Intellectual Property Law

Pre-MPAA Films Being Shown (MA Fri Jan 18 & on)

By Posted by Alan Wexelblat

I seem to be all about the events this month. In addition to talk about copyrights and open-source nerd rap, there's a showing this Friday that local folk might want to check out:

The Harvard Film Archive is showing two historical "edgy" films this Friday. Both were made before the first production code was enforced on movie content. Back in the pre-MPAA days filmmakers explored the racy and seamy undersides of Depression-era America. The results led to outrage, outcries, and the start of enforcement of the Production Code in 1934. That lasted until 1967, when the censorship system we know today was first put in place.

The Archive will show the films all weekend - see their posted schedule for details. On Friday the films will be preceded by a talk by Thomas Doherty, author of Hollywood's Censor: Joseph I. Breen and the Production Code Administration.

(Thanks to srl for the initial pointer and for corrections to this posting.)

Full post as published by Copyfight - The Politics of IP on January 14, 2008 (boomark / email).