Pre-Code
Welcome to The Pre-Code Project
A Pre-Code Film as part of the Pre-Code genre in this instance, is a film from Hollywood, (generally) made between 1930 and 1934 which openly and knowingly flouts the Hays Code.
We are collecting the best 101 examples of safe Pre-Code film in The Film Collection and a second mega torrent has been added that will consist of 'too good to miss' more subtle Pre-Codes.
If you want your torrent added to the page we want high quality upgrade Rips with good Torrent Descriptions, GSpot information and Screen Shots. If you dont want to up it to the fan page your self post a link in the Pre-Code forum and I'll add it for you .
Please add (Pre-Code) to your torrent title & this code to all your Pre-Code uploads. We will send you 200 credits for upping a -CG tagged rip we feature & a minumum 100 credits for everything else we use.
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I'd just like to give a shout out to everyone who has upped films for the project , thank you so much for helping build and shape such a great project, it literally wouldn't be possible without your input. A special thank you must go to pepe & askademus our two upping machines who have helped so much both with uploads and with assisting me shape the project!
Cheers vlvt
The Code
The code isnt one specific code it is a progression of 3 separate (though linked by a common goal) documents.
It has many names: The Hays Code, The Production Code, The Hollywood Production Code, The Breen Code or Motion Picture Association of America's Production Code, which can be confusing but when used in general conversation regarding the era, they all amount to the same three basic censorship documents/events.
- The Hayes Code Where it all started.
- Motion Picture Association of America's Production Code The bulk of it, that everyone chose to ignore.
- The Legion of Decency Where it all finished and the above Motion Picture Code was brought in to full force ensuring everyone lived happily ever after without sin.
Where To Start
The following documentaries & book are a mine of information about Pre-Code films and the pre-code era.
| IMDB | Torrent | Director | Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMDB | Complicated Woman | Hugh Munro Neely | The Pre-Code Women |
| IMDB | Thou Shalt Not: Sex Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood | Steven Smith | How The Code affected Hollywood |
| IMDB | Public Enemies | Constantine Nasr | The Golden Age of the Gangester Film |
| RapidShare E-Book | Writer | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-code Hollywood:Sex Immorality and Insurrection in American Cinema 1930-1934. | Thomas Doherty | If the 10 free downloads are used up pm me and I will reactivate it |
Doctor Macro a great resource for images and film reviews
The Dirty Dozen The Cinemageddon users chose their favorite or most code flouting, sexy, sleezy, irreverent films for your viewing pleasure
12) Bitter Tea of General Yen
11) Born to be Bad
10) Captain Applejack
9) Mystery of the Wax Museum
8) Supernatural
7) Safe in Hell
6) The Most Dangerous Game
5) Night Nurse
4) Baby Face
The top 3
3) Island of Lost Souls
2) Search for Beauty
1) Gold Diggers Of 1933
Though not available on our tracker due to popularity, honourable mention also went to these universally acclaimed titles.
| IMDB |
|---|
| Queen Christina |
| Scarface |
| Public Enemy |
| Little Caesar |
1930 - History - 1934
The Pre-Code era, between 1930 and 1934 was the most free Hollywood ever was and produced some of its finest work before the restrictions of censorship started hacking its way through film.
Film industry censorship began in 1922 but it wasn't until the very end of 1929 that a version of the self imposed Production Code was drafted, to standardize the censorship requirements of various states and the studios merely paid lip-service to the Code since they were more interested in finding ways to lure dwindling Depression era audiences into theatres and that meant flouting The Code at every available opportunity.
Before Hollywood began enforcing the Production Code, many films allowed for extraordinary frankness, including nudity, adultery, premarital sex and prostitution. They didn't bow to authority and they ensured we all knew the law was as incompetent as it was impotent.
The Pre-Code era “officially” kicked off with the 1929 release of The Divorcee, starring Norma Shearer. The phenomenal critical and financial success of this picture led other studios to attempt to top it and soon almost every actress in Hollywood was required to sin and repent. The sensational series of films that emerged throughout 1930 and on helped Hollywood survive its economic crisis and moviegoers enjoy the vicarious thrills the films provided.
The era came to an abrupt close beginning July 1, 1934, when Catholic watchdog groups threatened boycotts of all films and the Church established the Legion of Decency to monitor movies. Studio heads bowed to the pressure and the era of full on enforced censorship began, lasting until the establishment of the industry’s rating system in 1968.
