The <i>Mise-en-discours of Sexuality</i> in Classical Hollywood Cinema

Abstract

What erotic discourse underlies the optimistic, seemingly conservative films of classicism, especially those of 1930s Hollywood? This article responds to this question by taking into account that sex could not appear directly on the screen, especially after the definitive imposition of the Production Administration Code in 1934. With this in mind, I focus on the gestures of the actors, the dialogue and the mise-en-scene before and after the fade to black that signals the omission of the sexual scene. Through metaphorical language, Hollywood’s creators developed erotic imagery that exalted the physical and sensual experience of lovers in a vital, playful and unproblematic way.