The Film Ratings System and the Heinous Double Standard of Society

Today my heart jumped in excitement as I was checking to see what DVDs came out today. I knew that American gangster came out, and I discovered that In the valley of Elah came out today as well. But might heart really sang when i saw that Ang Lee's Lust, Caution had finally hit DVD shelves.

But then my heart sank. I knew nobody would carry the movie, or at least the original version. Why?

It's rated NC-17, that's why.

Let me tell you a story, little children. gather round and keep your ears open. This is a story about good 'ole American corruption and greed. Pay attention, and hear the truth.

Back in the late 60s, the Motion Picture Association of America, a non-profit organization that rates films, is in great need of a new ratings system to replace the old Hays code. MPAA Chairman Jack Valenti implemented a new system with four ratings- G(general audiences), M(mature audiences), R(restricted audience), and X(no children allowed). M was almost immedietely replaced with PG(parental guidance suggested). These ratings showed wich films were appropriate for which audiences.

G is for everybody. It contains no or very little offensive or mature material(equivalent to today's G and many PG movies).
PG is for more mature audiences and contains some mature material, but it is not extreme and children can see them without an adult, although adult guidence is suggested(equivalent to today's more edgy PG and pretty much all PG-13 movies).
R is for restricted audiences. Contains considerable, but not extreme adult material. Children under 17 must be accompanied by an adult(equivalent to today's less controversial R rated movies).
X is for only adult audiences. This does not mean the films are exploitation or patently offensive. It simply means they are too explicit for any children to see(equivalent of controversial movies like Basic Instinct and Passion of the Christ, which contain outrageous sexual or violent content). This rating was not copywrited by the MPAA, but the other three were.

In early 1970, after less than two years of having the ratings system in place, an X-rated film, Midnight Cowboy, won the Best Picture Academy Award. But over time, people started abusing the X-rating. You see, before the new ratings system, the old Hays code had pretty much prohibited almost all adult content. Now, filmmakers were "free' so to speak. But eventually, people started to self-apply the X-rating to the newly flourishing porn business. Pretty soon, the X rating became equated with filth. That's a dirty shame.

In the mid-eighties, a new rating, PG-13, was created. In the early 90s, X was replaced by NC-17 in an attempt to revive the legitimate adult picture. A few films received the rating, such as Showgirls, but the stigma remained and does so to this day.

The problems go deeper than that. It's a four-part problem. Four distinct entites are to blame.

1. The MPAA. The MPAA is unfair. They are much much more likely to give films the NC-17 based on sexual content(i.e., The Dreamers, Mysterious Skin, Shortbus), but uber-violent films still get R(Hostel II, Passion of the Christ, Rambo). They often give out ratings that don't make sense or are unfair when compared to similar films(School of Rock and Whale Rider got PG-13s despite being great family films). They have astrict code only allowing certain amounts of sexual content and swearing(not unlike the Hays code). However, they serve a purpose and keep the government out of controlling the movie business.

2. The Businesses. Most rental chains, retailers, and theaters won't carry NC-17 films due to their reputations and the reputation of NC-17 equating porn. Plus, watchdog groups often put a boatload of pressure on them. People like to keep anything offensive from ever reaching their children, and of course it's the business' responsibility, not the parents, to keep "filth" away.

3. The Production Companies. NC-17 means financial disaster due to the above reasons. Production companies often pressure filmmakers to cut down or even spice up their films to get a different rating and thus get more money. Film is more a business than an art form.

Most importantly...

4. Us. Society as a whole has created this double standard. It stems from America's heritage as a Christian nation, yet one with an extreme propensity for violence and war. Sex is bad, violence is fine. Why? Is it really more evil to sleep with your partner than it is to slit some guys throat? Apparently so. The MPAA, the businesses, and the production companies are all reflecting this. It's also because of the lack of wisdom in parenting. People use the media to babysit their children more often now, but they still want to be "good" parents, so they manipulate the law and the media so nothing bad ever reaches their children.

I favor a "marketplace of ideas." I favor nothing to be off-limits and for people to make their own choices. Note, I do NOT want parents to let their kids see anything and everything. But the PARENTS THEMSELVES have to moniter their children. Teach them right from wrong. Take them outside instead of letting them watch Nickelodeon all day long. When they get older, they can make the right choices.

I'm sick and tired of seeing the unfairness towards movies in the way they are rated. I'm sick of seeing moviesg etting butchered and cut. i see film as first and foremost an art form. There once was a time when art and entertainment were not mutually exclusive. But really, all signs seem to point to either the world of Mike Judge's Idiocracy, or the world of V for Vendetta. Just so you know, society, they both suck. Get your act together.