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Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 2
Synopsis of Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 2
THE DIVORCEE (1930): After several blissful years of marriage a woman catches her husband in a compromising position and forces him to confess his infidelities Her solution to the problem is to then try to match him tryst for tryst. Based on the 1929 Ursula Parrott novel "Ex-wife," this highly controversial story was first published anonymously, with the author?s name added only after thousands of copies were sold. A FREE SOUL (1931): Lionel Barrymore shines as Stephen Ashe, a brilliant alcoholic lawyer who successfully defends dashing gangster Ace Wilfong (Clark Gable) on a murder charge only to find that his headstrong daughter, Jan (Norma Shearer), has fallen in love with his client. Jan, a fun-loving socialite seeking freedom from her blue-blood upbring, is only too eager to dump her aristocratic boyfriend (Leslie Howard) for the no-good gangster. Barrymore gives a remarkable Oscar-winning performance culminating in a legendary courtroom scene that is powerful and deeply moving. THREE ON A MATCH (1932): Childhood friends Mary Keaton, Ruth Wescott and Vivian Deverse reunite ten years after high school. Mary is now a chorus girl, level-headed Ruth has a job as a secretary, and sexy Vivian is on the verge of deserting her wealthy husband Henry Kirkwood and their baby in favor of a glamorous gangster. FEMALE (1933): In Michael Curtiz's romantic comedy FEMALE, Ruth Chatterton plays Alison Drake, the iron-fisted president of a motorcar company. Alison oversees the daily operations of her male employees with a predatory gaze and frequently exercises her right to engage with them in any way she deems fit. She meets her match in an equally strong-minded new employee, Jim Thorne (George Brent), and the two engage in a smoldering, contentious, sexually charged duel. NIGHT NURSE (1931): William Wellman's NIGHT NURSE is a sassy, unsentimental comedy about a private pediatric nurse named Lora Hart (Barbara Stanwyck) who, after applying as an apprentice in a family home, discovers there is a plot afoot to starve her two rich, fat, young charges to death. The culprit is the family's chauffeur, Nick (Clark Gable), a villain who plans to marry the kids' dissolute mother and make off with their trust fund. THOU SHALT NOT: SEX, SIN AND CENSORSHIP IN PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD (2008): Over seventy years later, they've lost none of their power to shock, entertain, and titillate. So-called "pre-Code" movies remain among the most vital films America has ever produced. But why were these films so much more sexually free and socially critical than what came before or after? Who created the Code, and what did it forbid? And why did it finally become a Hollywood commandment? The answer is a fascinating mix of scandal, big business and social history - a unique collision of events that resulted in one of the most dynamic - and delicious - periods in Hollywood history.   Click here to visit the official website
Review of Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 2
Sex. Did someone say sex?  Oh, that nasty three letter word that could be talking about those other four letter words -- how bohemian and risque of the people in Hollywood.  What were they thinking?  If it wasn't for the creation of the production codes in 1934, then there would have been nothing but naked bodies lying all over the screen doing all kinds of nasty stuff that decent people just do not do or even talk about.  Well, that is the crux of the Forbidden Hollywood collections, to show those "risqué" films of the late twenties and early thirties where such taboo subjects as divorce, sex and marital affairs were discussed and even played out on the silver screen.  These movies, some of them classics such as The Divorcee, or movies like them were banned by the moral forces in America of the time to not only be shown in movie theaters, but even to produced.  Although never called "censorship," after July 1, 1934, the production of movies were under scrutiny for their content or subject matter.   I am not going to provide a detailed review of each movie, but I will say that if you have never seen The Divorcee, it is a cinematic gem.  The story, the directing and especially the acting were outstanding in this 1929 film. This movie stars the sexy and sultry Norma Shearer, who won her Best Actress Oscar for her role as a sexually liberated woman of the 1920s.  This movie alone is worth the price.  Shearer also stars in another classic on this DVD, A Free Soul in which she did get a nomination from the Academy, however, it was Lionel Barrymore that won an Oscar for his role as a soused lawyer in this film (it was also interesting to see a budding young Clark Gable contribute to the film as well). Although not my favorite of the five films, Three On A March did have a number of bright spots, such as the acting of Bette Davis and Joan Blondell - and Ann Dvorak was a beautiful as ever.  For movie buffs, be on the lookout for appearances of up-and-coming actors such as Lyle Talbot, Edward Arnold and Humphry Bogart in his first gangster role.  The best film from a socio-economic point of view (which was also highly entertaining) is Female, a movie about a strong minded woman taking control in the male dominated corporate world.  My goodness, a woman with power -- no wonder they wanted to ban those types of movies.  Although a comedy at the time, the movie was more prophetic than the writers would ever know.  The last movie, Night Nurse, is also a light comedy that revolves around a sexy woman (Barbara Stanwyck) and intertwines with a murder plot. It is also great to watch Stanwyck interact with the evil chauffer played by Clark Gable.   The one thought that keeps going through my mind as I watch these movies is what some of those censors would think of today's movies - or even today's society in general.  Although more of a modern film, and one that looks at television of the 50s, one of my favorite films is Pleasantville, because it shows us that the world the censors made the film makers show the world was not really the world we live in and is not really how it should be lived.  Women were meant to be strong, people were meant to sexual and married couples do have problems that may lead to adultory and divorce.  Maybe some of today's movies do take the subject a bit too far by placing nudity in a scene for the sake of the nudity and not to enhance the plot (I feel the same way about putting in a special effect when it really does not need to be there), but we have surely come a long way.   For a really, really good look at the time leading up to the production codes, the DVD also includes a documentary on the subject entitled Thou Shalt not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in the Pre-Code Hollywood.  It is a must see for anyone who wants to know more about this very interesting time in cinematic history. It is very well produced and includes a ton of interesting facts and pictures.   Just as I had for my review of Forbidden Hollywood Collection Volume 1, I also highly recommend this DVD as well for all of your film lovers out there.   Caveat: For those of you looking for films with a vast amount of pornographic type scenes, you will be greatly disappointed.  The points of these movies was not to show the sex, but the whole idea behind sex and the independence of men and especially woman against the Elizabethan way of thinking of the time.
