Bo'ness Hippodrome ready to show film fans some risky rule breaking classics

Audiences will be able to see brand new remasters of some of the spiciest, wittiest and – dare we say – naughtiest films of the 1930s when the Bo’ness venue features them in its Pre-Code Hollywood: Rules Are Made To Be Broken season.

The films on offer – starting with Blonde Crazy on Saturday, September 3 at 2.30pm – feature legendary stars in their carefree younger years, including Cagney and Blondell, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Barbara Stanwyck.

The season celebrates the period in the early 1930s when filmmakers were pushing back against a clampdown on themes some deemed “immoral”.

This resulted in a number of productions which not only tested the boundaries set by what became known as the Hays Code, but also broke almost every one of them,

often placing sexually liberated women centre stage and showcasing villains so charming their misdeeds are excused.

Alison Strauss, arts development officer and Hippodrome programmer, said: “This season is a rare chance to explore newly remastered versions of a selection of films

from the time when Hollywood studios were testing the boundaries over what could be shown on screen and to watch the resulting stories, featuring feisty women, attractive rogues, high fashion, hard-living and dialogue that fizzes as they were made to be enjoyed – on a big screen amid an audience.”

Visit the website for full listings and more information.