Despite only lasting four short years from 1930 to 1934, the pre-code era of Hollywood’s Golden Age produced films that pushed the boundaries of cinema and storytelling, even by today’s standards.

Today's Hollywood actresses frequently lament the lack of juicy roles. Often, all but the biggest stars are relegated to playing appendages to men or flashing their own appendages for publicity. If ...

"That was the film that brought Mae West to the movies in a big way," said William Patrick Day, a professor of cinema studies and English at Oberlin College. "She had been a vaudeville and Broadway ...