Classifications Changing Between Formats

[adamclark83]

After seeing the DVD version of Resident Evil: Apocalypse at Big W the other day made me think about this.

The second Resident Evil movie on DVD is rated MA15+ whereas the Blu-ray is rated M15+. When RoboCop 2 was first released on home media, it had a rating of R18+ whereas the DVD my sister has is rated M15+.

Why do distributors do this?

[LordCrumb]

Things change over time. The Terminator (VHS) used to be an R rated title here.

I emailed the NZ Censorship board about the lowering of ratings a while ago, and yeah they agreed with me that it's basically because things/tolerance levels change. So something like The Terminator, which was considered violent and bloody back in the 80s, is quite tame for todays standard, so which is why it's now only an M rated title.

As for Resident Evil being a different rating for the DVD and Blu-Ray, probably just an error.

[dean1700]

But this doesn't explain why Heartbreak Ridge STILL keeps its R rating when a movie like Saving Private Ryan, with realistic war images, get an MA. Go figure.

Originally Posted by LordCrumb

Things change over time. The Terminator (VHS) used to be an R rated title here.

I emailed the NZ Censorship board about the lowering of ratings a while ago, and yeah they agreed with me that it's basically because things/tolerance levels change. So something like The Terminator, which was considered violent and bloody back in the 80s, is quite tame for todays standard, so which is why it's now only an M rated title.

As for Resident Evil being a different rating for the DVD and Blu-Ray, probably just an error.

[Lazlo]

Originally Posted by dean1700

But this doesn't explain why Heartbreak Ridge STILL keeps its R rating when a movie like Saving Private Ryan, with realistic war images, get an MA. Go figure.

Movies only need to be reclassified if they are changed. That's why ET was PG when it was re-released a few years ago. It was seen to have paranormal themes which is an automatic PG. It was the same film just with walkie talkies instead of shotguns.

Maybe getting Heartbreak Ridge reclassified isn't worth the time/money. The R rating may not be alienating the target audience.

Also, special feature can affect this too. I think it was Attack of the Clones that was M. The film disc was PG, the special features disc was M

Sent from my Galaxy Tab using Tapatalk HD

[VoorheesBD]

Sorry couldn't help myself love

Highway: My name's Gunnery Sergeant Highway and I've drunk more beer and banged more quiff and pissed more blood and stomped more ass that all of you numbnuts put together. Now Major Powers has put me in charge of this reconisence platoon.
Lance Corporal Fragatti: We take care of ourselves.
Highway: You couldn't take care of a wet dream. God loves you.
Collins: I know that!

[Anamnesis]

Studios must submit their film for classification for each format and if any change is made. This change includes extra features which are classified separately. (This is why Batman & Robin is in fact PG, but the Blu-ray and DVD is M as a result of the audio commentary)

It is not free to get your film classified. Therefore, if a company is simply releasing a film that has not been changed and features no extra material they can simply release it using its current classification state without having to pay to get it re-classified

The board can also review the films impact today compared to its original rating as stated by LordCrumb above Sometimes ratings are reduced (Total Recall, Predator, Terminator) and sometimes they are stepped up (Jaws, E.T)

Members of the public can also impact the rating of a film. If you see a movie that you think has been wrongly classified, you can write to the OFLC and if enough complaints are received the title will return to the classification review board whose ruling will override the original classification. This is the kind of thing that most christian lobby groups do to try and get films banned (Irreversible, A Serbian Film etc). Sometimes they succeed, other times not so much.

[Cevolution]

Like how others have said, standards change over time. There are quite a number of examples of this. Marked for Death is my favorite example. The dvd was rated R and cut (a whole section near the end of the film where Seagal pokes out the main villains eyes with his thumbs, breaks his back over his knee, then throws him down an elevator shaft and he is impaled, is cut out on the dvd), however the blu-ray is rated M and uncut.

[LordCrumb]

Originally Posted by Anamnesis

Studios must submit their film for classification for each format and if any change is made. This change includes extra features which are classified separately. (This is why Batman & Robin is in fact PG, but the Blu-ray and DVD is M as a result of the audio commentary)

It is not free to get your film classified. Therefore, if a company is simply releasing a film that has not been changed and features no extra material they can simply release it using its current classification state without having to pay to get it re-classified

The board can also review the films impact today compared to its original rating as stated by LordCrumb above Sometimes ratings are reduced (Total Recall, Predator, Terminator) and sometimes they are stepped up (Jaws, E.T)

Members of the public can also impact the rating of a film. If you see a movie that you think has been wrongly classified, you can write to the OFLC and if enough complaints are received the title will return to the classification review board whose ruling will override the original classification. This is the kind of thing that most christian lobby groups do to try and get films banned (Irreversible, A Serbian Film etc). Sometimes they succeed, other times not so much.

Exact thing happened here with Saving Private Ryan. Enough people kicked up a fuss about not being able to take their high school aged kids to see it, so it got dropped down to a R15 (the first R15 rating which also brought out an R13 too).

[drouyn]

The Rock is another one that seems to yo-yo around. My VHS was MA, my DVD is R and my BD is MA. Haven't noticed any difference between the DVD and the BD either.

[Brett C]

Originally Posted by drouyn

The Rock is another one that seems to yo-yo around. My VHS was MA, my DVD is R and my BD is MA. Haven't noticed any difference between the DVD and the BD either.

The Rock was actually cut in Australia for its cinema release, VHS and first DVD release. The first DVD was supposed to be uncut, but was taken from a cut UK print. It was later replaced with an uncut version.

The Australian version,

1. The gunfight between Hummel's (Ed Harris') and Anderson's (Michael Biehn's) units has been sorely truncated by numerous deletions of bullet hits on bodies. Virtually all close-ups of squibs firing in slow motion have been removed, effectively reducing the sustained impact of the scene & eliminating the display of excess blood.

2. The fight on the underground cable car, between Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage), Mason (Sean Connery), and Hummel's men has been edited lightly, once again to reduce the impact of the scene.

3. During the climax, following Captain Darrow's (Tony Todd) rocket-aided descent out of a window, his death scene has been reduced. The Australian edition cuts immediately after his eyes jar open on impact of the post; the uncut edition plays out marginally longer with a medium shot of Darrow's still-twitching body impaled on the post.

The UK version released on DVD in Australia,

1. When Goodspeed & Mason besiege the morgue, Mason throwing a combat knife to impact in one of Hummel's men's throat has been curtailed. The camera zooms with the knife, but the impact & subsequent medium shot of the soldier with the knife in his throat have been removed. Connery's line "You must never hesitate!" to Cage has also been snipped.

2. Mason shooting a guard in the foot almost directly after has been trimmed of the close-up impact of the bullet.

3. The overhead camera zoom (lasting a massive 2 second duration) into the guard just before he is crushed by the generator has been excised.

4. Mason breaking one of Hummel's men's neck has had the sound removed.

5. During the finale's "coup-de-tat", there were trims primarily for excess blood-letting. Major Baxter (David Morse) being shot in the stomach has been reduced, and Hummel taking a hit in the left shoulder has been removed.