Cinema, in America and elsewhere, has experienced a longstanding and influential relationship with the government. Beginning in the 1930s, film was monitored by the Motion Picture Production Code, also known as the Hays Code, which established a set of censorship guidelines. Abandoned in the late 1960s, the code eventually paved the way for the current Motion Picture Association of America. McCarthyism, which describes the 1950s government's aim to uncover disloyalty to the country, inspired such films as "On the Waterfront."
Drama in the film industry has influenced American perceptions of sex. The MPAA's ratings, for instance, are determined by a panel of parents who observe films and assess their depiction of various criteria, sex among them, and their appropriateness for children. "Midnight Cowboy" was given an X rating for its nudity and sexual content, yet captured the 1969 Best Picture Oscar. "Last Tango in Paris," starring Marlon Brando, featured highly erotic scenarios and is known as one of the industry's most controversial films.
War and cinema have exhibited a prominent and perennial relationship. Every major wartime conflict has inspired films that depict the experience and its effects on society, in ways that can either champion or criticize the bloodshed. Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman to receive the Oscar for Best Director, won her trophy for the film "The Hurt Locker," which concentrated on the Iraq War. Indeed, the Academy Awards frequently reward war films with the Best Picture, such as "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Schindler's List."
Race is an issue that permeates the entirety of the film industry and its history. Educators frequently use film to instruct students on the study of ethnic and racial studies in society. Notable achievements in equality have occurred through the relation of race and cinema, such as Hattie McDaniel's inaugural Oscar win for an black in 1940. Yet controversy regularly ensues. Linda Hunt's 1982 performance as a male Chinese dwarf won an Oscar yet did not avoid concern in the Asian community.