Announcing The Third Annual Great Breening Blogathon!

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s that time of year again! As the air begins to get nippy in the evenings and the first day of fall is just around the corner, we are making our plans for the autumnal season. Here at PEPS, October is the time when we host our most important important blogathon of the year, The Great Breening Blogathon, in honor of Joseph I. Breen’s birthday on October 14. Two years ago, we hosted our first blogathon, The Great Breening Blogathon, on October 13-15. Our supportive followers made the event a big success and encouraged us to repeat this event in the future. We reprised this event last year with The Second Annual Breening Blogathon on October 12-17. Now we are pleased to announce:

The Third Annual Great Breening Blogathon!

The blogathon will be taking place on October 11-14. It is over the weekend, but we are extending it through Monday because that date would have been Mr. Breen’s 131st birthday. Rules for participation are similar to previous rules, but we like to change it a little each year. This year, we have three categories for participation.

 

1. BREEN A FILM

The best thing about this blogathon: This is your chance to breen a film yourself! Have you ever thought what we do every Breening Thursday looks like fun? Now it’s your turn to play PCA-member! Just choose a movie made outside of the American Breen Era (1934-1954) and write an article saying how it would have had to be different to earn a Breen seal of approval. To learn how to breen, read the instructive article I wrote before the first Breenathon. For practical examples, study past archives of Breening Thursday articles or read the entries in past Breening Blogathons. Be sure to click here to find out which movies are eligible for breening. This is the only category in which we don’t allow duplicates. Only one person can breen a film. If we have already breened it or someone else has claimed it for this blogathon, you’ll have to choose a different movie. After all, one film can only be breened once!

2. DISCOVER A NEW CODE FILM

So many wonderful movies were made during the Code years that we can never see them all! In this category, you get to do what I have been doing every week this year with my series 52 Code Films. Choose a Code film which you have never seen before, watch it, and review it for this blogathon, being sure to include your thoughts on its relation to the Code. There are no limits on duplicates in this category. We just ask that you choose an American movie made after July of 1934 and before 1955 which you don’t remember ever having seen before. This is a great chance to watch that classic you’ve been wanting to see for years!

3. PAY TRIBUTE TO THE CODE

In this category, you can write your random thoughts on the Code, its enforcement, Joseph Breen, a film genre, or one particular Code film. This is open to pretty loose interpretation. Any topic that has anything to do with the Code or decency in film is allowed. Basically, this category is for articles like those published in our monthly guest series, What the Code Means to Me. We encourage you to express differing opinions as long as you are polite and don’t attack Joseph Breen personally. After all, we are hosting this blogathon in his honor. However, if you want to write an article about him or his life, you may do so if you remain civil and fair. We won’t accept any material which accuses Mr. Breen of Antisemitism. Please focus on the positive.

That’s all! Please leave a comment below to sign up and tell us your topic. We will add you to the roster. You may publish early if you want to, but please send us the links to your articles as soon as they are published. We will accept late entries within reason, but let’s try to confine the blogathon to those four days if at all possible. When you write your articles, please include one of the beautiful banners which Rebekah made for this blogathon. You will find them at the bottom of this post. Below each banner, I explain with which articles it should be used. Please feel free to use these banners on your website and on social media to spread the word. Let’s make this blogathon the most successful blogathon which the Pure Entertainment Preservation Society has ever hosted!

BREENING THE SILENT ERA

John Barrymore and Mary Astor in Don Juan, 1926

Use this banner in articles from Category 1 about silent films from any year or country.

BREENING THE PRE-CODE ERA

James Cagney and Jean Harlow in The Public Enemy, 1931

Use this banner in articles from Category 1 about pre-Code films, talkies made before July of 1934.

BREENING THE FOREIGN ERA

Kathleen Byron in Black Narcissus, 1947

Use this banner in articles from Category 1 about movies made between 1934 and 1954 in a country other than the United States.

BREENING THE SHURLOCK ERA

Kim Novak in Pal Joey, 1957

Use this banner in articles from Category 1 about films made between 1955 and 1968.

BREENING THE RATING SYSTEM ERA

Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum in The Phantom of the Opera, 2004

Use this banner in articles from Category 1 about films from any country released after 1968.

NEW CODE FILMS

Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca, 1943

Use this banner in articles from Category 2 about new Code films, American movies released between July of 1934 and 1954 which you have never seen before.

TRIBUTES TO THE CODE

Joseph I. Breen

Use this banner in articles from Category 3 about your thoughts on the Code, its enforcement, or its primary enforcer.

See you in October!

Follow us to bring back the Code and save the arts in America!

We are lifting our voices in classical song to help the sun rise on a new day of pure entertainment!

Only the Code can make the sun rise on a new day of pure entertainment!