ABSTRACT
The term pre-code officially denotes the brief period from 1930 to 1934 between the drafting of the film industry Production Code adopted by the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) and its eventual enforcement. Although the period lasted only four years, during that short span talented directors created some of the screen’s most revered classics, as well as some of its more controversial films. Giants like Cecil B. DeMille, Louis Milestone, Josef von Sternberg, and Charles Chaplin, among others, crafted unique films featuring stars like Jean Harlow, Mae West, Clara Bow, Marlene Dietrich, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. and Rudolph Valentino. Relatively unbounded by censorship, the pre-code period continues to enjoy popularity among critics and film buffs for its daring, sexy, and often scandalous classics.
