AFI Silver is lucky enough to call film historian David Pierce co-curator of our inaugural Classic Film Weekend, and we spoke to him about the magic of pre-Code cinema on the occasion of the series' June 13 opening. To us, there may be no better way to spend a weekend than engulfed in movies from that brief yet monumental period, from the late 1920s through 1934, when filmmakers weren't tightly bound by studio-imposed restrictions. The output from that period is faster and fresher than most films made today — and just so damn entertaining, with dialogue that crackles and movie stars that truly pop off the screen. (Here, you can savor Joan Blondell, Warren William, Barbara Stanwyck, Helen Twelvetrees, Josephine Baker, John Gilbert, Anna May Wong, Clara Bow, to name a few.)
 
Pierce will be on-hand to introduce THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM on June 13 and the Howard Hughes–produced COCK OF THE AIR on June 14, as well as to engage in the conversation "Women in Pre-Code Films" with Farran Smith Nehme preceding HER MAN earlier that day. They're just two of the many assorted guest speakers appearing throughout the long weekend.

The AFI Silver Classic Film Weekend runs June 13–16. Tickets are now on sale.
  
Interview conducted by Laura Kern, AFI Silver's writer/editor and founder of the horror website Bloodvine.
  
You co-curated with AFI Silver the inaugural Classic Film Weekend, which focuses on “Pre-Code: Sex and Censorship.” How did you go about deciding on the 22 films that make up the lineup?

When I was approached by the AFI Silver to be the guest curator for their first AFI Classic Film Weekend, I proposed focusing the festival on the theme of “Pre-Code: Sex and Censorship.” Pre-Code is one of the most popular types of classic films with audiences today, as these films are open about sex, social issues and crime, offering great roles for the top actresses of the day including Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Blondell, Anna May Wong, Marlene Dietrich, Clara Bow, Mae West, Loretta Young, Jean Harlow, Miriam Hopkins and Nancy Carroll.

This frankness wouldn’t have been possible after the introduction of Will Hays’ Production Code istration in the summer of 1934. These films show the direction that the American film industry might have taken had there been no censorship — but instead, the development of realistic characters and issues on-screen was stunted.

While the term “pre-Code” is familiar, many of the best films are not shown very often. I was surprised and pleased to learn that of the 22 titles in the festival, only three have been previously screened at the AFI Silver.

Pre-Code covers a wide range of genres. The focus on “Sex and Censorship” allows us to present comedies such as RED-HEADED WOMAN with Jean Harlow, dramas such as the stunning THE STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE with Miriam Hopkins, musicals such as the rarely shown LADIES MUST LOVE and films with songs such as SHE DONE HIM WRONG with Mae West.

For the festival, I chose to expand beyond American films, with several European titles that explore the same themes. These include the wonderful German PAVEMENT BUTTERFLY starring Anna May Wong and the tale of the daughter of a hanged criminal and a prostitute, ALRAUNE aka A DAUGHTER OF DESTINY with Brigitte Helm, the star of METROPOLIS. There are also two outstanding French sound films: the delightful FANFARE D’AMOUR, which was remade by Billy Wilder nearly 25 years later as SOME LIKE IT HOT, and ZOU ZOU starring Josephine Baker in a film that would not have ed the censors in the United States.  
The most well-known pre-Code films are those released by Warner Bros., often produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. Newspaperman turned screenwriter, and later producer, Jerry Wald worked at the studio in the early 1930s and recalled that the studio wanted stories that were “TTT: timely, topical and not typical — that was our slogan.” In addition, the Warner Bros. features of the early 1930s were concise, had great actors, writers and directors and were fast-paced with rapid-fire dialogue. But the entire industry took advantage of the openness of the censorship that was in place at that time. There were equally brash films from Fox, MGM, Paramount, RKO, Universal, Columbia and United Artists. Many of those are waiting to be rediscovered.

In your film books, you’ve covered the topics of the silent era, the development of Technicolor — plus the 1930 musical King of Jazz using that process — and motion picture copyrights in the 1950s. Is there another subject you are working on or plan to delve into next?

