A Code to Govern the Making of Motion Pictures; the Reasons Supporting it and the Resolution for Uniform Interpretation.
Following the 1915 Mutual Film Corp. v. Industrial Commission of Ohio Supreme Court ruling, films were no longer constitutionally protected as free speech. In an effort to avoid government censorship of movies, the film industry adopted a set of strict moral codes dictating what could and could not be depicted in movies. This Motion Picture Production Code was also known as the “Hays Code" for the president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, William Harrison Hays. The 1955 edition of the code was released towards the end of its efficacy, as a 1952 Supreme Court case granted movies First Amendment protection. Enforcement of the code slowly decreased in the 1950s and 1960s until it was fully replaced by the Motion Picture Association film rating system in 1968. This longstanding act of self-censorship demonstrates how restrictions on free speech could shape American art and culture.
Motion Picture Association of America.
A Code to Govern the Making of Motion Pictures; the Reasons Supporting it and the Resolution for Uniform Interpretation. [Washington: 1955.]
Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/asa/Record/201269
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