Film Collection
| Goal | Have |
|---|---|
| 101 | 101 |
ACTION2)
| IMDB | Torrent | Director | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMDB | Tarzan and His Mate | Cedric Gibbons | Johnny Weismuller |
| IMDB | The Maltese Falcon | Roy Del Ruth | Bebe Daniels |
ADVENTURE
| IMDB | Torrent | Director | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMDB | Bird of Paradise | King Vidor | Dolores del Rio & Joel McCrea |
| IMDB | Four Frightened People | Cecil B. DeMille | Claudette Colbert |
COMEDY
| IMDB | Torrent | Director | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMDB | Bombshell | Victor Fleming | Jean Harlow |
| IMDB | Design For Living | Ernst Lubitsch | Miriam Hopkins Gary Cooper & Fredric March |
| IMDB | Hips, Hips, Hooray! | Mark Sandrich | Bert Wheeler & Robert Woolsey |
| IMDB | Female | Michael Curtiz | Ruth Chatterton |
| IMDB | Footlight Parade | Lloyd Bacon | James Cagney & Joan Blondell |
| IMDB | Golden Dawn | Ray Enright | Walter Woolf King |
| IMDB | I'm No Angel | Wesley Ruggles | May West |
| IMDB | Jewel Robbery | William Dieterle | William Powell & Kay Francis |
| IMDB | Lady Killer | Roy Del Ruth | James Cagney |
| IMDB | Let Us Be Gay | Robert Z. Leonard | Norma Shearer |
| IMDB | Merrily We Go To Hell | Dorothy Arzner | Sylvia Sidney |
| IMDB | The Naughty flirt | Edward F. Cline | Alice White, Myrna Loy |
| IMDB | Professional Sweetheart | William A. Seiter | Ginger Rogers |
| IMDB | Red Headed Woman | Jack Conway | Jean Harlow |
| IMDB | The Little Giant | Roy Del Ruth | Edward G. Robinson |
| IMDB | The Tenderfoot | Ray Enright | Joe E. Brown & Ginger Rogers |
| IMDB | Union Depot | Alfred E. Green | Douglas Fairbanks Jr. |
CRIME
| IMDB | Torrent | Director | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMDB | Beast of the City | Charles Brabin | Walter Huston |
| IMDB | Captain Applejack | Hobart Henley | Hobart Henley |
| IMDB | Corruption | Charles E. Roberts | Evalyn Knapp |
| IMDB | Five Star Final | Mervyn LeRoy | Edward G. Robinson |
| IMDB | Guilty As Hell | Erle C. Kenton | Edmund Lowe |
| IMDB | Midnight Mary | William A. Wellman | Loretta Young |
| IMDB | Night Nurse | William A. Wellman | Barbara Stanwyck |
| IMDB | Party Girl | Victor Halperin | Douglas Fairbanks Jr. & Jeanette Loff |
| IMDB | Penthouse | W.S. Van Dyke | Warner Baxter & Myrna Loy |
| IMDB | Pick-up | Marion Gering | Sylvia Sidney & George Raft |
| IMDB | Search For Beauty | Erle C. Kenton | Buster Crabbe |
| IMDB | Smart Money | Alfred E. Green | Edward G. Robinson |
| IMDB | The Criminal Code | Howard Hawks | Walter Huston |
| IMDB | The Hatchet Man | William A. Wellman | Edward G Robinson |
| IMDB | The Sphinx | Phil Rosen | Lionel Atwill |
| IMDB | Three On A Match | Mervyn LeRoy | Joan Blondell |
| IMDB | Wonder Bar | Lloyd Bacon | Al Jolson |
DRAMA
| IMDB | Torrent | Director | Lead | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMDB | Applause | Rouben Mamoulian | Helen Morgan | |
| IMDB | Baby Face | Alfred E. Green | Barbara Stanwyck | |
| IMDB | Bad Girl | Frank Borzage | Sally Eilers | |
| IMDB | Bed Of Roses | Gregory La Cava | Constance Bennett, Joel McCrea |
|
| IMDB | Blood Money | Rowland Brown | George Bancroft | |
| IMDB | Born To Be Bad | Lowell Sherman | Loretta Young, Cary Grant |
|
| IMDB | Call Her Savage | John Francis Dillon | Clara Bow | |
| IMDB | Dancers in the Dark | David Burton | Miriam Hopkins | |
| IMDB | Downstairs | Monta Bell | John Gilbert | |
| IMDB | Dr.Monica | William Keighley | Kay Francis | |
| IMDB | Forbidden | Frank Capra | Barbara Stanwyck | |
| IMDB | Frisco Jenny | William A. Wellman | Ruth Chatterton | |
| IMDB | Girls About Town | George Cukor | Kay Francis, Lilyan Tashman |
|
| IMDB | Hell's Highway | Rowland Brown | Richard Dix | |
| IMDB | Her Man | Tay Garnett | Helen Twelvetrees, Phillips Holmes |
