Programmed November 2023

Pre-Code Divas

Women undoubtedly had more fun in the pre-Code era—the early-thirties moment before the Hays Office brought censorship to Hollywood—when sex was liberated and debauchery unabashedly celebrated. And today, half the pleasure we derive from these films comes from the magnetic charm, worldly glamour, and thoroughly modern sensibility of the platinum-blonde bombshells and raven-tressed vamps who lit up the silver screen before prudishness crashed the party. While some stars like Barbara Stanwyck ( Baby Face ), Marlene Dietrich ( Dishonored ), and Irene Dunne ( Back Street ) would go on to enjoy long careers at the top, others, like Ann Dvorak ( Three on a Match ), Anna May Wong ( Daughter of the Dragon ), and Dorothy Mackaill ( Safe in Hell ) reached their zenith in the early 1930s, their style and sophistication forever associated with this most delectable cinematic moment.

No longer streaming