The Hays Code Hollywood's Self-Imposed Moral Compass

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Production Code. Administration Files collection documents forty years of self-regulation. Some people concluded that the Hays Code, a self-enforced set of Christian-conservative moral standards that practically dictated what could or ... The Hays Code, or Motion Picture Production Code, restricted the American cinema industry in the mid-twentieth century. The Motion Picture ... The Production Code spelled out specific restrictions on language and behavior, particularly sex and crime -- two sure-fire box office draws. It prohibited ... The Hays Code, which prevented films from depicting sex or homosexuality, among other things, has no place in today's moviegoing world. The Hays Code, officially known as the Motion Picture Production Code, was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content in films. The Production Codes were written in response to plans for the American government to censor films and impact censorship laws on cinema. In 1930, Hollywood teamed up with the Catholic Church. The result was the Production Code, a document that dictated what movies could and ... The Hays Code, written by a Jesuit priest and Catholic publisher, was designed as a code regulating the moral content of feature films. Hays. The code was created to avoid a code of external censorship being imposed on movie production given the contemporary social climate. The ...