[37] In 1995, United Artists released the big-budget film Showgirls (1995); it became the most widely distributed film with an NC-17 rating (showing in 1,388 cinemas simultaneously), but it was a financial failure that grossed only 45% of its $45 million budget. [35] Henry & June – previously to be assigned an "X" rating – was the first film to receive the "NC-17" rating instead. Profanity may be present in PG rated films, and use of one of the harsher "sexually-derived words" as an expletive will initially incur at least a PG-13 rating. 13-101 – Constitutionality of Criminal Statute Regarding Admission of Minors to Movies", "THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE, AND HER LOVER (NO MPAA RATING)", "HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (UNRATED)", "X Film Rating Dropped and Replaced by NC-17 : Movies: Designation would bar children under 17. endstream endobj startxref [3], There are several exceptional cases in which PG-13-rated films contain multiple occurrences of the word fuck: Adventures in Babysitting, where the word is used twice in the same scene;[45] The Hip Hop Project, which has seventeen uses;[46] and Gunner Palace, a documentary of soldiers in the Second Gulf War, which has 42 uses of the word with two used sexually. The Motion Picture Association (MPA) film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a film's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. She cites Saving Private Ryan, with its bloody depiction of the D-Day landings, as an example. [32] In late 1989 and early 1990, two critically acclaimed art films featuring strong adult content, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, were released. ", Learn how and when to remove these template messages, "Motion Picture Association film rating system", Learn how and when to remove this template message, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting, "Attention, Web Surfers: The Following Film Trailer May Be Racy or Graphic", "The Influence of the MPAA's Film-Rating System on Motion Picture Attendance: A Pilot Study", "Show Business: Gremlins in the Rating System", "Rethinking PG-13: Ratings and the Boundaries of Childhood and Horror", "PG-13 PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED SOME MATERIAL MAY BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN UNDER 13 – Trademark Details", Entertainment Law Reporter – Business Affairs for March 1984, "Dealers will label ratings on cassettes", "TN Law: 18 to buy R-rated movie tickets", "Opinion No. A search for six others aboard the capsized boat has been suspended. [55], The MPAA does not have any explicit criteria for sexual content other than excluding sex scenes from G-rated films. [11], In 1970, the ages for "R" and "X" were raised from 16 to 17. Many critics of the system, both conservative and liberal, would like to see the MPAA ratings unveiled and the standards made public. [29], In 1989, Tennessee state law set the minimum age to view a theatrically exhibited R-rated film without adult accompaniment at 18, instead of 17, and categorized the admission of minors to X-rated films as a misdemeanor. "If The Exorcist had cost under a million or been made abroad," she wrote. They argued that this was "not only compromising filmmakers’ visions, but also greatly increasing the likelihood that adult-oriented movies are seen by the very groups for which they are not intended. It is a unique product, and that’s why after Prohibition ended, the State of North Carolina chose to strictly control its ... you must get renovation approval from the ABC Commission. [80][81] Eric Watson, producer of the independently distributed, NC-17-rated Requiem for a Dream complained that the studios are paying the budget of the MPAA, which gives the studios leverage over the MPAA's decisions. [73][74][75], MPAA chairman Dan Glickman has disputed these claims, stating that far more films are initially rated NC-17 for violence than for sex, but that these are later edited by studios to receive an R rating. H0��/Ljڈ�[�n���v���MQ���ܓ��/�0�x:���V�YZW�D m� i/"i, �$ c���x����AEds};�̶�3�hjLK�?��7����C��׭,��c���){��G`����œGw�9�,6��>:Zg��{�����'5�s[;�\�شg�X,0/M�Y����Lq��p�����8G���:��4��\+�4�K��q6⡂���u;lN�������0��4�^\\��vE���(�Uqהs. The film's director, Lee Hirsch, has refused to recut the film, stating, "I feel a responsibility as a filmmaker, as the person entrusted to tell (these kids') stories, to not water them down." Rep. Keith Kidwell (R, Beaufort, Craven) was elected as the group’s chairman. Authorities in Washington invoked a municipal ordinance that would have prevented any minors from seeing the film, threatening theater owners with arrest if they did. However, pornographic films often self-applied the non-trademarked "X" rating, and it soon became synonymous with pornography in American culture. [25] The "PG-13" rating was introduced on July 1, 1984, with the advisory "Parents Are Strongly Cautioned to Give Special Guidance for Attendance of Children Under 13 – Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Young Children". %PDF-1.5 %���� [3], The current MPAA film ratings are as follows:[4], In 2013, the MPAA ratings were visually redesigned, with the rating displayed on a left panel and the name of the rating shown above it. To accommodate "the irresistible force of creators determined to make 'their films'", and to avoid "the possible intrusion of government into the movie arena", he developed a set of advisory ratings which could be applied after a film was completed. [68], Legal scholar Julie Hilden wrote that the MPAA has a "masterpiece exception" that it has made for films that would ordinarily earn an NC-17 rating, if not for the broader artistic masterpiece that requires the violence depicted as a part of its message. [12] Walter Reade was the only one of 75 top U.S. exhibitors who refused to use the ratings. 72 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<5E0699AD67F8C9408787EF6BF237FDC9>]/Index[56 27]/Info 55 0 R/Length 87/Prev 241124/Root 57 0 R/Size 83/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream The film contained only mild profanity, but was rated PG-13 because of a scene where drug paraphernalia were briefly visible. �:;�GE��@��E@�fLe�e`���~��9�Y��=o4�N5)wV뭀���/�O���&˦ � 0 �jk_ [50], Drug use content is restricted to PG-13 and above. The cards generated much controversy; MPAA president Jack Valenti said in a news article: "I think it distorts and ruptures the intent of this voluntary film ratings system. [ ] Approval of Transfer of Structured Settlement [ ] Bond Forfeiture Appeal [ ] Declaratory Judgment [ ] Declare Death [ ] Driving Privileges (select one) [ ] Reinstatement pursuant to § 46.2-427 [ ] Restoration – Habitual Offender or 3. rd Offense [ ] Expungement [ ] Firearms Rights – Restoration [ ] Forfeiture of Property or Money ��h�/��q��z�N$"� G�[FG��FGw00�� [20] On February 11, 1972,[21] "GP" was revised to "PG". [58], Among those patrons were many children, not always accompanied by adults. [citation needed] Internet or home-video trailers have no time restrictions. �PTY��%�I�M�>���̵�3:::gt00H�=�"T@����컠� � he recalled thinking later. PARENTAL REVIEW: GUNNER PALACE", "Tens of Thousands Sign Petition Urging MPAA to Overturn 'Bully's' R Rating", "Philomena: Weinsteins win MPAA appeal against R rating", "Swearing in the cinema: An analysis of profanity in US teen‐oriented movies, 1980–2006", "FILM RATING BOARD TO CONSIDER SMOKING AS A FACTOR", "Universal Pictures Policy Regarding Tobacco Depictions in Films", "PG-rated 'Rango' has anti-smoking advocates fuming", The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, "How Did 'The Exorcist' Escape an X Rating? If you have product approval applications, they can also be submitted electronically to contact@abc.nc.gov. The first film to be released with this rating was the 1984 John Milius war film Red Dawn. "[86], Slashfilm.com managing editor David Chen wrote on the website: "It's time for more people to condemn the MPAA and their outrageous antics. For other uses, see, Emphasis on sex and language versus violence, Tougher standards for independent studios. [27] Around the same time, the MPAA won a trademark infringement lawsuit against the producers and distributors of I Spit on Your Grave over a fraudulent application of its R rating to the uncut version of the film,[28] and forced its member studios and several other home video distributors to put MPAA ratings on the packaging of MPAA-rated films via a settlement that would come into effect by fall that year. The NC-17 rating has been described as a "kiss of death" for any film that receives it. Uncut/extended versions of films that are labeled "Unrated" also contain warnings saying that the uncut version of the film contains content that differs from the theatrical release and might not be suitable for minors. [60] Like the X rating it replaced, NC-17 limits a film's prospects of being marketed, screened in theaters and sold in major video outlets. The law was amended in 2013 as to prohibit persons under the age of 18 only if the film was considered "harmful to minors". [14], The ratings used from 1968 to 1970 were:[15][16], This content classification system originally was to have three ratings, with the intention of allowing parents to take their children to any film they chose. As Parker and Stone did not have the money and the time to edit the film, it retained its NC-17 rating. [35][36] Although films with an "NC-17" rating had more mainstream distribution opportunities than "X"-rated films, many theaters refused to screen them, most entertainment media did not accept advertising for them, and many large video outlets refused to stock them. "And it got an R?" [66][67], During the controversy about the MPAA's decision to give the film Blue Valentine (2010) an NC-17 rating (The Weinstein Company challenged this decision, and the MPAA ended up awarding the same cut an R rating on appeal), actor Ryan Gosling, who stars in the film, noted that NC-17 films are not allowed wide advertisement and that, given the refusal of major cinema chains like AMC and Regal to show NC-17 rated movies, many such films will never be accessible to people who live in markets that do not have art house theatres. Jack Valenti, who had become president of the Motion Picture Association of America in May 1966, deemed the Motion Picture Production Code – in place since 1930 and rigorously enforced since July 1, 1934 – as out of date and bearing "the odious smell of censorship". He also called for the NC-17 rating to be removed and have the X rating revived. The uneven emphasis on sex versus violence is echoed by other critics, including David Ansen, as well as many filmmakers. This exception is troubling, Hilden argues, because it ignores context and perspective in evaluating other films and favors conventional films over edgier films that contribute newer and more interesting points to public discourse about violence. Film critic Roger Ebert called for replacing the NC-17 rating with separate ratings for pornographic and non-pornographic adult film.