Official Press Release
Double the Vice…Double the Fun! TCM Archives: Forbidden Hollywood Collection Volume 2 Five Restored & Remastered Pre-Code Classics and a New Feature-Length Documentary Debut as a 3-Disc Set on DVD March 4   ~The Divorcee/A Free Soul~ ~Three on a Match/Female~ ~Night Nurse~ Special Feature: Thou Shalt not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood   Burbank, Calif. November 5, 2007 – On March 4, Warner Home Video (WHV) will introduce a second group of sassy and taboo films from Hollywood’s Pre-Production Code era with the DVD debut of Forbidden Hollywood Volume 2. Following the success of last year’s Volume 1, this new 3-disc collection will contain five pre-code sizzlers, with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Disc One spotlights Norma Shearer in her Best Actress Oscar®-winning role as The Divorcee and again in A Free Soul; with Lionel Barrymore and Clark Gable. Disc Two features Bette Davis, Joan Blondell and Ann Dvorak in Three on a Match paired with the Michael Curtiz-directed comedy Female starring Ruth Chatterton as a no-nonsense CEO. Disc Three features William Wellman’s powerful drama Night Nurse, which stars Barbara Stanwyck with a very young Clark Gable, along with the new documentary feature Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood. The film provides fascinating insight into the American psyche of late 1920s and early 1930s, illustrating why, more than seventy years later, the so-called “Pre-Code” movies remain among the most vital and provocative films ever made.   Each of the features contained in Forbidden Hollywood Volume 2 have been digitally remastered from newly-restored film elements. The collection also contains bonus features such as commentaries and theatrical trailers. The three DVD set, containing the five vintage classics and the new documentary feature will be available as a collection only, selling for $49.92 SRP and orders are due January 29, 2008.     About the Films     The Divorcee (1930)/ A Free Soul (1931) Based on Ursula Parrott’s spicy 1929 novel “Ex-wife,” the highly controversial The Divorcee was nominated for four Academy Awards® including Best Picture. Norma Shearer won for Best Actress as a woman who confronts the hypocrisy of the double standard after catching her husband in a compromising position and forcing him to confess his infidelities. Her solution to the problem: try to match him tryst for tryst.   In A Free Soul, Lionel Barrymore captured an Oscar for his portrayal of a brilliant alcoholic lawyer Stephen Ashe, who successfully defends dashing gangster Ace Wilfong (Clark Gable) on a murder charge only to find that his headstrong daughter, Jan (Norma Shearer), has fallen in love with his client. Jan, a fun-loving socialite seeking freedom from her blue-blood upbringing, is only too eager to dump her aristocratic boyfriend (Leslie Howard) for the no-good gangster. She runs away from her childhood home to become Ace's mistress, embarking on a series of seedy adventures in New York's underbelly. Desperate to save his daughter's tainted reputation, Stephen finds her and makes her a deal: He'll stop drinking if she'll stop seeing Ace. The thrilling conclusion might just tear them apart forever. Shearer and director Clarence Brown also received nominations for their work in this powerful and moving film.   DVD Special Features: ·   The Divorcee commentary by Jeffrey Vance and Tony Maietta   Three on a Match (1932)/ Female (1933) The gangster melodrama, Three on a Match, stars Bette Davis, Joan Blondell and Ann Dvorak as a trio of school chums – Mary, Ruth and Vivian – meeting for a reunion ten years after high school. Director Mervyn LeRoy crams much plot into the 64 minute run time following each of the women’s lives. Mary is now a chorus girl after a stint in reform school; level-headed Ruth has a job as a secretary; and sexy Vivian is on the verge of deserting her wealthy husband Henry Kirkwood and their baby in favor of a glamorous gangster. The film is also noteworthy for the number of future stars making brief appearances, such as Lyle Talbot, Edward Arnold and, in his first gangster role, Humphrey Bogart as “The Mug.”   In director Michael Curtiz's (Casablanca) romantic comedy Female, Ruth Chatterton plays Alison Drake, the iron-fisted president of a motorcar company. Alison oversees the daily operations of her male employees with a predatory gaze and frequently exercises her right to engage with them in any way she deems fit. She meets her match in an equally strong-minded new employee, Jim Thorne (George Brent), and the two engage in a smoldering, contentious, sexually charged duel. The action of the film--one of the first to depict a female character turning a man's world to her advantage--feeds on the novelty of presenting a woman as a corporate shark and bedroom hound. Though it's obvious the filmmakers thought they were creating a scenario that would never actually happen, Alison's world-smashing exploits make the bulk of the film (before she begins to question her nontraditional lifestyle) a protofeminist romp. Brent and Chatterton were married at the time they made the film, and the natural chemistry between them is abundantly evident. Curtiz packs the screen with extravagant set design and period detail.   