Commentary
“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a ….” You doubtless know the rest of that line, which the American Film Institute rates as the most famous movie quote of all time. This line is from the final scene of “Gone with the Wind” (1939), uttered by Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) as he leaves Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh), his fiery wife.
This line owes much of its notoriety to its controversial nature upon the film’s release. In 1939, four-letter words, even mild profanities like the one in this line, were taboo in film. In July 1934, Hollywood adopted the Motion Picture Production Code as its governing rules, to be enforced by the Production Code Administration (PCA). The so-called Hays Code was erroneously named after Will H. Hays, president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association (MPPDA). The PCA was headed by Joseph I. Breen, a tough but reasonable leader who understood the Code’s power was not in the letter of its rules but the spirit behind them. “Variety” nicknamed the PCA’s film-reviewing process, which they officially called self-regulation, “breening” in Mr. Breen’s honor. They accurately inferred that Joe Breen was the guiding spirit behind the Code’s enforcement, since the PCA quickly lost its efficacy after he retired in 1954….