Author Description

The story of the fallen woman was a staple of film melodrama in the late 20s and early 30s. In traditional versions of the plot a woman commits a sexual transgression, usually adultery. Expelled from the family, she becomes an outcast, often a prostitute, suffering various humiliations that usually culminate in her death. In more modern variants, the heroine is a stereotypical kept woman, gold-digger, or wise-cracking shopgirl who uses men to become rich. Recognized and defined rather loosely as a type, the fallen woman film, often called the sex picture, became a lightning rod for regulation by the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association (MPPDA), the industry trade association responsible for censorship.