This Film is Not Yet Rated - Amanda Palazzo
The genius in a MPAA ratings system that, “changes its definitions at will and, ultimately, serves the motion picture industry by becoming, at any given moment, as permissive or restrictive as the prevailing climate seems to demand,” is that at no time is it ever accountable or in need of answering to anyone (Cieply 2007). It is a governing body, minus the checks and balances, which can make decisions regarding what is acceptable for public viewing without guidelines or standards, or even having an air of consistency. This is the same principle that offers former movie-raters vague, undefined parameters as too what, in their experiences with the MPAA, is confidential. This ensures that any comments the rater makes in the future are suppressed or kept to a minimum, as the MPAA has total jurisdiction against those “rogue” raters who choose to spout-off.
The way these “moving goalposts” affect filmmakers is that they are constantly kept in the dark about what the guidelines are and are forced to work with a rating system that is not clearly defined. A common complaint amongst filmmakers in “This Film is Not Yet Rated,” is that, what is acceptable in one film may not be in another. Removing the ability for filmmakers to use past films as a benchmark, leaves them with no concept as to what will be permitted in the future. Because of these “muddled or moving boundaries,” filmmakers are put into a no win situation, they are set-up to fail from the onset (Cieply 2007).
Having a system with malleable definitions, often tainted with a particular political or religious viewpoint or enforced according to the whims of a rater, is definitely not a good thing. This type of unrestricted and unregulated censorship, as was mentioned in the film, displays a blatant disregard for the filmmakers’ constitutional rights. Despite this, however, the rating system, in all likelihood, will endure, but it is in serious need of an overhaul. I agree that a rating system needs to be somewhat flexible, thus it is understandable to change the standards in which a film is rated, over time; obviously, a film made today should not be held to the standards in place when the rating system was first implemented. Nevertheless, it is not fair to the filmmaker to be provided no framework for what constitutes a particular rating. The MPAA needs to come out of the shadows, create a viable set of guidelines, employ a diverse set of raters, and be accountable for the decisions they make.