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WHAT THE
RATINGS MEAN:
G: "General Audiences-All Ages
Admitted."
This is a film which contains
nothing in theme, language, nudity
and sex, violence, etc. which would,
in the view of the Rating Board, be
offensive to parents whose younger
children view the film. The G rating
is not a "certificate of approval,"
nor does it signify a children's
film.
Some snippets of language may go
beyond polite conversation but they
are common everyday expressions. No
stronger words are present in
G-rated films. The violence is at a
minimum. Nudity and sex scenes are
not present; nor is there any drug
use content.
PG: "Parental Guidance Suggested.
Some Material May Not Be Suitable
For Children."
This is a film which clearly needs
to be examined or inquired into by
parents before they let their
children attend. The label PG
plainly states that parents may
consider some material unsuitable
for their children, but the parent
must make the decision.
Parents are warned against sending
their children, unseen and without
inquiry, to PG-rated movies.
The theme of a PG-rated film may
itself call for parental guidance.
There may be some profanity in these
films. There may be some violence or
brief nudity. But these elements are
not deemed so intense as to require
that parents be strongly cautioned
beyond the suggestion of parental
guidance. There is no drug use
content in a PG-rated film.
The PG rating, suggesting parental
guidance, is thus an alert for
examination of a film by parents
before deciding on its viewing by
their children.
Obviously such a line is difficult
to draw. In our pluralistic society
it is not easy to make judgments
without incurring some disagreement.
So long as parents know they must
exercise parental responsibility,
the rating serves as a meaningful
guide and as a warning.
PG-13: "Parents Strongly
Cautioned. Some Material May Be
Inappropriate For
Children Under 13."
PG-13 is thus a sterner warning to
parents to determine for themselves
the attendance in particular of
their younger children as they might
consider some material not suited
for them. Parents, by the rating,
are alerted to be very careful about
the attendance of their
under-teenage children.
A PG-13 film is one which, in the
view of the Rating Board, leaps
beyond the boundaries of the PG
rating in theme, violence, nudity,
sensuality, language, or other
contents, but does not quite fit
within the restricted R category.
Any drug use content will initially
require at least a PG-13 rating. In
effect, the PG-13 cautions parents
with more stringency than usual to
give special attention to this film
before they allow their 12-year olds
and younger to attend.
If nudity is sexually oriented, the
film will generally not be found in
the PG-13 category. If violence is
too rough or persistent, the film
goes into the R (restricted) rating.
A film's single use of one of the
harsher sexually-derived words,
though only as an expletive, shall
initially require the Rating Board
to issue that film at least a PG-13
rating. More than one such expletive
must lead the Rating Board to issue
a film an R rating, as must even one
of these words used in a sexual
context. These films can be rated
less severely, however, if by a
special vote, the Rating Board feels
that a lesser rating would more
responsibly reflect the opinion of
American parents.
PG-13 places larger responsibilities
on parents for their children's
moviegoing. The voluntary rating
system is not a surrogate parent,
nor should it be. It cannot, and
should not, insert itself in family
decisions that only parents can, and
should, make. Its purpose is to give
prescreening advance informational
warnings, so that parents can form
their own judgments. PG-13 is
designed to make these parental
decisions easier for films between
PG and R.
R: "Restricted, Under 17 Requires
Accompanying Parent Or Adult
Guardian."
In the opinion of the Rating Board,
this film definitely contains some
adult material. Parents are strongly
urged to find out more about this
film before they allow their
children to accompany them.
An R-rated film may include hard
language, or tough violence, or
nudity within sensual scenes, or
drug abuse or other elements, or a
combination of some of the above, so
that parents are counseled, in
advance, to take this advisory
rating very seriously. Parents must
find out more about an R-rated movie
before they allow their teenagers to
view it.
NC-17: "No One 17 And Under
Admitted."
This rating declares that the Rating
Board believes that this is a film
that most parents will consider
patently too adult for their
youngsters under 17. No children
will be admitted. NC-17 does not
necessarily mean "obscene or
pornographic" in the oft-accepted or
legal meaning of those words. The
Board does not and cannot mark films
with those words. These are legal
terms and for courts to decide. The
reasons for the application of an
NC-17 rating can be violence or sex
or aberrational behavior or drug
abuse or any other elements which,
when present, most parents would
consider too strong and therefore
off-limits for viewing by their
children.
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For
more information on Movie Ratings,
please visit:
http://www.cara.org or
http://www.mpaa.org
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