In my opinion, this is just the homophobic MPAA, which slaps an R rating on any film that is about homosexuality, even when there are no sex scenes. This is thanks to the influence of the White House and Religious Fundamentalists, the same as in Iran, Maylasia, and places like that.
The American rating system is typical hypocritical politics, and should be abandoned. So long as it stands, American films rarely venture outside the peurile. The film-makers have to make their venture capital back and a good profit, and they fear the power of the MPAA. So all American films, even the really good ones, are kept from being as good as they could be. Of course, it also affects foreign films made for the American market.
This major problem, i.e. censorship in film-making, will stand for as long as we have this religion-based rating system. It is the major reason that the film industry is in a very big slump, and it is the major reason that American film-goers have very poor taste in films.
Furthermore, in my opinion, such a censorship bureaucracy is un-Constitutional, and abrogates the guarantee of Free Speech. I believe that film-makers should be given complete freedom, and then the marketplace would be the judge of what people want to see, not the government. I despise Big-Brotherism, and that's why I go on and on.
Here's looking at you, kid.
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i-f-d-e
19 years ago
Hi Donny-31. I totally agree with you, and would like to discuss some things:
- It seems really strange such a strong power of religion in your country (i'm taking for granted that you are from the US), especially being a multi religious country. I live in Spain, where Catholicism used to be the only one, so its power was really strong. But nowadays, we are trying to be independent from the Church, and it is losing power. And I guess the same proccess is taking place through the whole Europe.
- I have seen some American gay themed movies, and they can't be compared to European ones (please, do not take me for the typical European who thinks we are superior to Americans). But it is true that here we approach to this kind of themes with more freedom, and less afraid of showing everything. I have seen American movies which made me blush (Eating Out, for example) because they use the same stereotypes over and over.
- However, in the US there are the best TV series, where they approach the gay themes with an incredible good taste or without the "prejudice" of films. I am thinking, for instance, of Sex and the City, or Six Feet Under. Why do you think that series can show a man looking for same sex encounters with prostitutes, or gay relations as naturally as straight ones, but films cannot?? Why can Sex and the city be so popular, but Alexander be a failure, or Janet Jackson's breast be a reason for suing the TV channel?
- And finally you say: it is the major reason that American film-goers have very poor taste in films. Well, here artists have more freedom to show whatever they want, but the box-office top is full of commercial Hollywood films.
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Philippien
19 years ago
At which age can you watch a film when it's R rated. because I have my dvd here and it says 12 years, so you can watch at the age of 12 and above, it's a Dutch version (dutch subtitles), with also french subtitles and a french dub so maybe it is also for Belgium and France, but maybe they rate it there differently, so I can't say anything about those 2 countries, and also the box says nothing about it containning sex and bad language but the dvd is about 2 years old so maybe that is changed now because the rules are a bit stricter now I think.
I'm Dutch, what's your excuse
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