Motion Picture Association
The Motion Picture Association (MPA)[1][2] is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) and known as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) from 1945 until September 2019,[3] its original goal was to ensure the viability of the American film industry. In addition, the MPA established guidelines for film content which resulted in the creation of the Motion Picture Production Code in 1930. This code, also known as the Hays Code, was replaced by a voluntary film rating system in 1968, which is managed by the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA).
This article is about the group that represents Hollywood studios and assigns ratings for movies. For their guidelines and a list of their ratings, see Motion Picture Association film rating system.Abbreviation
MPA
1922
13-1068220
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Worldwide
Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (1922-1945)
Motion Picture Association of America (1945-2019)
The MPA has advocated for the motion picture and television industry, with the goals of promoting effective copyright protection, expanding market access and has worked to curb copyright infringement, including attempts to limit the sharing of copyrighted works via peer-to-peer file sharing networks and by streaming from piratcy sites. Former United States Ambassador to France Charles Rivkin is the chairman and CEO.
History[edit]
Foundation and early history: 1922–1929[edit]
The MPA was founded as the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) in 1922 as a trade association of member motion picture companies. At its founding, MPPDA member companies produced approximately 70 to 80 percent of the films made in the United States.[4] Former Postmaster General Will H. Hays was named the association's first president.[5]
The main focus of the MPPDA in its early years was on producing a strong public relations campaign to ensure that Hollywood remained financially stable and able to attract investment from Wall Street, while simultaneously ensuring that American films had a "clean moral tone".[4][6] The MPPDA also instituted a code of conduct for Hollywood's actors in an attempt to govern their behavior offscreen. Finally, the code sought to protect American film interests abroad by encouraging film studios to avoid racist portrayals of foreigners.[5][7]
From the early days of the association, Hays spoke out against public censorship,[7][8] and the MPPDA worked to raise support from the general public for the film industry's efforts against such censorship.[9] Large portions of the public opposed censorship, but also decried the lack of morals in movies.[10] The organisation also had formed a trust to block out Independents and enforce the monopolistic studio system.[11]
At the time of the MPPDA's founding, there was no national censorship, but some state and municipal laws required movies to be censored, a process usually overseen by a local censorship board.[10] As such, in certain locations in the U.S., films were often edited to comply with local laws regarding the onscreen portrayal of violence and sexuality, among other topics. This resulted in negative publicity for the studios and decreasing numbers of theater goers, who were uninterested in films that were sometimes so severely edited that they were incoherent.[5] In 1929, more than 50 percent of American moviegoers lived in a location overseen by such a board.[10]
In 1924, Hays instituted "The Formula", a loose set of guidelines for filmmakers, in an effort to get the movie industry to self-regulate the issues that the censorship boards had been created to address. "The Formula" requested that studios send synopses of films being considered to the MPPDA for review. This effort largely failed, however, as studios were under no obligation to send their scripts to Hays's office, nor to follow his recommendations.[10]
In 1927, Hays oversaw the creation of a code of "Don'ts and Be Carefuls" for the industry.[10] This list outlined the issues that movies could encounter in different localities. Hays also created a Studio Relations Department (SRD) with staff available to the studios for script reviews and advice regarding potential problems. Again, despite Hays' efforts, studios largely ignored the "Don'ts and Be Carefuls", and by the end of 1929, the MPPDA received only about 20 percent of Hollywood scripts prior to production,[5] and the number of regional and local censorship boards continued to increase.[10]
Production Code: 1930–1934[edit]
In 1930, the MPPDA introduced the Motion Picture Production Code, commonly called the Hays Code. The Code consisted of moral guidelines regarding what was acceptable to include in films.[12] Unlike the "Dont's and Be Carefuls", which the studios had ignored, the Production Code was endorsed by studio executives.[5] The Code incorporated many of the "Don'ts and Be Carefuls" as specific examples of what could not be portrayed. Among other rules, the code prohibited inclusion of "scenes of passion" unless they were essential to a film's plot; "pointed profanity" in either word or action; "sex perversion"; justification or explicit coverage of adultery; sympathetic treatment of crime or criminals; dancing with "indecent" moves; and white slavery.[13] Because studio executives had been involved in the decision to adopt the code, MPPDA-member studios were more willing to submit scripts for consideration. However, the growing economic impacts of the Great Depression of the early 1930s increased pressure on studios to make films that would draw the largest possible audiences, even if it meant taking their chances with local censorship boards by disobeying the Code.[5]
In 1933 and 1934, the Catholic Legion of Decency, along with a number of Protestant and women's groups, launched plans to boycott films that they deemed immoral.[14] In order to avert boycotts which might further harm the profitability of the film industry, the MPPDA created a new department, the Production Code Administration (PCA), with Joseph Breen as its head. Unlike previous attempts at self-censorship, PCA decisions were binding—no film could be exhibited in an American theater without a stamp of approval from the PCA,[10] and any producer attempting to do so faced a fine of $25,000.[5] After ten years of unsuccessful voluntary codes and expanding local censorship boards, the studio approved and agreed to enforce the codes, and the nationwide "Production Code" was enforced starting on July 1, 1934.[10]
War years: 1934–1945[edit]
In the years that immediately followed the adoption of the Code, Breen often sent films back to Hollywood for additional edits, and in some cases, simply refused to issue PCA approval for a film to be shown.[5][15] At the same time, Hays promoted the industry's new focus on wholesome films[16] and continued promoting American films abroad.[17]
For nearly three years, studios complied with the Code. By 1938, however, as the threat of war in Europe loomed, movie producers began to worry about the possibility of decreased profits abroad. This led to a decreased investment in following the strictures of the code, and occasional refusals to comply with PCA demands.[5] That same year, responding to trends in European films in the run-up to the war, Hays spoke out against using movies as a vehicle for propaganda.[18] In 1945, after nearly 24 years as president, Hays stepped down from his position at the MPPDA, although he continued to act as an advisor for the Association for the next five years.[19]
Johnston era: 1945–1963[edit]
In 1945 the MPPDA hired Eric Johnston, four-time president of the United States Chamber of Commerce, to replace Hays.[20] During his first year as president, Johnston rebranded the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).[5]
He also created the Motion Picture Export Association (MPEA) to promote American films abroad by opposing production company monopolies in other countries.[21][22] In 1947 the MPEA voted to discontinue film shipments to Britain after the British government imposed an import tax on American films.[23] Johnston negotiated with the British government to end the tax in 1948, and film shipments resumed.[24]
In 1956, Johnston oversaw the first major revision of the Production Code since it was created in 1930. This revision allowed the treatment of some subjects which had previously been forbidden, including abortion and the use of narcotics, so long as they were "within the limits of good taste". At the same time, the revisions added a number of new restrictions to the code, including outlawing the depiction of blasphemy and mercy killings in films.[25]
Johnston was well-liked by studio executives, and his political connections helped him function as an effective liaison between Hollywood and Washington.[26] In 1963, while still serving as president of the MPAA, Johnston died of a stroke.[27] For three years, the MPAA operated without a president while studio executives searched for a replacement.[28]
Around the world, the MPA helps with local law enforcement to combat piracy.
The MPA offices in the world are: