In the early 20th century, the relatively new Hollywood movie-making industry was coming under fire as a den of sin, a public opinion compounded by a series of high-profile scandals. In 1927 William H. Hays was named the first president of the newly formed Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America. He initiated a code of standards that governed the making of films. Under the Code, movies had to be morally upright, and any instances of nudity, obscenities, ridicule of religion, and “lustful kissing” were prohibited. Scenes set in bedrooms were only okay if they didn’t suggest sex and obscenity. Additionally, villains were not permitted to go unpunished. That’s why in the 1956 adaptation of The Bad Seed, a scene was added where the villainous child is inexplicably struck by lightning. By the late 1960s, everything about the Code was hopelessly outdated and no longer conducive to studio profits. In 1968, the Motion Picture Association of America switched to the ratings system we know today: G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17, X. Now, with these ratings in place, audiences know how appropriate a movie is and can make their own decision on whether to see it, rather than the studios cutting out any potentially offensive material before production even begins.
