BY LEE PFEIFFER
In 1934, the American film industry initiated a system of self-censorship known as the Hays Code. Eager to avoid an office of government film censorship from being established, the movie studios put in place their own draconian rules when it came to presenting adult content such as sex and violence on the big screen. Ironically, these restrictions were generally every bit as suppressive as any government agency might have applied. Over the course of the code's thirty year run, its impact was lessened as society became more liberalized. However, many great literary works that were brought to the screen were watered-down in an attempt to protect adult viewers from such shocking realities as premarital sex and the existence of homosexuality. The straw that broke the camel's back occurred when Jack Warner refused to make substantial cuts to the 1966 release of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", telling the code enforcers to, in essence, stuff it. Grateful movie-goers made what essentially an art house film in to a monster boxoffice hit. The code was doomed and would soon be replaced by the ratings system.
It may come as a surprise to readers to learn that despite the dreaded restrictions compelled by the code, industrious exploitation film producers found ways to bring nudity to the big screen in the 1930s through a number of cheaply produced movies. These basically fell into two categories: movies with narrative plots and fictitious characters and documentaries that purported to extol the health benefits of a nudist lifestyle. In fact, nudism was becoming quite the rage during this era, with over 300 nudist camps opening in America, attracting an estimated 300,000 members. The fad was, in part, influenced by European interest in the health benefits of nudity. German cinema of the era was far more liberal about presenting nudity on screen, and it was often integrated into the German penchant for movies that centered on love stories that often involved physical fitness as a main ingredient. In order to get around the Hays Code, the U.S. nudist films had to scrupulously avoid any hint of sexual contact. Only good, wholesome activities could be depicted and the hottest the action might get would be a quick kiss or hug between a couple.
Kino Lorber, in association with Something Weird, has released a fascinating Blu-ray featuring two of the more prominent nudist films of the era. First up is "Unashamed: A Romance", released in 1938. This is a drama starring people with little or no experience in the film industry. Rae Kidd (her only screen credit) plays Rae Lane, a secretary who is not so secretly carrying a torch for her boss Robert Lawton (Robert Stanley). Rae's unrequited love for Robert causes her to seek medical attention. Her doctor explains that because she is of mixed race (never defined exactly), she will never be regarded as a "catch" by most men. (Yes, folks, this was mainstream thinking back in 1938). Nonetheless, she convinces Robert, who is a hypochondriac, to join her at a nudist camp where she is a member, on the basis of the belief at the time that nudism was not only good for the psyche but also for a person's physical health. The ploy seems to work and before long she and Robert are romantically involved and engaging in hiking and sporting activities including volley ball, a requisite for any film set in a nudist colony. However, when a runaway aristocrat, Barbara Pound (Lucille Shearer) arrives at the camp to seek solitude from the public, Robert is immediately smitten and cruelly ignores Rae's heartbreak. The final scenes of the film trace Rae's efforts to adjust to having been dumped by her lover and we can't help but feel it was caused in part by his desire to be with a woman who wasn't "tainted" by mixed race heritage.
The film is interesting on several levels but for a fuller understanding, listen to the excellent commentary track by film historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, who provides informative insights into the birth of the nudist film movement as well as this movie's shocking, downbeat ending and a tragic twist that is presented in such a subtle manner that you might otherwise have overlooked it. I should also point out that the film is very creatively photographed by George Sergeant, though this movie appears to be his only cinematic credit.