Before They Stopped the Party: The Greatest Pre-Code Movies

In the early 1930s, American movies were in the midst of a golden age shaped by feminism, the social and sexual revolutions of the 1920s, and a lack of screen censorship.

Today, we call this “the pre-Code era,” the five years before a restrictive Motion Picture Production Code began to limit women’s roles and turn Hollywood into a moralistic and propagandistic vehicle for promoting traditional values and entrenched authority.

This course explores the key films, movements, and figures that defined this remarkably rich period in early Hollywood.

You’ll see films about women in the workplace ( Baby Face ), premarital sex ( Strangers May Kiss ), prostitution ( Waterloo Bridge ), the true meaning of marriage ( The Animal Kingdom ), and the power dynamics of class ( Downstairs ).

Each class will have ample time for discussion and clips since these films rarely exceed 80 minutes.

Students will leave with strong familiarity with the era and a sturdy foundation for further exploration.

All films will be viewed in class.