By today’s standards, this is a lighthearted romantic comedy. However, Otto Preminger encountered a great deal of resistance when he tried to distribute his film. In the Production Code files archive there are several letters between Otto Preminger and Joseph Breen (the director of The Production Code Association) discussing the denial of a seal of approval for The Moon is Blue. Among these are letters between Preminger and the heads of many studios that also refused to distribute the film due to its violation of the production code. The archives also include a letter from the archbishop of Philadelphia stating that the legion of decency gave the film a rating of C and urged the Catholic Church not to partake in the films viewing. The Moon
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Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.
Because these are so vague, The Moon is Blue violates the general principles of the production code. The particular applications section includes 12 areas of concern: crimes against the law, sex, vulgarity, obscenity, profanity, costume, dances, religion, locations, national feelings, titles, and repellant subjects. The Moon is Blue was primarily violating the profanity aspect of the particular applications section. The film uses words like “virgin” and speaks about adulterous acts, which were main factors in its denial of a seal of approval. (Murphy 228) Preminger wrote a letter of appeal to the Board of Directors of the Motion Picture Association requesting that his film be granted a seal of approval despite Breen’s decision but it was turned down. An angry Preminger decided to take matters into his own hands. He released his film anyways without the seal of approval. He of course was fined for it but the way he released the film made the fine inconsequential. Preminger and The United Artists used the fine to advertise their movie. It was a selling point that they had to pay a fine just to show the movie and it became a box office hit. The movie itself was no masterpiece; critics called it “a pleasant harmless adult comedy. (W. Ward Marsh) However, it grossed over $3 million at box office. Critics agree that this is no doubt due to the fact that it was released without a seal …show more content…
This film was about heroine use which was much more obscene than the use of the word “virgin” in The Moon is Blue. The Production Code Association denied it a seal of approval at first, but fearing a repeat of what happened with The Moon is Blue, the film was given a seal of approval before it was released. At the same time, they also awarded The Moon is Blue with a seal 8 years after its release. This was an attempt to maintain their power but instead it allowed filmmakers to bend the rules in a similar fashion until the MPPDA held no real
Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.
Because these are so vague, The Moon is Blue violates the general principles of the production code. The particular applications section includes 12 areas of concern: crimes against the law, sex, vulgarity, obscenity, profanity, costume, dances, religion, locations, national feelings, titles, and repellant subjects. The Moon is Blue was primarily violating the profanity aspect of the particular applications section. The film uses words like “virgin” and speaks about adulterous acts, which were main factors in its denial of a seal of approval. (Murphy 228) Preminger wrote a letter of appeal to the Board of Directors of the Motion Picture Association requesting that his film be granted a seal of approval despite Breen’s decision but it was turned down. An angry Preminger decided to take matters into his own hands. He released his film anyways without the seal of approval. He of course was fined for it but the way he released the film made the fine inconsequential. Preminger and The United Artists used the fine to advertise their movie. It was a selling point that they had to pay a fine just to show the movie and it became a box office hit. The movie itself was no masterpiece; critics called it “a pleasant harmless adult comedy. (W. Ward Marsh) However, it grossed over $3 million at box office. Critics agree that this is no doubt due to the fact that it was released without a seal …show more content…
This film was about heroine use which was much more obscene than the use of the word “virgin” in The Moon is Blue. The Production Code Association denied it a seal of approval at first, but fearing a repeat of what happened with The Moon is Blue, the film was given a seal of approval before it was released. At the same time, they also awarded The Moon is Blue with a seal 8 years after its release. This was an attempt to maintain their power but instead it allowed filmmakers to bend the rules in a similar fashion until the MPPDA held no real