|
| IMDB | Hot Saturday | William A. Seiter | Nancy Carroll | |
| IMDB | Illicit | Archie Mayo | Barbara Stanwyck | |
| IMDB | Kept Husbands | Lloyd Bacon | Dorothy Mackaill, Joel McCrea | |
| IMDB | Ladies of Leisure | Frank Capra | Barbara Stanwyck | |
| IMDB | Ladies They Talk About | Howard Bretherton, William Keighley | Barbara Stanwyck | Dedicated Pre-Code upgrade needed |
| IMDB | Lucky Devils | Ralph Ince | William Boyd | |
| IMDB | Mandalay | Michael Curtiz | Kay Francis | |
| IMDB | Mary Stevens, M.D. | Lloyd Bacon | Kay Francis | |
| IMDB | Man´s Castle | Frank Borzage | Loretta Young & Spencer Tracy | |
| IMDB | Mata Hari | George Fitzmaurice | Greta Garbo | |
| IMDB | Night After Night | Archie Mayo | George Raft | |
| IMDB | Night World | Hobart Henley | Lew Ayres | |
| IMDB | Other Mens Women | William A. Wellman | Grant Withers & Mary Astor | |
| IMDB | Parachute Jumper | Alfred E. Green | Douglas Fairbanks Jr.& Bette Davis | |
| IMDB | Rain | Lewis Milestone | Joan Crawford | |
| IMDB | Red Dust | Victor Fleming | Clark Gable & Jean Harlow | |
| IMDB | Road to Ruin | Dorothy Davenport | Helen Foster | |
| IMDB | Safe in Hell | William A. Wellman | Dorothy Mackaill | |
| IMDB | State's Attorney | George Archainbaud | John Barrymore, Helen Twelvetrees |
|
| IMDB | Stolen Heaven | George Abbott | Nancy Carroll, Phillips Holmes |
|
| IMDB | Street of Women | Archie Mayo | Kay Francis | |
| IMDB | Tabu: A Story of the South Seas | F.W. Murnau | Matahi | |
| IMDB | The Bitter Tea of General Yen | Frank Capra | Barbara Stanwyck | |
| IMDB | The Cheat | George Abbott | Tallulah Bankhead | |
| IMDB | The Easiest Way | Jack Conway | Constance Bennett | |
| IMDB | The House on 56th Street | Robert Florey | Kay Francis | |
| IMDB | The Lost Squadron | George Archainbaud | Richard Dix, E. von Stroheim |
|
| IMDB | The Miracle Woman | Frank Capra | Barbara Stanwyck, David Manners |
|
| IMDB | The Narrow Corner | Alfred E. Green | Douglas Fairbanks Jr. | |
| IMDB | The Sign of the Cross | Cecil B. DeMille | Fredric March | |
| IMDB | Thirteen Women | George Archainbaud | Irene Dunne | |
| IMDB | This Man Is Mine | John Cromwell | Irene Dunne, Constance Cummings |
|
| IMDB | Thunder Below | Richard Wallace | Tallulah Bankhead | |
| IMDB | Tiger Shark | Howard Hawks | Edward G. Robinson | |
| IMDB | Transgression | Herbert Brenon | Kay Francis | |
| IMDB | Waterloo Bridge | James Whale | Mae Clarke | |
| IMDB | White Woman | Stuart Walker | Carole Lombard | |
| IMDB | Working Girls | Dorothy Arzner | Judith Wood |
HORROR
| IMDB | Torrent | Director | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMDB | Island of Lost Souls | Erle C. Kenton | Charles Laughton |
| IMDB | Kongo | William J. Cowen | Walter Huston |
| IMDB | Murder in the Zoo | A. Edward Sutherland | Charles Ruggles |
| IMDB | Mystery of the Wax Museum | Michael Curtiz | Lionel Atwill |
| IMDB | The Mask of Fu Manchu | Charles Brabin | Boris Karloff |
| IMDB | Svengali | Archie Mayo | John Barrymore |
MUSICAL
| IMDB | Torrent | Director | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMDB | Gold Diggers of 1933 | Mervyn LeRoy | Warren William, Joan Blondell |
| IMDB | Madam Satan | Cecil B. DeMille | Kay Johnson |
| IMDB | Murder at the Vanities | Mitchell Leisen | Carl Brisson |
| IMDB | Torch Singer | Alexander Hall, George Somnes | Claudette Colbert |
The Big List
| Goal | Have |
|---|---|
| 69 | 69 |
What, more Pre-Codes!?! Oh yes. the Film Collection is our Pre-Code 101 but the project has grown so quickly and with so many more valuable Pre-codes that are under appreciated coming our way Weve decided to start again!. The films in this list will become our B movie mega torrent. These films might be more subtle than those in the collection but all are very valuable to us and all are worth watching for Pre-Code goodness.

