How Does Kibbee Portray Women In Film

In 1930 a code known as the Motion Picture Production Code was established. The Production Code was the determining factor of what could be shown on screen. The Code preached that films were to never corrupt the moral standards of the viewers, every film must present realistic standards of life, and the films were to never disrespect the law. Nudity, references to sexuality, sexual behavior, rape, children’s sex organs, white-slavery, sex hygiene and miscegenation were not to be shown. Subjects should always be of good taste and pleasant for the audience. Religion was not be made fun of. Priests, pastors or church-goers were not to be used in comedy, as villains or portrayed as bad people. Drug usage and consumption of alcohol were not to be shown. Plotting of crime acts, such as making a bomb was not to be shown. Brutal killings were not to be shown. These are just a few of regulations film studios had to go by. However, film studios either pushed the code to its limit or completely ignored it. Therefore, films between 1930-1934 were called pre-Code films and all of these films depicted what the Code was against. A few films that I will deem problematic by the code are the following: Gold Diggers of 1933 (Mervyn LeRoy, 1933), Doctor X (Micheal Curtiz, 1932), and The Public Enemy (William Wellman, 1931). These films are the perfect example as to why the Motion Picture Production Code was strictly Villalobos 2 enforced in 1934. I will also mention as to why pre-Code films were significant in cinematic progression. Pre-Code films helped many filmmakers expand their creativitys, created new genres. Gold Diggers of 1933 pushes the limits of the Production Code. If the Production Code were to have been established and strictly enforced in 1933, then this film would have never made it to the big screen. The films depicts suggestive dialogue, suggestive scenes, nudity, sexuality, and women in power. All things the Production Code didn’t like. Suggestive dialogue was present throughout the film, but we first hear it nine minuets in. Carol (Joan Blondell) says “I look much better in clothes then any of you, if Barney could see me in clothes” (LeRoy, Gold Diggers of 1933), Trixie (Aline MacMahon) snaps “He wouldn’t recognize you!” (LeRoy, Gold Diggers of 1933). Obviously suggesting that Carol is usually naked around Barney more than she is not. Moving on, suggestive scenes, sexuality and nudity is mostly seen during the musical numbers. The opening of the film starts with a close-up of Fay Fortune (Gringer Rogers) on stage, then the camera zooms out to reveal her skimpy clothing— bikini made of coins. The following scene is suggestive and contains partial nudity. Countless of lovers are sitting in a park (on stage) when suddenly a rainstorm soaks the women. They retreat to a two-story set that is covered by a thin curtain. Here the women start stripping down their clothes, but their silhouettes are still …show more content…
As we all know, money is very powerful and controlling. At the very beginning of the film, all girls are dressed in coins. This symbolizes that women have a strong influence and power over society. Trixie and Carol most definitely outshine the other girls for their wittiness, outspokenness and independency. Trixie and Carol are very manipulative that they end up fooling Lawrence and Peabody (Guy Kibbee) into buying them expensive hats. Really this film depicts women as more powerful and controlling than the men. Not every pre-Code film is sexual though, Doctor X is a horror film that depicts crime. The film goes against Production Code regulations by cannibalism, violence and corrupting the viewer’s morals. There’s no way this film would have been passed by the Production Code if it were to have been reviewed. Cannibalism is a big no for the Production Code, but obviously this film really strayed off the regulations. The whole story is based on cannibalism. The film tells a story of a serial killer who is committing cannibalistic murders using a surgical knife. The six suspects are science men, all of which are involved in something related to cannibalism. The Production code would have not liked horrible representation of science men. Science men are suppose to portray mankind’s benefactors.
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