Why was Catholicism portrayed more favorably in film in 1940's and 1950's?

[7_Sorrows]

I am a film buff and have noticed Catholicism seemed to be treated with respect in films from decades past. Some examples are Going My Way, The Bells of St. Mary’s, The Singing Nun, The Song of Bernadette and even the Alfred Hitchcock film I Confess.
There are probably more that don’t come to mind right now.
There are many scenes that take place in Catholic churches involving baptisms, confirmations and weddings that last only a minute or two.
These days you rarely see a movie centered around the Catholic faith. I wish this would change.

 

[Lea101]

Hmm, I am taking a film class and my tutor made a remark about how the church had some sort of influence on film back then. Not 100% sure if this is true, but he pointed out how the church was involved in the media in some way, and because of that, there was some censorship (eg no making out scenes)…

If that is true, then it would makes sense that the faith was portrayed nicely

 

[7_Sorrows]

Hmm, I am taking a film class and my tutor made a remark about how the church had some sort of influence on film back then. Not 100% sure if this is true, but he pointed out how the church was involved in the media in some way, and because of that, there was some censorship (eg no making out scenes)…

If that is true, then it would makes sense that the faith was portrayed nicely

interesting. that could be true as far as the Church being involved in the censoring aspect.
Agnes of God, Doubt and Spotlight are the most recent films I can think of that center around Catholicism, but not in a good way like The Bells of St. Mary’ or Going My Way. They are not family pictures.
I know there are films made about past Popes and saints, but no good stories centered around the Catholic faith and presenting to the world what it means to be Catholic.
I guess there is a tv show on now about a Catholic family, but it is a comedy.

 

[Lea101]

interesting. that could be true as far as the Church being involved in the censoring aspect.
Agnes of God, Doubt and Spotlight are the most recent films I can think of that center around Catholicism, but not in a good way like The Bells of St. Mary’ or Going My Way. They are not family pictures.
I know there are films made about past Popes and saints, but no good stories centered around the Catholic faith and presenting to the world what it means to be Catholic.
I guess there is a tv show on now about a Catholic family, but it is a comedy.

Liberal media hates organised religion…and the church is the most organised

Plus Christianity is the ‘safe’ religion for them to poke fun at, because we are considered the ‘privileged’ religion (as opposed to islam where muslims do face harassment and stereotypes more). SJWs can portray us however they want and still feel like decent human beings because nobody recognizes our oppression. It’s almost funny if it weren’t so stupid.

The last show i watched with some sort of Catholic representation was Jane The Virgin…but as expected, it was leaning towards the negative side. (There are nice moments where the protagonist insisted on praying the rosary, getting her kid baptised and enrolled into sunday school, how she placed flowers at the feet of Mary on her wedding day…but all these nice moments were ruined because she was more of a modern catholic that is not chaste, abortion is treated lightly, false information about our faith, heavy makeout scenes between lesbian and straight couples, some jabs at the Church…you get the idea). Was rather disappointed because it was an entertaining show, and I like the cast and the latina representation…if only they treat us nicely! However it IS a secular show, so I was not expecting anything great.

Sadly now, if you want a good pro catholic or even christian in general show, you probably have to make one yourself.

 

[GEddie]

The sexual revolution had not yet occurred, and so, priests, nuns, and monks did not seem as “strange” to average viewers (or to the filming establishment).

IMINWHO

ICXC NIKA

 

[louisak]

I am a film buff and have noticed Catholicism seemed to be treated with respect in films from decades past. Some examples are Going My Way, The Bells of St. Mary’s, The Singing Nun, The Song of Bernadette and even the Alfred Hitchcock film I Confess.

Well, in part you can say the difference is that America at that time was not quite as secularized as it is today. But the main reason is the Motion Picture Production Code, often referred to as the Hays Code. This was created as a response to widespread public reaction against the decadence of the “roaring 20s” as expressed by Hollywood. The Motion Picture Association of America adopted the Code in 1930 but didn’t begin enforcing it until 1934. The Code was basically a way for Hollywood to “police itself” in order to forestall attacks from women’s groups, religious groups and so forth, and to guarantee that Hollywood films could be distributed around the country without being banned in socially conservative communities.

The Code had a series of specific requirements which, among other things, demanded that religious groups and clergymen would be depicted with respect; forbade the use of blasphemous language, reference to illicit sex, abortion and so forth. During the 1950’s the code was increasingly ignored, until by the mid-60’s it became a dead letter. At that point it was eliminated, and a ratings system was introduced - basically the same system we have today, although it has been changed a bit since then.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

Morality on screen was regulated by some committee or other, Catholic schools were major factors, the Pill did not yet exist, abortion had not become an issue, Pope Pius XII was a hero from World War II, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen dominated television and Cardinal Spellman ruled.

