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jekylljuice · 10-02-2007, 04:21 AM

Am I correct in thinking that Gremlins was also pretty influencial in the introduction of a PG-13 rating? I'm guessing that the controversy its PG rating generated in the US was partly responsible for it receiving such a ridiculous rating over here. Some may disagree, but I don't feel that even that infamous kitchen sequence is quite enough to justify Gremlins being rated a 15 - perhaps some day the BBFC would care to revise the rating? When aired on TV, Gremlins is usually shown before watershed hours, though quite heavily (and, to be frank, poorly) editted. I'm glad I have the full version on video.

If anyone's interested, here's our current system in the UK:

U- Universal; suitable for all
PG - Parental Guidence, all ages admitted, but parents are advised that some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.
12A - No one under 12 admitted unless accompanied by an adult. Until relatively recently, this was a straightforward 12, barring all children under that age from attending, but this was revised in 2002. Given the vast publicity surrounding the reclassification of Spider-Man, which had previously been rated 12, to make it accessible for family audiences, you'd be forgiven for assuming that said film was directly responsible for the change, but apparently plans to do so had been in motion since 2000. The original 12 rating is still used for home video releases.
15 - For ages 15 and over only.
18 - For ages 18 and over only.

As it stands, I think that the criteria used for rating classification is reasonably sound - naturally it's a highly subjective thing, given that I'm sure there are plenty of under-18s out there with more emotional maturity than plenty of over-18s, but I'm glad that they're primarily influenced by such factors as sex, violence and language, rather than the film's overall depth or complexity, as I've heard some people odiously suggest they should be. A rather patronising view which assumes that young people cannot appreciate challenging or intelligent viewing.

10-02-2007, 04:21 AM	#8
jekylljuice Executive Weasel Ball jekylljuice was here. Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: the 44th floor (not counting the mezzanine) Posts: 1,568	Am I correct in thinking that Gremlins was also pretty influencial in the introduction of a PG-13 rating? I'm guessing that the controversy its PG rating generated in the US was partly responsible for it receiving such a ridiculous rating over here. Some may disagree, but I don't feel that even that infamous kitchen sequence is quite enough to justify Gremlins being rated a 15 - perhaps some day the BBFC would care to revise the rating? When aired on TV, Gremlins is usually shown before watershed hours, though quite heavily (and, to be frank, poorly) editted. I'm glad I have the full version on video. If anyone's interested, here's our current system in the UK: U- Universal; suitable for all PG - Parental Guidence, all ages admitted, but parents are advised that some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. 12A - No one under 12 admitted unless accompanied by an adult. Until relatively recently, this was a straightforward 12, barring all children under that age from attending, but this was revised in 2002. Given the vast publicity surrounding the reclassification of Spider-Man, which had previously been rated 12, to make it accessible for family audiences, you'd be forgiven for assuming that said film was directly responsible for the change, but apparently plans to do so had been in motion since 2000. The original 12 rating is still used for home video releases. 15 - For ages 15 and over only. 18 - For ages 18 and over only. As it stands, I think that the criteria used for rating classification is reasonably sound - naturally it's a highly subjective thing, given that I'm sure there are plenty of under-18s out there with more emotional maturity than plenty of over-18s, but I'm glad that they're primarily influenced by such factors as sex, violence and language, rather than the film's overall depth or complexity, as I've heard some people odiously suggest they should be. A rather patronising view which assumes that young people cannot appreciate challenging or intelligent viewing. __________________ That's it, The End, But you'll get over it, My Friend. Last edited by jekylljuice; 10-02-2007 at 04:22 AM.