John Erck’s Reflections…
Movie Ratings-Do they Serve Hollywood or the Public?
The problem with today’s film rating system is two fold; one, it’s too subjective and two, the ratings carry only vague meaning. Because of this, the Code and Rating Administration, also known as CARA, has been the subject of heated debate for some time. Films such as Medium Cool, If, and Midnight Cowboy have all been rated X: For Adults Only; when in fact they’ve been seen by many as being tamer than many R rated films from the same era. So, it seems fair to ask, “Can CARA be improved?� or even, “Should CARA exist? Does it serve a purpose?�
The answer is yes, yes, and yes. As stated by Richard D. Heffner, chairman of CARA, “We’re only the messengers telling the parents what we think they’ll consider an R.� (Moria, 2) It’s clear to see that CARA does censor films. If they did, I would argue that they shouldn’t exist. CARA rates films, and the ratings serve a distinct purpose. The ratings allow parents to make decisions about what films their children should or shouldn’t be able to see without having to watch the film first. The problem with the rating system, as stated in my opening paragraph, is that the ratings are too subjective and carry too vague a meaning.
In order to improve the system, there must be a firm set of guidelines that can be followed in order to make an objective rating decision. The actual rating letters can only convey meaning if they’re assigned to films in a consistent fashion. Also, since the ratings exist to help parents make decisions they should be more descriptive in nature.
There are two main categories that cause a film to be rated a specific way. Those two categories are violence and sex. Some parents are okay with violence and some parents are okay with sex. A movie could be rated R because it is sexual in nature or that it is violent. The parent making a decision about whether or not their child should be able to see a film cannot make an informed decision that reflects their views. Because of this, I suggest that the rating system could be improved by specifying why a film received a specific rating. For example, an R film that is R due to violence and not sexuality should be rated an Rv film. Also, an R film that is R due to sex and not violence should be rated an Rs film. If the film is both violent and sexual it should be rated Rvs. This method allows parents to make decisions that better match their own personal views.
Moria, Hodgson. “Movie Ratings – Do They Serve Hollywood or the Public?� The New York Times (May 24, 1981)