Hollywood V. Hard Core : How the Struggle Over Censorship Created the Modern Film Industry

Jon Lewis weaves a compelling narrative of how box office needs--rather than moral strictures--have dictated the history of film regulation. Telling the complex and fascinating story of how Hollywood abandoned the Production Code and developed the ratings system, and then telling the even more compelling story of how the X rating became a desirable marketing device when hard-core pornography became popular, reveals a great deal about the true business of censorship. In 1972, __The Godfather__ and __Deep Throat__ were the two most popular films in the country. One, a major Hollywood studio production, the other an independently made ''skin flick.'' At that moment, Jon Lewis asserts, the fate of the American film industry hung in the balance. Spanning the 20th century, **Hollywood v. Hard Core weaves a gripping tale of censorship and regulation. Since the industry's infancy, film producers and distributors have publicly regarded ratings codes as a necessary evil. Hollywood regulates itself, we have been told, to prevent the government from doing it for them. But Lewis argues that the studios self-regulate because they are convinced it is good for business, and that censorship codes and regulations are a crucial part of what binds the various competing agencies in the film business together. Yet between 1968 and 1973 Hollywood films were faltering at the box office, and the major studios were in deep trouble. Hollywood's principal competition came from a body of independently produced and distributed films--from foreign art house film __Last Tango in Paris__ to hard-core pornography like __Behind the Green Door__--that were at once disreputable and, for a moment at least, irresistible, even chic. In response, Hollywood imposed the industry-wide MPAA film rating system (the origins of the G, PG, and R designations we have today) that pushed sexually explicit films outside the mainstream, and a series of Supreme Court decisions all but outlawed the theatrical exhibition of hard core pornographic films. Together, these events allowed Hollywood to consolidate its iron grip over what films got made and where they were shown, thus saving it from financial ruin.** ticket line. That's the central message in Jon Lewis's provocativeand insightful investigation of the movie industry's history of self-regulation....Lewis shows that Hollywood films are a triumph of commerce over art, and that the film industry has consistently used internal censorship and government-industrial collusion to guarantee that its cash flow is never seriously threatened." —The New York Times Book Review censorship and the American film industry...And what of the perennial tussles between politicos and the film industry? All show business, suggests Lewis, make-believe veiling the real power structure that has nothing to do with morals, let alone art (it would be interesting to get his take on the recent marketing brouhaha and its relationship to the recent threatened actors and writers strikes). A staggering saga worthy itself of a Hollywood movie, Hollywood v. Hardcore is film history at its most illuminating and intense."—The Boston Phoenix In 1972, The Godfather and Deep Throat were the two most popular films in the country. One, a major Hollywood studio production, the other an independently made "skin flick." At that moment, Jon Lewis asserts, the fate of the American film industry hung in the balance. Spanning the 20th century, Hollywood v. Hard Core weaves a gripping tale of censorship and regulation. Since the industry's infancy, film producers and distributors have publicly regarded ratings codes as a necessary evil. Hollywood regulates itself, we have been told, to prevent the government from doing it for them. But Lewis argues that the studios self-regulate because they are convinced it is good for business, and that censorship codes and regulations are a crucial part of what binds the various competing agencies in the film business together. Yet between 1968 and 1973 Hollywood films were faltering at the box office, and the major studios were in deep trouble. Hollywood's principal competition came from a body of independently produced and distributed films—from foreign art house film Last Tango in Paris to hard-core pornography like Behind the Green Door—that were at once disreputable and, for a moment at least, irresistible, even chic. In response, Hollywood imposed the industry-wide MPAA film rating system (the origins of the G, PG, and R designations we have today) that pushed sexually explicit films outside the mainstream, and a series of Supreme Court decisions all but outlawed the theatrical exhibition of hard core pornographic films. Together, these events allowed Hollywood to consolidate its iron grip over what films got made and where they were shown, thus saving it from financial ruin.

Author Biography: Jon Lewis is Professor of English at Oregon State University where he has taught film and cultural studies since 1983. His books include Whom God Wishes to Destroy, Francis Coppola and the New Hollywood, The Road to Romance and Ruin: Teen Films and Youth Culture, and (as editor) The New American Cinema.

A tale of censorship and regulation at the heart of the modern film industry In 1972, The Godfather and Deep Throat were the two most popular films in the country. One, a major Hollywood studio production, the other an independently made "skin flick." At that moment, Jon Lewis asserts, the fate of the American film industry hung in the balance. Spanning the 20th century, Hollywood v. Hard Core weaves a gripping tale of censorship and regulation. Since the industry's infancy, film producers and distributors have publicly regarded ratings codes as a necessary evil. Hollywood regulates itself, we have been told, to prevent the government from doing it for them. But Lewis argues that the studios self-regulate because they are convinced it is good for business, and that censorship codes and regulations are a crucial part of what binds the various competing agencies in the film business together. Yet between 1968 and 1973 Hollywood films were faltering at the box office, and the major studios were in deep trouble. Hollywood's principal competition came from a body of independently produced and distributed filmsfrom foreign art house film Last Tango in Paris to hard-core pornography like Behind the Green Door that were at once disreputable and, for a moment at least, irresistible, even chic. In response, Hollywood imposed the industry-wide MPAA film rating system (the origins of the G, PG, and R designations we have today) that pushed sexually explicit films outside the mainstream, and a series of Supreme Court decisions all but outlawed the theatrical exhibition of hard core pornographic films. Together, these events allowed Hollywood to consolidate its iron grip over what films got made and where they were shown, thus saving it from financial ruin. Spanning The Twentieth Century, Hollywood V. Hard Core Weaves A Tale Of Censorship And Regulation. Since The Industry's Infancy, Film Producers And Distributors Have Publicly Regarded Ratings Codes As A Necessary Evil. Hollywood Regulates Itself, We Have Been Told Time And Again, In Order To Prevent The Government From Doing It For Them. But Lewis Argues That The Studios Self-regulate Because They Are Convinced That Self-regulation Is Good For Business, And That Censorship Codes And Regulations Are A Crucial Part Of What Binds The Various Competing Agencies In The Film Business Together. When It All Works As It Should, Everyone Who Plays By The Rules Makes Money.--jacket. How The Blacklist Saved Hollywood -- Collusion And Conglomeration In The Movie Business -- What Everyone Should Know About The Motion Picture Code And Ratings -- Hollywood V. Soft-core : Movie Censorship, 1968-1973 -- Hollywood V. Hard Core -- Movies And The First Amendment -- A Quick Look At Censorship In The New Hollywood. Jon Lewis. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 317-359) And Index. "Spanning the twentieth century, Hollywood v. Hard Core weaves a tale of censorship and regulation. Since the industry's infancy, film producers and distributors have publicly regarded ratings codes as a necessary evil. Hollywood regulates itself, we have been told time and again, in order to prevent the government from doing it for them. But Lewis argues that the studios self-regulate because they are convinced that self-regulation is good for business, and that censorship codes and regulations are a crucial part of what binds the various competing agencies in the film business together. When it all works as it should, everyone who plays by the rules makes money."--BOOK JACKET. The story of censorship and regulation in the Hollywood film industry, this book argues that the ratings codes applied to films by the studios were a way of saving business, focusing on the threat posed to the mainstream industry between 1968 and 1973 by 'hard core' independent productions Argues that between 1968 and 1973, Hollywood-imposed ratings systems and Supreme Court decisions regulated sexually explicit films, gave Hollywood control over the movie industry, and ensured Hollywood's survival. WHEN THE HOUSE Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) first convened in the fall of 1947, the film industry was on the verge of some very big changes.