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/
However, after the dust settled, it was widely accepted that the blacklist was unjust, which enabled many film workers to pursue the movie studios in civil courts through the 1950’s for unpaid contracts and wages (Lewis, 2008). While the studios were initially impacted by the Paramount decision, the breadth of competition and independent successes of smaller studios gave rise to the advancement of innovative filmmaking that may not have been possible if it were not for the Paramount decision. Filmmaking is one of the riskiest and most profitable ventures in modern day society, and without these events, the studios and the film workers may not share the successes that they do
The idea of Hollywood, before it was Hollywood as we know it seems foreign. However, it did exist and was known as "Pre-code." Pre-code Hollywood refers to the era in the American film industry between the introduction of sound in the late 1920's and the enforcement of the Hays Code censorship guidelines, which went into effect on June 13, 1934 (Association of Motion Picture Producers 1934). Durin...
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.
In 1968 Jack Valenti, the president of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), established the Classification and Ratings Administration (CARA) in an effort to reduce the amount of objectionable material in film. Before 1968, the MPAA required that all films follow the guidelines of the Production Code. The Production Code stipulated what was and was not appropriate to appear in films. In 1966, the MPAA elected Jack Valenti president and he changed the code to a rating system based on the amount of objectionable content in a film. The rating system went through several amendments until the current rating system. A controversy arose when The Weinstein Co. film Blue Valentine received an NC-17 rating for a sexually explicit scene involving the main characters in the film. The controversy over the rating of the film stirred up the question of the effectiveness of the MPAA rating system. Critics were already questioning the effectiveness of the MPAA, but the recent controversy helped to stimulate those questions. The rating system that the MPAA enforces on films is ineffective.
Little is known about the production process of This Film Is Not Yet Rated, other than it was presumably filmed sometime in late 2005. Most of the documentary follows Dick’s collaboration with Becky Altringer, a private investigator, to reveal the identities of the members of the MPAA review board, which they claim to be “average American parents” with children aged between five and seventeen. They discovered that most of the MPAA review board members had children over the age of eighteen at the time of filming, and some of them had no children at all, contrasting with the MPAA’s original intentions of guiding parents on what they should let their children watch. They also discovered that the members of the MPAA appeals board were mostly comprised of studio executives, sales representatives and film buyers, putting Indie filmmakers at an immediate disadvantage of getting an NC-17 rating so they make less money at the box office. The documentary also includes interviews with filmmakers whose movies received NC-17 ratings. The documentary falls under the Expository mode, due to its use...
The change in the U.S. can be said to be a social revolution. People were growing sick of the same old movies, they wanted a change and Hollywood needed to deliver or else they would lose their audience to the TV. In the early 60's, the studios were still afraid of the blacklisting so the films were still very safe. An example of this is the film Sound of Music (1965). This was a film about a musical family that needed to escape the Nazi presence. Although the movie is based on a true story, they still follow the same old idea of a nice family, who must escape from the clutches of evil. Basically, the movie is saying good guys win and bad guys always lose. Sure this how most films are made but there is no sense of change, no differences in the style or way it was made. Since there was no change, the public was not interested. The TV was much more convenient and kept the publics interested.
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.
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...
... middle of paper ... ... Larry Ceplair and Englund stated in the book The Inquisition in Hollywood, “The destruction of the motion picture Left not only transformed the political atmosphere in Hollywood, but also adversely affected the kind of product which the studios turned out. “ In the early 20th century Hollywood reframed from producing politically controversial films in fear of becoming a target of McCarthy or the HUAC.
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.
The author of “Hollywood, Stop Exposing Our Kids to Violence” claims that filmmakers need to stop producing violent movies. The article argues that many children pick up bad habits from watching violent
In Hollywood today, most films can be categorized according to the genre system. There are action films, horror flicks, Westerns, comedies and the likes. On a broader scope, films are often separated into two categories: Hollywood films, and independent or foreign ‘art house’ films. Yet, this outlook, albeit superficial, was how many viewed films. Celebrity-packed blockbusters filled with action and drama, with the use of seamless top-of-the-line digital editing and special effects were considered ‘Hollywood films’. Films where unconventional themes like existentialism or paranoia, often with excessive violence or sex or a combination of both, with obvious attempts to displace its audiences from the film were often attributed with the generic label of ‘foreign’ or ‘art house’ cinema.
Many filmmakers used several methods in order to get around the Hays Code. Although the Hays Code seemed necessary in order to protect the audience, they audience itself has the freedom to choose not to watch films that were inappropriate. After all, the filmmakers did manage to drop settle hints and at the same time not technically violate the Hays Code. Nowadays, filmmakers have more freedom to express their work. They can put more gore scenes and drop not so settle hints of inappropriate behavior with out being censored. Now the audience has the choice whether or not they want to see more violent films, rated R, to a small amount of violence, rated PG 13, or just none at all, rated PG.
Just because a film is part of an older generation does not mean it is irrelevant today. There is not one concrete answer when it comes to grading a film because each film is different and tries to accomplish different things. An amazing example of this is a film we watch in class called the The Godfather directed by Francis Corp Polpa. The Godfather was made in 1972 dating the film 44 years old; however although the film is 4 decades old it still withstands the test of time and is even regarded as one of the best films of all time. Criticism of films over the years has changed dramatically because so have films.
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