This Film Is Not Yet Rated

We just finished watching this documentary about the MPAA's film rating and appeal board on day time television today. I now realize how difficult independent film making must be in the USA under the limitations and constraints imposed by the most powerful censorship force on earth. Incidentally, this film is rated 14A in Canada - NC-17 in the USA (rating surrendered), so I don't know if you guys south of the border are allowed to watch this one on TV?

I think it was shown on the Independent Film Channel in some edited form.

But this one is completely eye opening. There's secrecy and protecting the ratings board...and then there's overboard. Not to mention the arcane rules by which movies are rated.

Jason

I found it particularly interesting that the MPAA's rating and appeal board is largely represented and funded by major studios. Small indie studios can submit films and be slapped with NC-17 and killed off simply because they refuse to sell the rights to the big corporate distributors for pennies on the dollar. As one IMDB reviewer said: "It would be not unlike a small, local merchant having to go to a board set up by Wal-Mart and Target to get approval for what he can put out on his shelves."

So is it any surprise that the main theatrical film releases in North America are put out by just a few studios, and consist of widely shown movies like "Spiderman 3" and "Transformers"?

Yeah, I rented the DVD from Netflix this past summer, and liked most of it. The scenes of them following MPAA members (or trying to find out where they lived) grew tiresome, but the overall content is quite good and really informative. Recommended.

Note: I also rented MAXED OUT recently (credit card/banking/bankruptcy issues), and it's pretty good too. Some of the interview segments with the few experts (and attorney generals) who monitor the c.c. industry are quite revealing.

-Love Hendrix! (The Loverboy)
~ DVD/HD-DVD/Blu-ray/KURO Plasma owner ~

I still need to pick this one up.