Kate E. Christian ’05 (right)
Christian majored in history and film studies and plans to attend graduate school to study cultural history.

The Golden Age of Censorship

Cynthia Lynn Lyerly, associate professor, history department

“Kate’s thesis brilliantly analyzes Hollywood’s attempt at self-censorship in the thirties and forties through the Production Code Administration. Though censorship ironically forced directors to more subtle artistry in attempts to get certain subjects in films past the censors, it also glamorized violence by not showing its effects, and stigmatized characters who deviated from the sexual and gender norms of the era. As Kate’s work also shows, heavy drinking, cigarettes, domestic violence, and negative portrayals of African Americans eluded the censors’ cuts, presenting an oddly sanitized world where married couples slept in separate beds yet gulped down martinis at breakfast.”