Entertainment is one of the most favorite pasttime for families to do in their free time. Movies, games, and TV shows, so many good ones, so little time. Parents are face with so many decisions when raising their children. Some decisions are not easy to make, ex: schools to send them too, daycare system, and place of residency. With the everyday stress that parents face, it is good to know that somebody is looking out for us. Entertainment ratings are a wonderful tool to allow the parents to know what is age-appropriate for our children.
Let us get started by giving you some background information on the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). According to The Classification and Ratings Administration (CARA), MPAA began in 1922. Filmmakers would submit their films for approval to the Production Code Administration. The first MPAA President was Will Hays, and with his list of rules, known as The Hays Code. If the films were moral, they were approved, but if they was immoral they was not approved. (2011),
It is amazing that the movie industry started out so plain, either the film was accepted, or not. Therefore, how did they go from that to what it is today? In 1952, the U.S. Supreme court to step in to guarantee the film industry the right to freedom of speech. (Lucia, pg. 1) In the 1960’s, MPAA Chairman, Jack Valenti was faced with a few controversy films; where the filmmakers tested the limits that was once unacceptable. With the times changing, Jack knew he had to come up with something. Late 1968, the movie rating system was created; after reaching out to a couple of organization for feedback. All parties agreed to enforce the system to ensure the films was seen by the appropriate ages. (2011)
The rating system i...
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...d be. Not all movies are meant for everyone. Knowing, understanding, and enforce the ratings will help guide the children to a better mindset. Get as much information about the movie, before letting your child see it. A Board bases MPAA ratings upon the majority of American parents, but an individual parent may not feel the same way. Therefore, parents, educate yourself, then decide.
Works Cited
President William J., C. (N.D). President William J. Clinton Delivers Remarks On The Movie Rating System. FDCH Political Transcripts, Retrieved From Ebscohost.
(2006, Winter2006). Do We Really Need Movie Ratings?. Cineaste. p. 1. Retrieved from EBSCOhost..
The Classification and Ratings Administration. The Movie Rating System: Its History, How It Works and Its Enduring Value. www.filmratings.com. Retrieved from http://www.filmratings.com/filmRatings_Cara/downloads/pdf/
Nichols, John. ""Counbtering Censorship: Edgar Dale and the Film appreciation movement (critical essay)."." Cinema Jouranl. Fall 2006.
America needs the MPAA to censor itself, without it, the government can step in and excise whatever they deem inappropriate. At the start of the MPAA, 1922, United States Postmaster General Will H. Hays was appoin...
To at least some people, however, Jack Valenti, the man responsible for devising the Motion Picture Association of America and the National Association of Theatre Owners, is leading the effort, as editorialist James Wall put it, "to protect children" (1227). Valenti wrote, "The voluntary Movie Rating System has one objective: to issue advance cautionary warnings to parents so they can make their own decisions about what movies their children should or should not see. No one -- appointed, anointed, or elected -- ought to insert themselves into individual parental decisions" (87). But the film classification system, designed to assist parents in making decisions about their offspring's film patronage, often thwarts that very purpose and, in the process, actually stifles the creativity and honesty of the film industry as well.
"The Film Rating System (CARA)." The Film Rating System (CARA). MPAA, n.d. Web. 14 Apr.
In 1929, America experienced a stock market crash that led the country into what is historically known as the Great Depression. Many industries across America experienced alterations in order to fit the social and economic changes that America was undergoing as a nation. Specific industries included Hollywood and the film industry. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the movies that Americans enjoyed viewing were considered immoral at the time. This was f...
The MPAA rating system was once a good source for people to find out whether a movie would contain immoral or violent images; currently the system has grown to become ineffective in today’s society. Society changes as well as movies; content and subject matter has changed for movies of this generation. If the system is not changed it will not help parents to know what movies will be appropriate for their children to watch. Because of the influence and prevalence of movies in our society and culture today a rating system is important, if that system fails to do its duty the negative influence that the movies can have on the children and youth of tomorrow will be great.
...ringer that exposes all of the MPAA’s worst kept secrets, namely their unjust criteria and ulterior motives behind the NC-17 rating as well as the identities of the raters. It is a system made to give parents a guideline on what they should let their children watch, but their biased rating methods at the end of the day will only fail parents and their families if they see a scene that justifies its corresponding movie to be given a higher rating than the one it was given. While some may argue that the documentary is one sided, the MPAA are highly unlikely to give an honest point of view when their credibility is at stake. Instead, the documentary tells the untold stories of the filmmakers affected by the NC-17 rating and this is where the documentary gets its drive from, rather than the MPAA defending themselves by denying all the rumours circulating around them.