 

[louisak]

The sexual revolution had not yet occurred

It’s not as simple as that. Have you ever heard of the Roaring Twenties? If you ever see some movies made in the 1920’s you might be unpleasantly surprised. The difference was due to the Production Code which was introduced in the early 1930’s - see my previous post.

 

[St_Francis]

Interesting that the portrayal of the Church diminished as Mass attendance declined.

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

Perhaps that was the first time producers began to realize there was such a thing as a “Catholic market” who cold be induced to buy tickets. I’m sure it wasn’t altruism.

 

[commenter]

The vague Hayes Code from about 1930 - 1934 was full of holes, easily circumvented. The Catholic bishops backed the Legion of Decency, which was a crucial lay initiative, backed by other lay Catholic movements, that brought Hollywood to change. Boycotts, picket lines and other social pressures by the united Catholic laity were starting up. (Keep this in mind when you hear lectures about how the laity were inactive prior to Vatican II).

Joseph Breen, trained by Jesuits and who relied on Jesuit advisors, took over in 1934. The Code was re written, and drastically modified Hollywood, with some influence even into the early 1960s, though he retired in the early 1950s. The Breen code did not totally eliminate attacks on women, minorities, or disabled persons, but reduced it. Some movies made before Breen, or made recently that celebrate sexual exploitation of women, could not have been made under the Breen era.

This is what Catholics could do when they were confident, laity united with each other, and with their bishops. Those who pretend the lay apostolate began in the mid 1960s are misinformed. In the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, they never talked about lay apostolate, they just did it.

Nowadays…

 

[doomguy93]

And now, The History of Church Film Censorship!

The Hayes Code/Production Code answers are right, but there was also this:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Legion_of_Decency

It was founded by local dioceses as a response to the releases of Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Sign of the Cross” and somebody else’s “Ann Vickers,” the former contained pretty strong sexual content and and the latter touched on feminist-tinged sexuality.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Vickers_(film

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sign_of_the_Cross_(1932_film

They were indeed a functioning censorship body, and had the power to affect where a film could or could not play. They often took on films to review after the Production Code had signed off on them, and pronounced that “condemned” films could not be seen by Catholics as it would constitute a mortal sin. Here’s a complete list of films that the Legion “condemned”:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_condemned_by_the_Legion_of_Decency

So they played a HUGE role in how the Church was portrayed in Hollywood productions of the day.

The list grows to include more foreign-produced films than American ones, as the Production Code was being enforced after 1934. Filmmakers such as the Spanish atheist and surrealist Luis Bunuel, who portrayed the Church in a not-very-positive light, would have had “condemned” films at that time.

In the 50s, courts ruled that religious bodies could not prevent the public from seeing films. Catholics who didn’t understand that the Legion warned people to stay away from certain films, not go and see them, were ignoring the Legion’s condemnations and going to see C-rated films anyway. By the late 60s even the Production Code was outdated as filmmakers began ignoring it completely and started intentionally violating the Code in the strongest possible ways, and the industry transitioned to the MPAA Rating System because of the threat of legislation from Congress. The Legion turned into a “recommendation” board and was finally dissolved in 1980.

Churches, especially Protestant clergy, continued to have censorship power in the South and other conservative states up until the mid - late 80s maybe. Major release films such as Jaws and Star Wars were cut and censored before distribution to theaters by the local church censorship boards. Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” was banned outright everywhere down south. Because of this, counties where the churches were actively censoring would receive films after the rest of the country did, and those prints were already wearing down. After playing the church-censored counties and doing their business, those cut prints would then go up to NYC’s ghettos where they would play in filthy, crime-ridden “grindhouse” theaters. Bad kids who were supposed to stay away would wonder why the film was jumping all over the place, later finding out after seeing it on video or HBO that it was because someone had cut sex scenes or whatever.

Then, the prints broke beyond repair. Or they would be sent to television stations for their film libraries. This is why some local TV airings of Hollywood films utilized absolutely dreadful prints.

According to “This Film is Not Yet Rated,” the documentary, priests and pastors do work with the MPAA’s ratings board, although they have no voting power. Liberal “open-minded” film buffs have decried this aspect as “the interference of religion in art!!! if they’re going to have priests they should have Satanists and Wiccans and Hindus and Muslims and Buddhists and!!!” even though the clergy obviously aren’t doing anything to stop the anti-Christian rhetoric coming out of Hollywood today. Go figure.

 

[randomuser]

The vague Hayes Code from about 1930 - 1934 was full of holes, easily circumvented.

Very easily.

Case in point: *“Is that a gun in your pocket or are you happy to see me?” *

That’s Mae West to some people.
That’s ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’ to others.