Discussion
The project may be full but…MORE TORRENTS some more pre-code than others but all worth looking up and all from the pre-code era of film making.
Ever in my Heart
The Merry Finks
Me and My Gal
She Done Him Wrong
If I Had A Million
Million Dollar Legs
Whoopee
The Kiss Before The Mirror
Week-End Marriage
Love is a Racket
Love Affair
Life Begins
Finishing School
Curtain At Eight
Double Harness
50 Million Frenchmen
Up the River
No Man of Her Own
For The Defense
Hells House
The Dark Horse
Blondie of the Follies
Monte Carlo
The Circus Queen Murder
Private Lives
Private Detective 62
Young America
Twentieth Century
Young Man Of Manhattan
Polly of the Circus
Dancing Lady
Betty Boop Bamboo Isle
Betty Boop Chest Nuts
Betty Boop The Old Man Of The Mountain
Betty Boop Minni The Moocher
Our Betters
Bellow the Sea
Sadie McKee
Sinners In The Sun
No More Orchids
Blondie Johnson
Havana Widows We're Not Dressing
Guilty Hands
A Holy Terror
The Life of Jimmy Dolan
The Phantom of paris
Picture Snatcher
The Bachelor Father
Whirlpool
Now Ill Tell
Jimmy the Gent
The Mad Genius
The Big Shakedown
The Woman Accused
The Wild Party | Pre pre-code but , seriously, get it!
Follow Thru
Roman Scandals
The Sin of Nora Moran
Moonlight and Pretzels
Lawyer Man
Vanity Fair
Rockabye
The Murder in the Museum
Queen High
Goodbye Again
Loose Ankles
High Pressure
Unfaithful
Payment Deferred
The Boob
This Is The Night
Smarty
Narcotic
My Past
Street Scene
The Wet Parade
Moulin Rouge
Gentleman´s Fate
Beauty And The Boss
Bachelor Apartment
Scandal Sheet
Hard To Handle
Hot Pepper
A Notorious Affair
The Half Naked Truth
No Limit
East of Borneo
Gold Dust Gertie
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
Sin Takes a Holiday
Lady With A Past
Strictly Dynamite
The Cabin in the Cotton
Grief Street
Letty Lynton
Girl Missing
The Kid From Spain
Huddle
Pilgrimage
Age of Consent
By Whose Hand
It Pays To Advertise
Hello, Sister!
Sensation Hunters
Nana
The Fall Guy
Made On Broadway
The Meanest Gal In Town
The Bowery
Hoop-La
Midnight Club
The Final Edition
Parole Girl
The Match King
Topaze
The Sap From Syracuse
The Famous Ferguson Case
Heroes for Sale
Son of India
Consolation Marriage
This Modern Age
Night Court
Vengeance
Let's Go Native
The Tip-Off
Speak Easily
I Cover The Waterfront
Children Of Pleasure
Don´t Bet on Love
True To The Navy
American Tragedy,An
The Man In Possession
The Stranger´s Return
Thunderbolt
Their Own Desire
Dixiana
La Cucaracha
Behind The Mask
Delicious
Follow The Leader
Murder In The Private Car
Upperworld
The Devil's Holiday
Over the Hill
Framed
The Mind Reader
Arizona
Trader Horn
After Tonight
Bedside
Meet The Baron
The Keyhole
Playing Around
I've Got Your Number
Its just been announced that we have gained Project Status! All the torrents for inclusion in the mega torrent will get Ratio Bonus coins in a week or so.
w00t!
