Third Eye Film Society Forum Index
Author Message

<  Third Eye Archives - Specialty Forums  ~  PRE-Code: a Specialty Forum

Nancy
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:45 am Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 4607 Location: Norman, OK
I'm sure Syd will have more films to suggest, and I've probably left some out.

We should also probably decide how this forum will be conducted. I think Syd and I both would like to do something other than just have everybody watch a particular film and discuss that one until we run out of things to say about it, then repeat until discouraged with another film. I'd like to discuss trends and themes, with some films discussed at length to illustrate a point, and others referred to more briefly. I also like Syd's idea of examining a film and its non-pre-code remake, to see what changes were made and why.

_________________
"All in all, it's just another feather in the fan."

Isaacism, 2009
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Nancy
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:53 am Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 4607 Location: Norman, OK
I realized that I should also have suggested Twentieth Century, 42nd Street, and Trouble in Paradise, all of which are sheer delights. (Hey, we need to have some fun.) I'd better go to bed before I forget any others.

_________________
"All in all, it's just another feather in the fan."

Isaacism, 2009
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Syd
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:16 am Reply with quote
Site Admin Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 12887 Location: Norman, Oklahoma
As far as specific films:

Let's restrict ourselves to American films. I don't think the production code really applies to European films, as mich as I want to discuss Ecstasy and The Blue Light.

Dance, Fools, Dance and A Bill of Divorcement are showing at the beginning of April on TCM anf I want to discuss them at that time. However, I think we may want to allow late silent films, mostly because I want to discuss Tabu: A Legend of the South Seas. (Nancy talked me out of Sunrise, one of the greatest films of all time but not all that relevant to to Pre-Code discussions, but Tabu fits firmly into the time period we're discussing.)

Nancy and I were discussing specific films, and we came up with:
Baby Face
Blonde Venus (not Blue Angel, which is German)
Dance, Fools Dance
Freaks
I Am A Fugitive from a Chain Gang
I'm No Angel (when She Done Him Wrong becomes available on DVD in late April, we can discuss that , too.)
Ladies They Talk About (we need a good chicks behind bars flick)
Millie
Public Enemy
Red Haired Woman
Scarface
Three on a Match
Trader Horn

To which I add Coquette, Bombshell, Dinner at Eight, The Divorcee, Grand Hotel, Hell's Angels, King Kong and Trouble in Paradise. I don't mean to restrict the discussion to those films. If you see something that is relevant, please post it. I intend to post reviews of Betty Boop cartoons, because they were equally affected by the Hays Code and are relevant to the discussion. Nancy has carefully refrained from discussing Betty Boop.

_________________
I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Syd
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:33 am Reply with quote
Site Admin Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 12887 Location: Norman, Oklahoma
Gabriel over the White House should be relevant. How available is it?

_________________
I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
gromit
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:09 am Reply with quote
Joined: 31 Aug 2004 Posts: 9005 Location: Shanghai
Syd wrote:

Red Haired Woman


That'd be Red-Headed Woman to you, mister ... and watch your hands.

Unfortunatamente, Freaks still turns up here with all the lurid artwork, but the Grand Illusion on the disc.
So I still have never seen Freaks.

_________________
Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
mo_flixx
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:30 am Reply with quote
Joined: 30 May 2004 Posts: 12533
from Wikipedia.org :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Motion_Picture_Production_Code_of_1930
View user's profile Send private message
lady wakasa
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:43 am Reply with quote
Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 5911 Location: Beyond the Blue Horizon


Thanks, Mo - I've been thinking spending a little time discussion what's meant by 'Pre-Code' would be a good start. It's more extensive than just the sex; it involves some mob-bish stuff, some social issues stuff. That might be a good week or so's discussion.

_________________
===================
http://www.wakasaworld.com
View user's profile Send private message
Nancy
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:41 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 4607 Location: Norman, OK
Syd wrote:
Nancy has carefully refrained from discussing Betty Boop.


I thought I'd leave that to you. I'm certainly in favor of Boop.

_________________
"All in all, it's just another feather in the fan."

Isaacism, 2009
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Nancy
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:47 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 4607 Location: Norman, OK
Syd wrote:
Gabriel over the White House should be relevant. How available is it?


It's not on DVD. It was issued on VHS some time ago, and TCM shows it from time to time, but I don't think it's on their schedule anytime soon. I saw it years ago, but I don't have it. Amazon has used copies for abou $30, which is more than I'm willing to pay.

_________________
"All in all, it's just another feather in the fan."

Isaacism, 2009
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Nancy
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:55 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 4607 Location: Norman, OK


Thanks, mo! Just what I needed. Take a look at this, folks.

_________________
"All in all, it's just another feather in the fan."

Isaacism, 2009
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Nancy
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:56 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 4607 Location: Norman, OK
lady wakasa wrote:

Thanks, Mo - I've been thinking spending a little time discussion what's meant by 'Pre-Code' would be a good start. It's more extensive than just the sex; it involves some mob-bish stuff, some social issues stuff. That might be a good week or so's discussion.


I heartily agree, Lady. That's probably what we should start with.

_________________
"All in all, it's just another feather in the fan."

Isaacism, 2009
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Marilyn
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:17 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 8210 Location: Skokie (not a bad movie, btw)
Hallelujah I'm a Bum might be a good substitute for Gabriel Over the White House. It's got the "sunnier" view of the "Forgotten Man" song from Gold Diggers of 1933.

Netflix carries it and used copies go for around $7. http://www.amazon.com/Hallelujah-Im-Bum-Al-Jolson/dp/B00005S8KT


Last edited by Marilyn on Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:30 pm; edited 1 time in total

_________________
http://ferdyonfilms.com
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
bocce
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:26 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 24 May 2004 Posts: 2428
lady wakasa wrote:
I've been thinking spending a little time discussion what's meant by 'Pre-Code' would be a good start. It's more extensive than just the sex; it involves some mob-bish stuff, some social issues stuff. That might be a good week or so's discussion.


an absolute essential...to define the area under consideration for discussion...

there are several sub genre film catagories that emerge from this time period that are interesting...newspapering (as opp to straight journalism) jumps to mind immediately...
View user's profile Send private message
Nancy
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:00 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 4607 Location: Norman, OK
bocce wrote:
there are several sub genre film catagories that emerge from this time period that are interesting...newspapering (as opp to straight journalism) jumps to mind immediately...


Syd asked if the 1931 version of The Front Page would be appropriate. We might want to consider it.

_________________
"All in all, it's just another feather in the fan."

Isaacism, 2009
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Nancy
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:04 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 4607 Location: Norman, OK
Marilyn wrote:
Hallelujah I'm a Bum might be a good substitute for Gabriel Over the White House. It's got the "sunnier" view of the "Forgotten Man" song from Gold Diggers of 1933.

Netflix carries it and used copies go for around $7. http://www.amazon.com/Hallelujah-Im-Bum-Al-Jolson/dp/B00005S8KT


Thanks, Marilyn! I had completely forgotten that one. BTW, the songs "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum" and "Solidarity Forever" were played at a friend's funeral some years ago. Left no doubt about his politics.

_________________
"All in all, it's just another feather in the fan."

Isaacism, 2009
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

Display posts from previous:  

All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 2 of 68
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, ... 66, 67, 68  Next
This forum is locked: you cannot post, reply to, or edit topics.

Jump to:  

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum