Classifieds

Commentary
Who is Joseph I. Breen? Most people have never heard of the man whom "Variety" called "one of the most influential figures in American culture" in 1965, adding that "more than any single individual, he shaped the moral stature of the American motion picture." Thirty years earlier, American weekly "Liberty Magazine" said that Joseph Breen had "more influence in standardizing world thinking than Mussolini, Hitler, or Stalin." What was Breen's position that he wielded such influence?
He negotiated with Washington bigwigs, but he was not a politician. He worked closely with priests, bishops, monsignors, and a future pope, yet he was not a clergyman. He hobnobbed with Old Hollywood movie stars, but he was not a celebrity. He collaborated with every director, producer, and mogul in the classic film industry, yet he wasn't a filmmaker. His Wikipedia page describes him as "an American film censor," and his Find A Grave memorial vaguely calls him a “Motion Picture Figure.” When I've mentioned him to people over the years, they've called him everything from "that censor guy" to "a crazy old Catholic." However, during the six years I've studied Breen and his work in the film industry, I've met few people who know the truth about his life and legacy....