At a time when society was still puritanical, American productions had to follow rather strict guidelines with regard to morals. Prohibiting sex or profanity scenes, the Hays code had to be scrupulously respected by film studios.
Disabling taboos
American cinema has not always been as permissive as it seems to be today… at least in terms of manners and licentious scenes.
Indeed, at the beginning of the 20th century, the fledgling American film industry found itself considerably restrained by the Puritan standards still observed by a large part of the country's population.
Thus, in several states of the federation, movies are withdrawn from theaters because of the presence of inappropriate content (the first sanction of this type comes in 1907).
Even more boring : the same film can be authorized in a northern state… but be censored in a southern state.
Failing to be able to homogenize the entire vast American continent, the producers therefore choose to organize themselves to reduce as much as possible the financial risks linked to censorship.
It is for this purpose that the "Hays Code" was developed in 1930.
A code to follow
In order not to create scandals in public opinion, general principles are set out in the “Hays Code”.
Thus, any movie shown in theaters must not “lower the moral standards of those who see them”, by making them lean towards “vice, crime, evil or sin”. Similarly, the Law, "natural or human", must not be "ridiculed" for the benefit of immoral characters like "the gangster and the fallen woman".
In order not to exceed the limits, the directors therefore compete in inventiveness to suggest too raw content (such as sex scenes) by means of metaphorical and evasive shots.
Entered into force during the 1960s, the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) classification system will however replace the “Hays Code”; thus making movie production much simpler.
A decision that will bring cinema into a new era (much less suggestive).
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