It Was A Decent Film

 "Shakespeare In Hollywood" - which opens April 5 at Brookfield Theatre - is a love song to the golden age of Hollywood and to the works of Shakespeare. Written by Ken Ludwig, author of "Lend Me A Tenor" which was nominated for 7 Tony awards, "Shakespeare In Hollywood" is a hilarious farce that blends the magic of theatre and the magic of Hollywood with the magic of the fairy realm!

The comedy centers around the Warner Brothers movie "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" directed by  famous European actor, director, and producer Max Reinhardt. Having recently arrived in California after fleeing the Nazi uprising, Reinhardt directed a successful stage production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with some of Hollywood's biggest names including Mickie Rooney and Olivia de Havilland. The success led to the Warner's Brothers film of the show - the only American film made by Reinhardt.

(After the end of World War II, Reinhardt’s family home, which had been seized by the Nazis, was returned to the family who restored the building and grounds. They later loaned the property as a movie set for "The Sound of Music". )

Although Max Reinhardt had experience in film-making in Europe, his first film in American had a new challenge - the "Hays" Code. The Motion Picture Production Code, adopted by the Motion Picture Association under the leadership of Will Hays, listed acceptable and unacceptable material for films meant for public distribution. The code intended to "promote public decency" and restrict content to enforce a proscribed morality on the film industry. 

Initially presented as "recommendations," the code began to be strictly enforced in 1934. The code lost power after World War II when several movies were released and had public success without Hays office certificates. The movie industry also saw competition from foreign films that were not bound by the code. The 1952 Supreme Court decision (Joseph Burstyn Inc. v. Wilson), which held that films were entitled to First Amendment rights, further reduced the threat of government regulation.

After several attempts to modernize the code, and with the difficulties of enforcement, the Hays code was abandoned in 1966 and was replaced in 1968 with the film rating system in use today.

 Above: scenes from Max Reinhardt's film "A Midsummer Night's Dream"