Film festival explores pre-code Hollywood

A local doctor and silent-film expert, Heiss has become Columbia's erudite guide into the world of "pre-Code" cinema, films made during the transition from silence to sound. During this period, many filmmakers operated in a libertine fashion, with censorship codes going largely unenforced. Films tackled social taboo with authenticity, ambiguity and some of the strongest female characters ever seen on screen.

more at the Columbia Daily Tribune
and a preview here