Flipside Movie Emporium

[the night watchman]

[the night watchman]

Ebert said in no uncertain terms in his [url=http://suntimes.com/output/answ-man/sho-sunday-ebert07.html]

March 7, 2004 Movie Answer Man[/url] column -- ironically in response to a letter concerning The Passion of the Christ's R rating -- that his proposed A would fall between R and NC-17. Quoth the Ebster:

[...]"The Passion of the Christ," the most violent film I have ever seen, received an R rating from the MPAA because the group, which exists in part to quell the fears of churchgoing America, lacked the nerve to give it the NC-17 rating it clearly deserves.

This becomes an unanswerable argument for my recommendation of an A (for adults only) rating between the R (which allows parents to take in children of any age) and the NC-17, which is irretrievably associated with pornography.

Because many theaters refuse to book NC-17 films, and many media outlets will not advertise them, imagine the irony if their own policies had forced them to boycott "The Passion of the Christ"!

Let the MPAA bring back the X, which everyone understands, for porno and establish a useful adults-only rating for films that are not pornography but are simply unsuitable for children.
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"If you're talking about censorship, and what things should be shown and what things shouldn't be shown, I've said that as an artist you have no social responsibility whatsoever."

-David Cronenberg

[Rob Vaux]

I think the problem runs deeper than just the MPAA (though their system is clearly broken, so they're not off the hook). As a society, I don't believe we're able to accept the notion that some material isn't for children under any circumstances... and that there's nothing wrong with that. NC-17 is anathema because many major theater chains refuse to run NC-17 films, Blockbuster won't carry them, and so on. This makes them commercially untenable, at least in the mainstream, so the studios bend over backwards to avoid it. Which results in the wonkiness and inequities that have rendered the entire system a joke. Saving Private Ryan is an NC-17 movie. Kill Bill is an NC-17 movie. The Passion is an NC-17 movie. And yet they're given R ratings because of immense studio pressure... prompted by a paying audience (and the companies which cater to them) who clearly think that a film forbidden to children is therefore amoral and bad. We as a culture need to get over that foolish presumption. Until we do, I don't think there will ever be a tenable rating system.

[the night watchman]

I totally agree with your assessment, Rob. But do you think Ebert's proposed A rating, to fall between R and NC-17, could work to get the system back on track, to make it more sensible? It seems to me that it might.
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"If you're talking about censorship, and what things should be shown and what things shouldn't be shown, I've said that as an artist you have no social responsibility whatsoever."

-David Cronenberg

[Rob Vaux]

[the night watchman]

The public's response is a crucial factor, of course. But I think an alternate rating code may give leeway to those that insist on finding "non-family" material objectionable. As movies like Kill Bill and allegedly The Passion of the Christ demonstrate, 'R' isn't necessarily any more family-friendly than 'X' or 'NC-17.' An 'A' may give support to arguments against the supposed immorality of movies intended specifically for adults, and hobble the efforts of studios who wish to market R-rated films to children and teenagers, an endeavor which may be the central concern of the moral watchdogs.
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"If you're talking about censorship, and what things should be shown and what things shouldn't be shown, I've said that as an artist you have no social responsibility whatsoever."

-David Cronenberg

[Michael Scrutchin]

I just read that the new Dawn of the Dead ran into trouble with the MPAA over its violence/gore. They had to re-edit and re-submit four or five times before the MPAA granted them an R, so the director says there will probably be an unrated version on DVD with the cut gore intact.
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Michael Scrutchin
Flipside Movie Emporium
www.flipsidearchive.com

[beltmann]

[Dr Giggles]

The Evil Dead did have a rape scene in it,

so Im guessing that would have been the reason it got rated that way,

as opposed to the graphic violence.
_________________
walking on air, up from the wheelchair,

I'll find the suicide, that I deserve.

[the night watchman]

[beltmann]

I agree, although how can we ensure a positive buzz? Buzz is created by monolithic groups--the media, politicians, religious organizations, etc.--that typically gravitate towards sensationalism and controversy. As soon as a journalist asks, "Is the A for porn?" (and that question will be asked), the negative connotation has been established. In theory, I agree that the public can be swayed by proper use of "buzz"--I firmly believe that if distributors wanted to invest in a real market for independent cinema they could create one--but, like the monoliths that have something invested in maintaining the distribution status quo, the powers-that-be may have something invested in equating "A" with taboos. Although I'm skeptical an "A" rating would fly, it might be worth trying. The rating is probably a good idea.

Eric

[Rob Vaux]

[Rob Vaux]

The studios often talk about "hard R" and "soft R." That may be a helpful distinction if they ever tried to insert an A rating.

On the other hand, PG-13 was supposed to be the soft R, and that's had mixed success at best.

[the night watchman]

[Rob Vaux]