How it all began

The method of rating movies and the ratings themselves have been under close scrutiny, especially in the last few years. I believe that this scrutiny has come because in the last 40 years, since its creation, the method has only undergone minor changes, not really taking into account the world that has been changing around it.

On November 1, 1968, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) introduced a new way to structure the classification of movies in American society. It was going to be a voluntary ratings system, in which filmmakers would submit their films for rating by a review board, and if they liked the rating that the movie got, it would continue on in its journey to the theaters. But if the producer did not like the rating that the film got, it would go back to the editors and they would cut and edit whatever needed to be taken out or changed so that it would achieve the rating that they originally planned for. This is how it is still done today. (As a side note, many of the editors and producers, when they go back to the editing room, figure out the bare minimum that would allow the movie to receive their desired rating, and that's what they take out. They have their agendas and they're going to do what's best for them)

Even before this voluntary system, though, the Hays Production Code was being used, a code that regulated what could and could not be showed on the new moving pictures, which were first showed in 1927. Up through the 1960's this code was used, although it had been continually revised to be more and more rigid as filmmakers produced movies with higher levels of promiscuity. For a good amount of time the code did its job, regulating and limiting the content of movies. But eventually producers found ways to get around the code and avoid the regulation that they were being put through. Click here for a more detailed description of the production code and its provisions.

The voluntary ratings system started with four ratings:
-G - for general audiences, all ages admitted
-M - for mature audiences - parental guidance suggested, but all ages admitted
-R - restricted, children under 16 will not be admitted without an accompanying parent or adult guardian
-X - no one under 17 admitted

Eventually, because of the perceived nature of the M rating, it was changed to GP (general audiences, parental guidance suggested), and then a year later to PG (parental guidance suggested). And later, the PG rating was split into two ratings, PG and PG-13, giving a greater level of separation for intensity levels. Also, the X rating became a much heavier rating than originally intended by the MPAA, so it was changed to NC-17, allowing parents to know that it was a movie that they would not want their children to see.

Along with the changes to the ratings themselves, the way that they were used were revised as well. Instead of just being a letter to look at and make a blind decision on the movie, along with the ratings was put a description of why the movie was rated the way that it was. This allowed parents to make more educated decisions on the type of movies that they would permit. A full description is now available to anyone at each movie theater by phone or at the box office, in some movie reviews and also at www.mpaa.org.

Also, read a more in-depth description of the history of the current ratings system on the MPAA's website.

Movie Rantings

I've often seen movies and felt a little uncomfortable in some parts or felt questionable about the rating that had helped me to decide on the movie. Certain scenes, topics, language, themes, etc. have really become a bigger issue than in years past, when it was horrific to hear any kind of swearing or see even a suggestion of sexuality. It seems that, as the entertainment industry has grown and changed, movie ratings as well have changed, which has a lot of parents worried for their children, and a lot of people worried about where tings will go next. I've noticed that world standards are changing, and along with those changes, there are a lot of people who are just giving up trying to figure out what their kids should or shouldn't watch. Or even what they themselves should or shouldn't watch.

This isn't to say that they aren't conscious about the choices that they're making, but it seems to take a greater and greater effort to check a rating, review the reasons for the rating, decide if it's appropriate or not, and then actually watch the movie and worry about if it will actually live up to the standards that have been placed for it. There's a whole lot to consider with a movie, and it seems like those decisions are just getting harder, especially as there seems to be an increasingly bigger gray area in those same standards and decisions.

There are a lot of people who believe that the ratings system should be revised so that there are stricter guidelines on how a movie is rated and what rating it receives. There are also those people who say the opposite, that the system is too strict, that there needs to be freedom of expression and the system needs to be revised so as to allow producers an easier time in releasing their movies that they have so painstakingly worked on a fretted over. Then there are those who would tell us that we just need to get rid of the ratings altogether because they're not doing their job anymore and they've become obsolete. And there are probably a few other views and opinions somewhere in between those that I haven't covered.

So an important question to ask is who actually has the right idea, if anyone? Lots of opinions, no concrete answers, hugely varied standards, all of this makes everything a little more complicated that it seems at the surface. Along with that whole issue, we need to decide if actually is a problem with the current ratings system that needs to be addressed as many people say. Could it just be simply a variation in personal standards?

Keeping this blog is an assignment for a class that I have, but I feel strongly about this issue, which makes it something that I want to write about and discuss. Part of the reason is that this whole topic strongly affects children. I don't have any children, but I am engaged and am getting married in just a few months, which makes the issue a bit more pressing on my mind. So in this blog, I am going to talk about these issues (mentioned before) about movie ratings and the process that movies go through to be rated, but I will also tell why I believe the system should be changed or revised (for our sake as well as for the sake of our children and theirs). I am in no way going to give a definitive answer as to what should be done (as if that could even be possible), but over eight blog posts I will discuss:

-the history of the ratings system (who created it, where it came from, how it is currently run, etc.)
-the apparent philosophy behind the current ratings system (why it was created, why it has continued)
-some of the problems with the current ratings
-specific things or aspects of it that should be changed
-suggestions to revise or fix it (in my personal opinion)
-3 more posts that still need to be decided (will probably include the effects on children and families, statistical studies, and religious viewpoints)

Throughout this blog, I would love it and would think it ideal if all of my comments and arguments were totally unbiased and objective, presenting the facts how they really are and nothing more. But, unfortunately (or not) I am human, so I do have a personal opinion. And I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS church, Mormons), which brings religious affiliations and standards into view (although my viewpoints are MY viewpoints, not necessarily the church's). But I think this topic is a very important one, mainly because movie-going has become such an integral part of the American culture and the issue of the ratings is not going away. Finishing off, the question that I ask myself in thinking about this topic/issue is, “Where do we want our standards to go in the coming years?” If the movie ratings system continues the way it is, will it affect our future? Or will it not make much of a difference?