Q, Are all movies made before 1934 are considered 'pre-code'?
A, No. For those who find it confusing , things to look for in pre-codes are
Knowingly flouts the code ie. Contain any or all of the following:-
The list goes on but that covers some of the more obvious points to look for as all the above were banned by the code.
Congrats on the Project status, vlvt!
BTW, I've just uploaded an off-project Pre-Code flick, 'This Man Is Mine' from 1934, at http://cinemageddon.org/details.php?id=48064 and would appreciate people's opinions of it. Later this week I'll upload a Project flick that's not on the list above… stay tuned!
w00t! 'This Man Is Mine' has been granted Project inclusion! whoopee!!
all 'off project pre-codes'will be added to The Big List so we can still share their pre-code goodness.
Ok, so here goes a big list of “The Women Of Pre-Code”; please not that I did not check for availability in any material, electronic or ethereal form:
1- http://us.imdb.com/Title?0023775|Baby Face - 1933
2- http://us.imdb.com/Title?0024238|Ladies They Talk About - 1933
3- http://us.imdb.com/Title?0022550|Waterloo Bridge - 1931
4- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0022453|Susan Lennox: Her Fall and Rise - 1931
5- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0021885|A Free Soul - 1931
6- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0020827|The Divorcee - 1930
7- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0021635|Bad Girl - 1931
8- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0022628|The Animal Kingdom - 1932
9- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0024685|The Torch Singer - 1933
10- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0024664|Three-Cornered Moon - 1933
11- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0024617|The Story Of Temple Drake - 1933
12- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0021910|Girls About Town - 1931
13- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0023940|Design For Living - 1933
14- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0022279|Private Lives - 1931
15- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0024548|She Done Him Wrong - 1933
16- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024166/|I'm No Angel - 1933
17- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023590/|Three On A Match - 1932
18- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0024092|Havana Widows - 1933
19- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0022335|Safe In Hell - 1931
20- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0023314|Painted Woman - 1932
21- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023369/|Rain - 1932
22- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024008/|Female - 1933
23- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0022775|Frisco Jenny - 1933
24- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0026717|Mills Of The Gods - 1934
25- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0024365|My Woman - 1933
26- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0024334|Midnight Mary - 1933
27- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0022435|Strangers May Kiss - 1931
28- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023458/|Shanghai Express - 1932
29- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0021785|Daughter Of The Dragon - 1931
30- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023385/|Red-Headed Woman - 1932
31- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023382/|Red Dust - 1932
32- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022698/|Blonde Venus - 1932
33- http://us.imdb.com/Title?0022737|Call Her Savage - 1931
34- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0025579|Now I'll Tell - 1934
35- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0025520|Moulin Rouge - 1933
36- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0023659|Virtue - 1932
37- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0024771|White Woman - 1933
38- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0023479|Sinners In The Sun - 1932
39- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0024041|From Hell To Heaven - 1933
40- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0024763|When Ladies Meet - 1933
41- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0021826|East Lynne - 1931
42- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021800/|Dishonored - 1931
43- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024598/|The Song Of Songs - 1933
44- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0021988|I Take This Woman - 1931
45- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0024822|All Of Me - 1934
46- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0024046|Gallant Lady - 1933
47- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0023960|Double Harness - 1933
48- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0023960|Affairs Of Cellini - 1934
49- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0022433|Stolen Heaven - 1931
50- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0020966|Her Man - 1931
51- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0022137|The Men In Her Life - 1931
52- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0022578|Working Girls - 1931
53- http://us.imdb.com/Details?0022042|Ladies Of The Big House - 1931
uffff…
I am presenting the above list as a research aid only; not all of the films listed above fit into the Project, and surely it does not contain all that would be suitable.
So, eagerly awaiting everybody's opinions.
Its a great list and a great place to start for anyone checking out the ladies… Cheers !
The project is no longer accepting new films for inclusion.
Upgrades welcomed and bonuses still being paid out.
THE PROJECT IS NOW COMPLETE! Huge thanks go out to everyone who has upped a movie for the project. You rock!