I have always wondered about the history behind movie ratings and censorship. Here is a rather abridged version of events that changed movie pleasure for the better or worse.
1909. The introduction of the Cinematograph Act, which granted local authorities full powers of censorship. A few years later (1912) the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) is instituted to establish uniform standards countrywide.
1922. After the rather nasty Fatty Arbuckle rape and murder scandal, Hollywood establishes a self-regulating body: The Motion Picture Producers And Distributors Association of America.
1932. After creepy-for-1930's films like Dracula and Freaks, the BBFC institute an adults only certificate for horror films. These types of films were branded with a 'H' for many years or were just banned.
1939. David O. Selznick (producer) fights authorities to allow Clark Gable to use the word 'damn' in Gone with the Wind.
1951. The BBFC removes the 'H' certificate and replaces it with 'X'. This bans children under 16 from certain films. In the 1970's this splits and a rating of 'AA' is added to ban children under 14 and 'X' changes to refer to no children under 18. In 1982, 'X' is replaced by '18'. It is all very confusing. I never paid attention and always went to see what I wanted to.
1953. Producers of the movie Moon is Blue battle censors to use terms such as 'mistress' and 'virgin' in a sexual context.
1959. The first nude movie, The Immortal Mr. Teas, is released. Don't get excited, there was no full frontal nudity in the film. From the sounds of it, you only saw ladies from behind and had to use your imagination extensively.
1963. Andy Warhol broke some barriers with his attempt at film. Blow Job is a 35 minute focus on a guy's face as he receives oral stimulation off screen. Not exactly blockbuster stuff, but rather unique in an artistic sense?
1964. First boobies. Allowance for female breast nudity is granted in the U.S. for the movie The Pawnbroker.
1966. U.S. film rating systems are challenged and ultimately changed. We also see the first use of the word 'bugger' in the commercial film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
1967. Here comes the violence! Bonnie & Clyde are killed in a hail of bullets paving the way for future gruesome endings. Also...
1967. Welcome the word 'fuck'. Marianne Faithful in I'll Never Forget What's'isname, was the first actress to use the word (actually, 'fucking') in a major motion picture.
1968. The establishment of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which actually rates the movies instead of just censoring them. This is where we get movies rated G (general viewing), PG (parental guidance) and R (restricted for under 17's).
1970. For the first time, a X-rated movie with a gay theme takes home the Oscar. John Wayne, winning Best Actor that evening, didn't like Midnight Cowboy and is appalled at the movies' achievement.
1971. Sexual violence is everywhere! Rape scenes are big in film this year as seen in Straw Dogs and Stanley Kubrick's oh-so-creepy-and-not-so-nice, A Clockwork Orange.
1972. The emergence of more and more pornographic material appearing in films leads to the institution of the American X certificate. This rating caused problems for filmmakers for years who wanted to tackle adult subjects but didn't want to endure media restrictions.
1984. Movies like The Evil Dead and Zombie 2 leads to the UK Video Recordings Act, which regulates what people can watch in the privacy of their own home. I think they were worried that people wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
1992. The MPAA introduces the NC-17 certificate. This is now the rating given to movies with an adult theme that are not hardcore porn. Henry and June was the first movie given this classification.
2006. Shortbus has the most explicit sex (gay, straight and everything in between) ever seen in a mainstream film.
2007. Uber violence, I am sure. Tarantino and Rodriguez never fail to shock and surprise us with new and inventive ways to splatter blood and brain matter. I am sure that Grindhouse (also known as Planet Terror and Death Proof), their latest double feature, will thrill horror fans as usual.
We have really come a long way. Whether these changes are good or bad is up to you but personally, I can't wait to see what the next few decades will bring.
Facts, including dates used in this post were taken from Empire Magazine, June 2007.
1909. The introduction of the Cinematograph Act, which granted local authorities full powers of censorship. A few years later (1912) the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) is instituted to establish uniform standards countrywide.
1922. After the rather nasty Fatty Arbuckle rape and murder scandal, Hollywood establishes a self-regulating body: The Motion Picture Producers And Distributors Association of America.