Mae West had quite a few other one-liners that – whoosh* – flew over the heads of the censors, IIRC. How do you censor double entendres?

 

[MaryHelp777]

I am a film buff and have noticed Catholicism seemed to be treated with respect in films from decades past. Some examples are Going My Way, The Bells of St. Mary’s, The Singing Nun, The Song of Bernadette and even the Alfred Hitchcock film I Confess.
There are probably more that don’t come to mind right now.
There are many scenes that take place in Catholic churches involving baptisms, confirmations and weddings that last only a minute or two.
These days you rarely see a movie centered around the Catholic faith. I wish this would change.

There was a higher percentage of practicing catholics who attended church on Sundays back then.

 

[louisak]

The vague Hayes Code from about 1930 - 1934 was full of holes, easily circumvented. The Catholic bishops backed the Legion of Decency, which was a crucial lay initiative, backed by other lay Catholic movements, that brought Hollywood to change.

Yes, I had forgotten about the Legion of Decency. Thanks for bringing that up. I believe there were other religious and social groups that put pressure on Hollywood to clean up its act, but the Legion of Decency was certainly the best-known and probably the most influential.

 

[7_Sorrows]

Well, in part you can say the difference is that America at that time was not quite as secularized as it is today. But the main reason is the Motion Picture Production Code, often referred to as the Hays Code. This was created as a response to widespread public reaction against the decadence of the “roaring 20s” as expressed by Hollywood. The Motion Picture Association of America adopted the Code in 1930 but didn’t begin enforcing it until 1934. The Code was basically a way for Hollywood to “police itself” in order to forestall attacks from women’s groups, religious groups and so forth, and to guarantee that Hollywood films could be distributed around the country without being banned in socially conservative communities.

The Code had a series of specific requirements which, among other things, demanded that religious groups and clergymen would be depicted with respect; forbade the use of blasphemous language, reference to illicit sex, abortion and so forth. During the 1950’s the code was increasingly ignored, until by the mid-60’s it became a dead letter. At that point it was eliminated, and a ratings system was introduced - basically the same system we have today, although it has been changed a bit since then.

thanks for the info about the code.

 

[Techno2000]

I am a film buff and have noticed Catholicism seemed to be treated with respect in films from decades past. Some examples are Going My Way, The Bells of St. Mary’s, The Singing Nun, The Song of Bernadette and even the Alfred Hitchcock film I Confess.
There are probably more that don’t come to mind right now.
There are many scenes that take place in Catholic churches involving baptisms, confirmations and weddings that last only a minute or two.
These days you rarely see a movie centered around the Catholic faith. I wish this would change.

Because people were more religious in the olden days.

 

[commenter]

Because people were more religious in the olden days.

Or, rather, religious people were far less passive several decades ago. Until the early 1960s once a year parishes would ask everyone to stand up, and recite a pledge to oppose evil movies.

We have had decades of “renewal” movements, some of it good, but much of it equating holiness with “I’m ok, you’re ok”. Dogma was often replaced with the hunger for personal autonomy, what’s true or right for you might be false or wrong for the next person.

The Legion of Decency was perhaps the first important ecumenical movement in America, as Protestants joined or supported it. We began to see ourselves as allies in a common Christian cause. The Legion of Decency at its peak had far, ******far ******more support from dioceses and parishes than the prolife movement has today. Laity didn’t look to the secular media for priorities like they do now. They were far more prone to united action than laity today.

 

[edwest2]

The Catholic Legion of Decency gradually spread to other faiths and denominations to become known simply as The Legion Of Decency.

w2.vatican.va/content/pius-xi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_29061936_vigilanti-cura.html

Source:
ENCYCLICAL LETTER OF POPE PIUS XI
ON THE MOTION PICTURE

VIGILANTI CURA

The 1930 Motion Picture Production Code, also known as the Hays Code, with a few exceptions, is my template for writing.

See also: amazon.com/Cross-Cinema-National-Catholic-1933-1970/dp/0275941930

Ed

 

[Techno2000]

Or, rather, religious people were far less passive several decades ago. Until the early 1960s once a year parishes would ask everyone to stand up, and recite a pledge to oppose evil movies.

We have had decades of “renewal” movements, some of it good, but much of it equating holiness with “I’m ok, you’re ok”. Dogma was often replaced with the hunger for personal autonomy, what’s true or right for you might be false or wrong for the next person.

The Legion of Decency was perhaps the first important ecumenical movement in America, as Protestants joined or supported it. We began to see ourselves as allies in a common Christian cause. The Legion of Decency at its peak had far, ******far ******more support from dioceses and parishes than the prolife movement has today. Laity didn’t look to the secular media for priorities like they do now. They were far more prone to united action than laity today.

Yeah, I remember when everything was closed on sunday .