DVD Special Features: ·   Theatrical trailers for both films     Night Nurse (1931)/ Documentary Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood William Wellman's (Public Enemy) Night Nurse is a sassy, unsentimental comedy about a private pediatric nurse named Lora Hart (Barbara Stanwyck) who, after applying as an apprentice in a family home, discovers there is a plot afoot to starve her two rich, fat, young charges to death. The culprit is the family’s chauffeur, Nick (Clark Gable), a villain who plans to marry the kids' dissolute mother and make off with their trust fund. It then is up to Hart, her wisecracking nurse friend Maloney (Joan Blondell), and her bootlegger beau Mortie (Ben Lyon) to save them. Director Wellman keeps the jokes humming along with the peril.     This never-before seen documentary, Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood examines the unique collision of events that resulted in one of the most dynamic – and delicious periods in Hollywood history -- a fascinating mix of scandal, big business and social history.   DVD Special Features: ·   Night Nurse commentary by Jeffrey Vance and Tony Maietta ·   Night Nurse theatrical trailer     About the Production Code   It was not the roaring ‘20s, as is generally believed, but the four years between 1929 and 1934 that was the real era of wide-open sexuality in films. Before Hollywood began enforcing a self-imposed Production Code, many films allowed for extraordinary frankness, including nudity, adultery, premarital sex and prostitution.   Film industry censorship began in 1922, following a trio of scandals that rocked Hollywood: the Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle rape/murder trial, the never-solved murder of director William Desmond Taylor and the drug-related death of matinee idol Wallace Reid.  In 1930, a new version of the Production Code was drafted to standardize the censorship requirements of various states, since the inception of talking films made it difficult to arbitrarily cut offending scenes.   However, 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.   The Pre-Code era “officially” kicked off with the 1929 release of The Divorcee (included in this collection), starring Norma Shearer, with a startling story of a woman who discovers her husband has had an affair and sets out to “balance the account.” 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 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 censorship began, lasting until the establishment of the industry’s rating system in 1968.   Additional TCM Archives Collections currently available include: The Lon Chaney Collection, The Buster Keaton Collection, The Garbo Silents, The Laurel and Hardy Collection and Forbidden Hollywood Collection Volume 1.   Other great collections can be found at the www.whvdvd-collections.com website.   Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 2 Street Date: March 4, 2008 Order Date: January 29, 2008 Pre-Sell Date: November 13, 2007 Catalog #/UPC: 1000018916/012569795761 Pricing: $49.92 SRP     Note: All enhanced content listed above is subject to change.   Turner Classic Movies, currently seen in more than 75 million homes, is a 24-hour cable network from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company.  TCM presents the greatest motion pictures of all time from the largest film library in the world, the combined Time Warner and Turner film libraries, from the ‘20s through the ‘90s, commercial-free and without interruption.  The network also offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials, including the Emmy-winning Stardust: The Bette Davis Story, Brando and the upcoming Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows produced and narrated by Martin Scorsese. Please visit tcm.com for more information.   With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.
Film Clips
Drunk Train Station 56 ASX 100 ASX 300 ASX 56 RAM 100 RAM 300 RAM 56 RPM 100 RPM 300 RPM Divorcee Crash 56 ASX 100 ASX 300 ASX 56 RAM 100 RAM 300 RAM 56 RPM 100 RPM 300 RPM Picnic 56 ASX 100 ASX 300 ASX 56 RAM 100 RAM 300 RAM 56 RPM 100 RPM 300 RPM
Related Links
Click here to visit the official website	Click Above to Purchase Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 2
This review was written by Ian Ripley. Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved.

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