5 BEST EROTIC FILMS – 1930s
No Censors = Lusty Sex and Nudity
The Pre-Code era of Hollywood refers to films made between 1930 and 1934, before Hollywood implemented the Motion Picture Production Code (commonly known as the Hays Code after Will H. Hays, the president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America.) Hays Code movies followed strict guidelines (bad guys always had to pay, promiscuous women got punished, couples couldn’t be in bed together, etc…). The films that came out in the four preceding years however, were markedly different.
After the introduction of talking pictures, and the stock market crash of 1929, audiences were not looking for tales of morality. Instead, these films featured storylines about women sleeping their way to the top. There was a lot of nudity and sex. Yes, old movies weren’t always so chaste. Some films from the pre-code era are so daring, they’d make even a modern audience blush.
These movies came to be called “sex films” and, interestingly enough, appealed to a primarily female audience. Below we have rounded up five deliciously sexy pre-code films for you to enjoy. However, bear in mind, while they are fascinating to watch, many of them aren’t up to modern standards. To put it more bluntly, while the sexual free-wheeling of these films’ female leads may seem progressive, many of these movies are racist.
Bird of Paradise (1932)
This King Vidor film follows doomed lovers Johnny (Joel McCrea) and Luana (Dolores del Río), who meet when Luana saves Johnny’s life after a boating accident. The movie caused a scandal for a scene where del Río swims naked. The film also featured choreography by the great Busby Berkeley and was produced by superstar producer David O. Selznick (Gone With the Wind, Rebecca).
Blonde Venus (1932)
Marlene Dietrich is a nightclub singer who becomes a wealthy politician’s (Cary Grant) mistress to pay for her husband’s medical treatment. While a woman who resorts to prostitution in a film made after the enforcement of the Hays Code would have to be punished, Dietrich can live happily ever after. Although it is not one of director Josef von Sternberg’s best films, it has attained cult status.
Call Her Savage (1932)
Clara Bow stars as Texas heiress Nasa Springer. After her oil tycoon father arranges a marriage, she runs off and marries a drunken philanderer. Unfortunately, the marriage crumbles, and he leaves her alone and pregnant. This movie has one of the earliest instances of an openly gay character and even includes a scene in a gay bar. Unfortunately, it’s also very racist as it’s revealed that Nasa is half Native American, and that’s why she is “untameable and wild.” Yikes!
Red-Headed Woman (1932)
Jean Harlow stars as a scheming, gold-digging, red-headed harlot who plots to break up her boss’ marriage and sleep her way to financial success. She lies, cheats, has lots of pre-marital sex, and even tries to commit murder. So, does she succeed or fall? It’s pre-code, so she gets her happy ending. But, unfortunately, this pulpy, sexy movie was banned in the United Kingdom.
Trouble in Paradise (1932)
This Ernst Lubitsch film follows partners in love and crime, Gaston (Herbert Marshall) and Lily (Miriam Hopkins). They plot to rob perfume company executive Mariette (Kay Francis). However, trouble strikes when Gaston falls in love with their mark. Interestingly, this movie is about two lovers who use crimes as foreplay and connect thievery to their sexuality.
