Two Americas: Where Do Self-Censorship and Self-Regulation in U.S. Cinematography Come From?: A Historical Essay
Abstract
Misiak writes about censorship and self-censorship within the motion-picture industry in the United States, the country which passes as a mainstay of civil liberties and freedom of speech in the eyes of the world. Meanwhile, a strong lobby of religious associations and legions of decency helped establish an organisation supervising what was morally acceptable on the screen in the early 20th century, which was easy because films were regarded as the people’s entertainment for the uneducated. Censorship tendencies grew stronger and in 1930 the Hays Production Code was adopted to impose a number of self-regulating mechanisms within the film industry to counteract the threat of government censorship. The Code began to be strictly enforced, with the Church hierarchy exerting a mounting influence on the content of films. The code was not seriously challenged until the 1950’s. Creative freedom in the United States was illusory for a long time.
Keywords:
censorship, American cinema, Hays CodeReferences
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Authors
Anna Misiakkwartalnik.filmowy@ispan.pl
Higher School of Social Sciences Poland
Doktorantka w Szkole Nauk Społecznych w Warszawie.
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Copyright (c) 2001 Anna Misiak
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