WHAT THE
RATINGS MEAN:
G: "General
Audiences-All Ages
Admitted."
This is a film which
contains nothing in
theme, language, nudity
and sex, violence, etc.
which would, in the view
of the Rating Board, be
offensive to parents
whose younger children
view the film. The G
rating is not a
"certificate of
approval," nor does it
signify a children's
film.
Some snippets of
language may go beyond
polite conversation but
they are common everyday
expressions. No stronger
words are present in
G-rated films. The
violence is at a
minimum. Nudity and sex
scenes are not present;
nor is there any drug
use content.
PG: "Parental
Guidance Suggested. Some
Material May Not Be
Suitable For Children."
This is a film which
clearly needs to be
examined or inquired
into by parents before
they let their children
attend. The label PG
plainly states that
parents may consider
some material unsuitable
for their children, but
the parent must make the
decision.
Parents are warned
against sending their
children, unseen and
without inquiry, to
PG-rated movies.
The theme of a PG-rated
film may itself call for
parental guidance. There
may be some profanity in
these films. There may
be some violence or
brief nudity. But these
elements are not deemed
so intense as to require
that parents be strongly
cautioned beyond the
suggestion of parental
guidance. There is no
drug use content in a
PG-rated film.
The PG rating,
suggesting parental
guidance, is thus an
alert for examination of
a film by parents before
deciding on its viewing
by their children.
Obviously such a line is
difficult to draw. In
our pluralistic society
it is not easy to make
judgments without
incurring some
disagreement. So long as
parents know they must
exercise parental
responsibility, the
rating serves as a
meaningful guide and as
a warning.
PG-13:
"Parents Strongly
Cautioned. Some Material
May Be Inappropriate For
Children Under 13."
PG-13 is thus a sterner
warning to parents to
determine for themselves
the attendance in
particular of their
younger children as they
might consider some
material not suited for
them. Parents, by the
rating, are alerted to
be very careful about
the attendance of their
under-teenage children.
A PG-13 film is one
which, in the view of
the Rating Board, leaps
beyond the boundaries of
the PG rating in theme,
violence, nudity,
sensuality, language, or
other contents, but does
not quite fit within the
restricted R category.
Any drug use content
will initially require
at least a PG-13 rating.
In effect, the PG-13
cautions parents with
more stringency than
usual to give special
attention to this film
before they allow their
12-year olds and younger
to attend.
If nudity is sexually
oriented, the film will
generally not be found
in the PG-13 category.
If violence is too rough
or persistent, the film
goes into the R
(restricted) rating. A
film's single use of one
of the harsher
sexually-derived words,
though only as an
expletive, shall
initially require the
Rating Board to issue
that film at least a
PG-13 rating. More than
one such expletive must
lead the Rating Board to
issue a film an R
rating, as must even one
of these words used in a
sexual context. These
films can be rated less
severely, however, if by
a special vote, the
Rating Board feels that
a lesser rating would
more responsibly reflect
the opinion of American
parents.
PG-13 places larger
responsibilities on
parents for their
children's moviegoing.
The voluntary rating
system is not a
surrogate parent, nor
should it be. It cannot,
and should not, insert
itself in family
decisions that only
parents can, and should,
make. Its purpose is to
give prescreening
advance informational
warnings, so that
parents can form their
own judgments. PG-13 is
designed to make these
parental decisions
easier for films between
PG and R.
R: "Restricted,
Under 17 Requires
Accompanying Parent Or
Adult Guardian."
In the opinion of the
Rating Board, this film
definitely contains some
adult material. Parents
are strongly urged to
find out more about this
film before they allow
their children to
accompany them.
An R-rated film may
include hard language,
or tough violence, or
nudity within sensual
scenes, or drug abuse or
other elements, or a
combination of some of
the above, so that
parents are counseled,
in advance, to take this
advisory rating very
seriously. Parents must
find out more about an
R-rated movie before
they allow their
teenagers to view it.
NC-17: "No One 17
And Under Admitted."
This rating declares
that the Rating Board
believes that this is a
film that most parents
will consider patently
too adult for their
youngsters under 17. No
children will be
admitted. NC-17 does not
necessarily mean
"obscene or
pornographic" in the
oft-accepted or legal
meaning of those words.
The Board does not and
cannot mark films with
those words. These are
legal terms and for
courts to decide. The
reasons for the
application of an NC-17
rating can be violence
or sex or aberrational
behavior or drug abuse
or any other elements
which, when present,
most parents would
consider too strong and
therefore off-limits for
viewing by their
children.
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