MPA considering creating a new movie rating, between R and NC-17

[Edward R. Meow]

According to the New York Times, the MPA is considering creating a new rating in-between PG-13 & R. This would make for the first change to the US rating system since 1990.

This change is reportedly being considered following films such as Infinity Pool, which were initially rated NC-17, and could not obtain an R-rating without edits.

Another recent film which comes to mind is Spiral: From the Book of Saw, which was rated NC-17 11 times before the filmmakers toned down the film enough to obtain an R-rating. This is of course nothing new, Scorsese's Casino was rated NC-17 back in 1995, before he agreed to edit out parts of the torture scene to obtain a R.

For more than 50 years, the Motion Picture Association has operated a film ratings system to help parents decide whether a movie such as “Infinity Pool” is appropriate for their children. The ratings — G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17 — have remained the same since 1990.

But there is talk of adding a sixth -

Ethan Noble, a consultant who helps filmmakers achieve the rating they want, said the M.P.A. had been considering a rating between R and NC-17. An NC-17 label makes commercial success difficult, so some filmmakers would like a category that allows for more mature content without the stigma.

The M.P.A. declined to comment on whether it was considering a new rating. Noble, who lost his appeal of an NC-17 for the new horror film “Infinity Pool” (it was re-rated R after edits), said he thought a potential new rating would be fitting for the movie, which has plenty of sex and gore but sought a wide theatrical release.

Before NC-17, there was X. The M.P.A. changed the name because X movies had become synonymous with pornography. In 1990, the first movie to be labeled NC-17 was “Henry & June,” about a threesome involving the author Henry Miller, his wife and the writer Anaïs Nin.

Because a limited number of U.S. theaters will screen NC-17 movies, and advertising them is a challenge, filmmakers often work to avoid the label. Quentin Tarantino once said that to ensure “Kill Bill: Vol. 1” received an R rating, he at times used black-and-white film to reduce the visual effect of blood.

Filmmakers can appeal the decision by the M.P.A.’s board of raters; while successful appeals are rare, they do happen. In 2010, the appeal board overturned an NC-17 for the drama “Blue Valentine,” after criticism that the raters had been overly harsh toward a scene in which a woman receives oral sex.

Since NC-17 replaced X in 1990, only 92 movies have ended up with the rating out of thousands, according to the M.P.A.’s online database. The only NC-17 movie from last year was “Blonde,” Netflix’s film on Marilyn Monroe.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...ie-rating.html

I believe this change, if put into effect, will be a positive one. It will allow for harder R-rated films to hit theaters, as most cannot with the stigma of NC-17, ultimately allowing for greater artistic freedom.