Category: motion picture production code

To Breen or Not to Breen: ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ from 1951

Commentary “To breen or not to breen? That is the question.” I beg your pardon for beginning this film-based article by misquoting William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Replacing the verb in this quote is a very hackneyed witticism, yet it suits this article’s purpose very nicely. What is the definition of “to breen,” you ask? “Breening” or…


Why ‘Dobbs vs. Jackson’ Gives Me Hope for Hollywood

Commentary When I was 15 years old, I decided that the Motion Picture Production Code was the answer to society’s problems. I boiled the moral decay in American culture in recent decades down to one thing: the bad influence of the entertainment industry. It all starts in Hollywood, so I pinpointed unwholesome films as the…


‘Star Wars’ vs ‘See No Evil:’ The Code, The Chosen One, and Hollywood’s Fall to the Dark Side

Commentary What is the most epic Hollywood saga of all time? I think many will agree that the “Star Wars” saga, which celebrates its forty-fifth anniversary on May 25, is one of the most dramatic stories ever put to the screen. However, I know a saga which, although less fanciful, is just as dramatic a…