Despite only lasting four short years from 1930 to 1934, the pre-code era of Hollywood’s Golden Age produced films that pushed the boundaries of cinema and storytelling, even by today’s standards.

Today's Hollywood actresses frequently lament the lack of juicy roles. Often, all but the biggest stars are relegated to playing appendages to men or flashing their own appendages for publicity. If ...

It’s only seven little letters, with a hyphen thrown in just for the heck of it, but to people in the know, the phrase “pre-Code” signifies cinematic buried treasure of the most satisfying kind.

About 20 years ago I was in a kind of partnership with another film historian who told me that, no, there wasn’t a market for a book on pre-code movies. I can only wonder what he thinks today after ...