1932. After creepy-for-1930's films like Dracula and Freaks, the BBFC institute an adults only certificate for horror films. These types of films were branded with a 'H' for many years or were just banned.1939. David O. Selznick (producer) fights authorities to allow Clark Gable to use the word 'damn' in Gone with the Wind.
1951. The BBFC removes the 'H' certificate and replaces it with 'X'. This bans children under 16 from certain films. In the 1970's this splits and a rating of 'AA' is added to ban children under 14 and 'X' changes to refer to no children under 18. In 1982, 'X' is replaced by '18'. It is all very confusing. I never paid attention and always went to see what I wanted to.
1953. Producers of the movie Moon is Blue battle censors to use terms such as 'mistress' and 'virgin' in a sexual context.
1959. The first nude movie, The Immortal Mr. Teas, is released. Don't get excited, there was no full frontal nudity in the film. From the sounds of it, you only saw ladies from behind and had to use your imagination extensively.
1963. Andy Warhol broke some barriers with his attempt at film. Blow Job is a 35 minute focus on a guy's face as he receives oral stimulation off screen. Not exactly blockbuster stuff, but rather unique in an artistic sense?
1964. First boobies. Allowance for female breast nudity is granted in the U.S. for the movie The Pawnbroker.
1966. U.S. film rating systems are challenged and ultimately changed. We also see the first use of the word 'bugger' in the commercial film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
1967. Here comes the violence! Bonnie & Clyde are killed in a hail of bullets paving the way for future gruesome endings. Also...1967. Welcome the word 'fuck'. Marianne Faithful in I'll Never Forget What's'isname, was the first actress to use the word (actually, 'fucking') in a major motion picture.
1968. The establishment of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which actually rates the movies instead of just censoring them. This is where we get movies rated G (general viewing), PG (parental guidance) and R (restricted for under 17's).
1970. For the first time, a X-rated movie with a gay theme takes home the Oscar. John Wayne, winning Best Actor that evening, didn't like Midnight Cowboy and is appalled at the movies' achievement.
1971. Sexual violence is everywhere! Rape scenes are big in film this year as seen in Straw Dogs and Stanley Kubrick's oh-so-creepy-and-not-so-nice, A Clockwork Orange.
1972. The emergence of more and more pornographic material appearing in films leads to the institution of the American X certificate. This rating caused problems for filmmakers for years who wanted to tackle adult subjects but didn't want to endure media restrictions.
1984. Movies like The Evil Dead and Zombie 2 leads to the UK Video Recordings Act, which regulates what people can watch in the privacy of their own home. I think they were worried that people wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
1992. The MPAA introduces the NC-17 certificate. This is now the rating given to movies with an adult theme that are not hardcore porn. Henry and June was the first movie given this classification.
2006. Shortbus has the most explicit sex (gay, straight and everything in between) ever seen in a mainstream film.
2007. Uber violence, I am sure. Tarantino and Rodriguez never fail to shock and surprise us with new and inventive ways to splatter blood and brain matter. I am sure that Grindhouse (also known as Planet Terror and Death Proof), their latest double feature, will thrill horror fans as usual.We have really come a long way. Whether these changes are good or bad is up to you but personally, I can't wait to see what the next few decades will bring.
Facts, including dates used in this post were taken from Empire Magazine, June 2007.
5 comments:
Oh. Wow. I really enjoyed reading that.
Recently, a Chinese boy I was tutoring asked me about the rating system and I wasn't sure so I asked him what he thought the reason for it. He said, "so kids do not watch anything inappropriate."
what a brilliant post. That was fascinating.
kinda makes you wonder where all this is leading... innit?
I wish they had a stupidity rating for movies.
Impressive compilation of info!
While on vacation, a guy right next tent to me turns out to be an archeologist from Israel. I have yet to find out what he is working on, but National Geographic did some filiming of projects he is doing. I mentioned your blog and the things I have learned and read about there. What are you currenly working on? A good post idea perhaps.
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