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Frances Marion: Censorship and the Screenwriter in Hollywood, 1929-1931

2012; Intellect; Volume: 3; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1386/josc.3.2.141_1

1759-7145

Leslie Kreiner Wilson,

Italian Fascism and Post-war Society

The careful study of the screenplay - including archival study - can clarify our view of film history. While some film historians argue studios and studio bosses disregarded censors in the early 1930s before the Production Code Administration (PCA) was formed, archival research reveals screenwriter Frances Marion faced escalating censorship pressure at MGM in 1929 and 1930 as she moved through several drafts for Anna Christie (1930), The Big House (1930) and The Secret Six (1931). This research provides insight into the nature of the problems Marion faced and exposes the day-to-day frustrations and complications in the life of one screenwriter struggling to create art within a convoluted matrix of censorship negotiations as the Production Code was being drafted and ratified.