which is still used today.

The Motion Picture Production Code is a controversial system, but it helped create a more uniform standard for movie content and helped to protect children from harmful material. However, the Code also stifled creativity and artistic expression, limiting the range of topics explored in movies.

Hollywood and Jim Crow

Hollywood production standards helped perpetuate the status quo of Jim Crow attitudes in the Southern United States. The Motion Picture Production Code, also known as the Hays Code, was a set of moral guidelines and rules meant to make Hollywood pictures “presentable” and “safe” for the public at large. These guidelines included a prohibition on depicting interracial relationships, which had the effect of reinforcing the idea that Black people were inferior to white people.

The Hays Code was also used to censor films that depicted the harsh realities of Jim Crow segregation. For example, the film “Imitation of Life” (1934) was originally supposed to show a Black woman marrying a white man, but the Hays Code forced the filmmakers to change the ending.

The Hays Code remained in effect until 1968, and its influence can still be felt today. Many films still shy away from depicting interracial relationships or the harsh realities of racism. As a result, Hollywood has played a role in perpetuating the idea that racism is acceptable.

In recent years, there has been a growing movement to challenge Hollywood’s racist stereotypes. Films like “Get Out” (2017) and “12 Years a Slave” (2013) have helped to break down these stereotypes and start a conversation about race in America. However, there is still a long way to go before Hollywood is truly representative of the diversity of the American people.

Here are some examples of how Hollywood production standards helped perpetuate Jim Crow attitudes:

• The film “The Birth of a Nation” (1915) was a highly racist film that glorified the Ku Klux Klan and depicted Black people as inferior to white people. It also includes negative stereotypes of Jewish characters. The film was a critical and commercial success, and it helped to solidify the idea of white supremacy in American culture.
• The Hays Code prohibited interracial relationships, which had the effect of reinforcing the idea that Black people were not equal to white people. This censorship prevented films from depicting the reality of interracial relationships, which were common in the United States during the Jim Crow era.
• Many films of the Jim Crow era depicted Black people in stereotypical roles, such as servants, entertainers, or criminals. These stereotypes helped to perpetuate the idea that Black people were not capable of achieving the same level of success as white people.

The Hollywood production standards of the Jim Crow era had a profound impact on the way that Black people were portrayed in film. These standards helped to perpetuate the idea of white supremacy and to justify the segregation and discrimination that Black people faced in real life. While there has been progress in recent years, Hollywood still has a long way to go to overcome its racist past.

Source: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-the-hays-code-1934/