Though technically on the studio payroll as Hays' right-hand man on the studio relations committee, Breen actually bit the hands that fed him, LaSalle points out. A well-connected Catholic, Breen heavily lobbied American Catholic leaders to pressure Hays into stricter enforcement of the code. And while Hollywood has been free of Breen and his oppressive code for decades, LaSalle contends Breen's influence is still palpable. For two generations of American films, romance was completely sexless. As a result, when sex returned to the movies, we had all sex and no romance.
Nothing is less sexy than a sex scene in an American movie.
People are shot through an orange filter while horrible music is playing. They divide sex and romance. Everyone talks about how he was a feisty, Irish guy, a two-fisted fighter. LaSalle, however, does not. He is a blight on the face of film history.