In recent times, such stereotyped categorizations of films are becoming inapplicable. ‘Blockbusters’ with celebrity-studded casts may have plots in which characters explore the depths of the human psyche, or avant-garde film techniques. Titles like ‘American Beauty’ (1999), ‘Fight Club’ (1999) and ‘Kill Bill 2’ (2004) come readily into mind. Hollywood perhaps could be gradually losing its stigma as a money-hungry machine churning out predictable, unintelligent flicks for mass consumption. While whether this image of Hollywood is justified remains open to debate, earlier films in the 60’s and 70’s like ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ (1967) and ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976) already revealed signs of depth and avant-garde film techniques. These films were successful as not only did they appeal to the mass audience, but they managed to communicate alternate messages to select groups who understood subtleties within them.
Many Americans love films, the meanings behind those films and the impact some films have on people’s lives. Ever since films were created there have been people and organizations that have tried to censor and block what the public can and cannot see. Even to this day there are certain things that if put on film because of censorship, would never make it to the public. This is very sad. Film is one of this country’s great expressive outlets. Many filmmakers and the people who enjoy what these filmmakers put out are effected by the horrible concept of censorship. When a film is put out to the public it is first reviewed by a movie rating board who then assigns the film a rating to tell people what age groups the film is suitable for and what the film contains. Movie selection for minors should solely be the responsibility of that child’s parent, not some critic that watches films and then makes decisions for other people about who can watch it and who can’t. People just need to start to understand the real meaning of free speech and expression in this country. Too many people are taking it for granted. People who are for the censorship of films may argue that it’s for the good of our children, shielding them from violence and sex, and not exposing them to something that they claim may be mentally harm...
Recently, the MPAA has been receiving complaints on how they rate movies. To give you some background, there 5 basic ratings for movies: G, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17. Today, the issue is between PG-13 and R. The PG-13 rating stands for Parents Strongly Cautioned and R means Restricted and if you’re under 17, you have to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. People are complaining that violence shouldn’t be allowed in PG-13 movies and that they should be as hard on violence as they are with other themes. MPAA points out often that they do not police films and instead assign warning labels so parents can choose what they want their kids to watch. Joan Groves, head of MPAA’s ratings board said parents often object to language in movies more so over violence and that, “they feel they’re getting the correct information about violence.”
Wyatt, Justin. “The Stigma of X: Adult Cinema and the Institution of the MPAA Ratings System.” Controlling Hollywood: Censorship and Regulation in the Studio Era. Ed. Matthew Bernstein. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1999. (238-264).
Largely influenced by the French New Wave and other international film movements, many American filmmakers in the late 1960s to 1970s sought to revolutionize Hollywood cinema in a similar way. The New Hollywood movement, also referred to as the “American New Wave” and the “Hollywood Renaissance,” defied traditional Hollywood standards and practices in countless ways, creating a more innovative and artistic style of filmmaking. Due to the advent and popularity of television, significant decrease in movie theater attendance, rising production costs, and changing tastes of American audiences, particularly in the younger generation, Hollywood studios were in a state of financial disaster. Many studios thus hired a host of young filmmakers to revitalize the business, and let them experiment and have almost complete creative control over their films. In addition, the abandonment of the restrictive Motion Picture Production Code in 1967 and the subsequent adoption of the MPAA’s rating system in 1968 opened the door to an era of increased artistic freedom and expression.
I remained in this mindset until I began my part-time job at Gaffney Entertainment, a movie and recreational center. I was presented information concerning movies, ratings, and reasons for those ratings. Being older and much more mature, I am able to watch R-rated movies and have an understanding of why they are rated. Working
Going to the movies is a favorite past-time event of American lives. A long time ago, however, there wasn’t any rating system. Making one seemed like a good idea at the time. Today, the system is still the same way and doesn’t fit today’s changed time. Therefore, the movie rating system should be revised because the current rating system is outdated.
Barsam, R. M., Monahan, D., & Gocsik, K. M. (2012). Looking at movies: an introduction to film (4th ed.). New York: W.W. Norton & Co..