- For decades, film content was governed by the 1930 Production Code (also known as the Hays Code, after the man who was largely responsible for creating it). The Code was a response to complaints during the 1920s about what was seen as growing immorality in the movies. The Code started as a list of subjects that should be avoided. While some, like restrictions on language and nudity, were straightforward, others were much more vague. For example, the Code forbade ridicule of religion and specified that clergy were not to be portrayed as comic figures or as villains. The sanctity of marriage and the home had to be respected. Though characters might commit acts like adultery, they had to be punished for them by the end, never rewarded.
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By the late 1960s, the Code seemed increasingly out of touch with American life. The MPAA, which had grown out of the original industry association that founded the Hays Office, decided it was time for an update. This update would be the first incarnation of the ratings system as we know it today. The idea behind the new system was to allow filmmakers to make the movies they wanted to make, but then to warn audiences of what the film included so they could decide for themselves whether to see it or not.
The ratings system was first introduced in 1968, and included four ratings: G - General Audiences, M - Mature Audiences, R - meaning those under 16 could only be admitted in the company of a parent or guardian, and X - meaning no one 17 or younger would be admitted.
The system changed over the years. Audiences were often unsure whether the M rating was stronger than R or not, and so it was replaced with the PG rating, meaning all audiences are admitted but parental guidance is suggested. The PG-13 rating was added in 1984 to provide a rating for films that were stronger than PG but not necessarily strong enough for an R rating. Finally, the controversial and mishandled X rating was retired in 1990 and replaced with the current NC-17 rating. -
Film ratings are determined before a film is released. In general, the studio knows what rating it wants a film to have for its own marketing purposes. Indeed a director is usually contractually obligated to deliver a cut of a film at a certain rating.
The proposed film is submitted to the MPAA's Classification and Rating Administration. Better known as the Ratings Board, this group is supposedly composed of a demographically representative group of parents, but very little is actually known about how the group is chosen. Producers submit films to the board, which views them and then votes on a rating. If the producer isn't happy with the rating their film receives, they can re-edit it and resubmit it in an attempt to get a different rating.
This often leads to arguments with the board, and a film being recut and resubmitted many times to get the desired rating. It has also led to the rise of "Unrated Director's Cuts" on DVD, which restore material that had to be removed to get a rating for theatrical release. -
The ratings system is considerably more flexible than the old Hays Code. It recognizes that New York City and a small town in Texas may well have very different standards, and doesn't try to impose a "one size fits all" solution on the entire industry. In this way, the ratings system gives both filmmakers and audiences more freedom.
There is still, however, push-back from social conservatives who consider many movies too immoral and think they shouldn't be shown.
The ratings system is technically voluntary. The first amendment's guarantees of free speech mean that, in theory, filmmakers can say anything they want in their movies. But it was nonetheless very difficult to get a film that didn't obey the Hays Code into theaters, and it's almost as difficult to distribute an NC-17 rated film today. Most major theater chains make a policy of not showing any NC-17 rated film, for fear of complaints from religious and family values groups. However, since the system is voluntary, occasionally a producer will simply ignore the ratings system entirely and not submit a film for rating if they know it will get an NC-17. It can be difficult to get an unrated film distributed as well, but this gives theater chains a loophole if they want to show such movies. - One major misunderstanding about the ratings system was the XXX rating. The original X rating was an afterthought and was never trademarked as part of the ratings system by the MPAA. Thus, anybody could deliberately attach an X rating to their film without even submitting it to the Ratings Board. Almost immediately, the X rating was seized upon by the pornography industry which used it as a badge of honor--and indeed one-upped it with the "triple X" rating which presumably was three times as strong as a mere X. In fact, XXX has never been an official part of the ratings system and pornographic movies are almost never submitted for ratings.
