FLM 91 — Before They Stopped the Party: The Greatest Pre-Code Movies
Quarter: Summer
Instructor(s): Mick LaSalle
Date(s): Jun 25—Jul 30
Class Recording Available: No
Class Meeting Day: Thursdays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 6:30—9:00 pm (PT)
Tuition: $415
Refund Deadline: Jun 27
Unit(s): 1
Status: Open
In the early 1930s, American movies were in the midst of a golden age shaped by feminism, the social and sexual revolutions of the 1920s, and a lack of screen censorship. Today, we call this “the pre-Code era,” the five years before a restrictive Motion Picture Production Code began to limit women’s roles and turn Hollywood into a moralistic and propagandistic vehicle for promoting traditional values and entrenched authority. This course explores the key films, movements, and figures that defined this remarkably rich period in early Hollywood. You’ll see films about women in the workplace (Baby Face), premarital sex (Strangers May Kiss), prostitution (Waterloo Bridge), the true meaning of marriage (The Animal Kingdom), and the power dynamics of class (Downstairs). Each class will have ample time for discussion and clips since these films rarely exceed 80 minutes. Students will leave with strong familiarity with the era and a sturdy foundation for further exploration.
All films will be viewed in class.
MICK LASALLE
Film Critic Emeritus, San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle is an internationally recognized thought leader on the pre-Code era, the author of two books on the subject, and of the Turner Classic Movies documentary Complicated Women, narrated by Jane Fonda. He is the author of two other books on cinema, The Beauty of the Real and Dream State, and is the film critic emeritus for the San Francisco Chronicle.Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.