My interest in film history usually focuses on the industry as well as motion picture technology. I have a few writing projects under consideration that fit in those categories. I co-authored two books with James Layton, and we hope to identify additional projects we can work on together.

Do you have any words of advice for potential Class Film Weekend attendees who may be new to films of the pre-Code era?

I encourage Classic Film Weekend audiences to be ready for a different type of Hollywood film. These pre-Code films are frank and open about sex — so honest that they brought on the Production Code that stifled realistic films for more than 20 years to follow. These films were intended to entertain and to attract audiences distract them from the Depression. Each film in the program, whether a comedy, drama or musical, is a window into that past. And finally, these films have great roles for actresses. Later in the 1930s and 1940s, often actresses were on screen just as for male characters, or presented in melodramas as victims of circumstance. In these pre-Code films, the actresses shine in their roles and their characters take control of their destinies.

While you might recall a film to be fun if you’ve seen it before, these films come fully to life before an audience. Mae West’s films are funny and clever if you watch them alone, but they bring down the house when seen in a crowded theater.

If you’re willing, could you share with us some of your favorite pre-Code films, part of this program or otherwise?

Over the years as I researched the pre-Code era, watching films, reviewing the censorship files and reading magazines of the time, I saw that many different films were named as leading to the creation of the Production Code. We are showing some of the most notorious pre-Code titles in the festival. These include the first two films by Mae West; she was notorious for her racy plays, and SHE DONE HIM WRONG is an uncredited adaptation of “Diamond Lil,” which was on the MPPDA’s forbidden list.

Howard Hughes made two films that pushed the boundaries: SCARFACE, an extremely violent gangster drama with Paul Muni, and COCK OF THE AIR, a sexy picture that was cut by 18 minutes right before release. The AFI Classic Film Weekend will be showing the restored version of COCK OF THE AIR from the Academy Film Archive with all of the trims restored. One of the most notorious books of the early 1930s was William Faulkner’s “Sanctuary.” The film version, THE STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE, was considered one of the roughest movies ever released by a major studio and will be shown as part of the festival.

BABY FACE with Barbara Stanwyck was subjected to many complaints when it was first released, including complete rejection by New York State’s censor board. Subsequently, a number of scenes were reshot to weaken the title character’s motivations, and numerous shots and sequences were removed. The festival will be showing the rediscovered pre-release version.

Another great title is the opening-night film, THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM, which was the original comedy of “three showgirls on the prowl for rich men.” Based on a hit Broadway show, the story was considered too hot for the movies until Samuel Goldwyn took it on. I believe we would not have had the three showgirls sharing an apartment in GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 — Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler and Aline MacMahon — without the original stage production and film of GREEKS. This film has only been available in muddy 16mm prints as the negative was lost when the property was sold when it was remade in 1953 as HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE. The Library of Congress located a mint 35mm nitrate print for this new restoration we’re showing. This film has been a real rarity for pre-Code fans. State censors were horrified when they viewed the movie, with its lighthearted and comic view of the girls’ willingness to trade sex and companionship in return for a nice apartment and a good time.

Any final thoughts about the Classic Film Weekend?

The AFI Silver is a great facility with three screens and perfect projection for 35mm and digital. We are fortunate to be showing 35mm prints from the Museum of Modern Art, the Library of Congress, the George Eastman Museum and Universal Pictures. And I have to express my thanks, appreciation and iration for the team at the AFI Silver – Todd, Abbie, Javier, Josh and Eli. I have learned so much from them, and they know how to put on a great show.

About David Pierce
David Pierce is an archivist and historian. He is the author of The Survival of American Silent Feature Films: 1912–1929, published for the National Film Preservation Board in 2013. He is the co-author (with James Layton) of The Dawn of Technicolor: 1915-1935 and King of Jazz: Paul Whiteman’s Technicolor Revue (2016). Pierce founded the Media History Digital Library, which has digitized two million pages of the printed record of the motion picture, broadcasting and recorded sound industries for free access.

For more information about his work, visit his website.