This Film Is Not Yet Rated
I loved this subversive documentary about the MPAA’s film ratings system. It is the epitome of the feature film as exposé. Director Kirby Dick shows the systematic biases of the MPAA: against indie films in favour of the studios, against sex in favour of violence, and particularly against gay and lesbian stories in favour of heterosexuality. Famously, Dick hired a private investigator to uncover the names of the heretofore anonymous raters. I don’t approve of some of the tactics the PI used (in particular, taking people’s garbage bags from the curb and sifting through it), but she did expose some lies the MPAA had promulgated. While the MPAA claimed that its raters were parents of children between the ages of 5 and 17, in several cases the children were actually in their 20s or 30s.
The film has some inventive visuals: humorous animation at many points and one highly effective split-screen sequence showing sex scenes from NC-17 films on the left and R films on the right. The scenes were almost identical in what was depicted except that the NC-17 side showed homosexual scenes while the R side was heterosexual.
Toward the end of the film, it documents the obtaining of its own NC-17 rating and subsequent appeal. The process of appealing a rating turns out to be Kafkaesque, with the appellate board members each identified only by number, rather by their name and what corporation they represent. (But nevertheless the PI discovers that information as well.)
The interviews are without exception informative and entertaining; one highlight is John Waters discussing the hypocrisy of slapping a restrictive rating on his film A Dirty Shame for its depiction of unconventional but safe sex practices such as sploshing, while films depicting more traditional sex practices -- which carry a higher risk of disease -- get an R. Similarly, Maria Bello was moving in her analysis of what prompted her to fight for her pubic hair in one scene of The Cooler, which got an NC-17.
The DVD has generous special features: an audio commentary, a filmed Q&A with the director from a film festival, and five deleted scenes.
The trailer for This Film Is Not Yet Rated can be seen at the IFC web site.
The film has some inventive visuals: humorous animation at many points and one highly effective split-screen sequence showing sex scenes from NC-17 films on the left and R films on the right. The scenes were almost identical in what was depicted except that the NC-17 side showed homosexual scenes while the R side was heterosexual.
Toward the end of the film, it documents the obtaining of its own NC-17 rating and subsequent appeal. The process of appealing a rating turns out to be Kafkaesque, with the appellate board members each identified only by number, rather by their name and what corporation they represent. (But nevertheless the PI discovers that information as well.)
The interviews are without exception informative and entertaining; one highlight is John Waters discussing the hypocrisy of slapping a restrictive rating on his film A Dirty Shame for its depiction of unconventional but safe sex practices such as sploshing, while films depicting more traditional sex practices -- which carry a higher risk of disease -- get an R. Similarly, Maria Bello was moving in her analysis of what prompted her to fight for her pubic hair in one scene of The Cooler, which got an NC-17.
The DVD has generous special features: an audio commentary, a filmed Q&A with the director from a film festival, and five deleted scenes.
The trailer for This Film Is Not Yet Rated can be seen at the IFC web site.