The MPAA Ratings System...

The MPAA Ratings System has to be one of the most screwed up things in the History of Cinema. At least in recent times.  I get the need for it, I really do. Parents need guidelines as to what their children should be allowed to watch, but when it first began there were four movie ratings, "G", "PG", "M" and "X".  All Pretty self explanatory.

"Midnight Cowboy" was the first "X" Rated film I ever saw shown on a wide release. It had Nudity and Adult Language and Sexual Situations.  One year later it was Downgraded to "M".  Now you have to realize that this was the time when full on graphic porn was being shown in Drive-Ins everywhere, not just the "Art Houses" of the day.  Sure, they had "X" ratings and Showed EVERYTHING, but they were trying to have an actual plot to go along with the sex.  God I miss the late 60's and Early 70's...

Along comes the 80's and 90's.  All those young people who would go to the drive-ins to watch those movies are now grown up and have kids of their own. It is now the time of the "Double Standard".  It was Ok for them to see naked body parts, but God Forbid their offspring have the same freedom of choice they enjoyed at the same age.  In steps the MPAA and the system gets revamped. We now have "G", "PG, "PG13", "R" and "NC17" and have changed the definitions of what THEY think we should be allowed to see. Who are THEY you ask?  PARENTS. That's right, PARENTS! This is a direct quote from the MPAA site, "Ratings are assigned by an independent board of parents with no past affiliation to the movie business. Their job is to rate each film as they believe a majority of American parents would rate it, considering relevant themes and content."


And why do they do this?  Again, a direct quote from the site;


"Movie ratings provide parents with advance information about the content of films, so they can determine what movies are appropriate for their young children to see. Movie ratings do not determine whether a film is "good" or "bad." They simply provide basic information to parents about the level of various elements in the film, such as sex, violence and language so that parents can decide what their children can and cannot see. By providing clear, concise information, movie ratings provide timely, relevant information to parents, and they help protect the freedom of expression of filmmakers and this dynamic American art form."


Dear Readers, our Cinematic Choices are being watered down to protect us from ourselves!  Good forbid that we see any VIOLENCE, SEX or NUDITY on the silver screen or hear any (gasp) PROFANITY that may offend our delicate sensibilities.


Now I'm not talking about Family type movies of the "G", "PG" or "PG13" variety, but the "R" rated films that the industry is struggling to get made AND approved by those stiff necked stuffed shirts who have control over what we see.


Action Films are getting "R" ratings for Violence!  You can see the same thing on any television set in America on any given night!  Pervasive Language is another thing they want to protect me from. They even list Smoking for cryin' out loud.  There are a lot of films out there that are  "R" rated that shouldn't be merely on the say so of this random group of parents who no longer have a connection to the real world.  They want us all to be uptight little drones that don't have the power of free will or the ability to think  for ourselves.


I  think it's time we got people with open minds on the MPAA Ratings board.