Conversation

Three important things to know about Hollywood history in 2025.

1) It has always chosen to censor itself preemptively before the government got involved. The Code, the blacklist, the ratings system—all self-imposed.

2) It’s a liberal town but a conservative business. Ars gratia artis? Yeah, right. Its sole ideology is profit.

3) Only Warners took an early, strong stand against Nazism. The other studios—mainly Jewish leadership—acquiesced to lots of crazy demands to stay in the German market.