6 Crazy Film Ratings Decision Battles

It’s censors vs filmmakers… Gloves off!

Apr 9th 2009


The film: A Dirty Shame (2004)

The rating: NC-17

The story: It’s John Waters at his envelope-shoving, filthy minded full power. Was anyone really shocked when the MPAA delivered the rating?

Producer Christine Vachon, apparently, was. “I think that just two years ago, the MPAA would have given A Dirty Shame an R,” she said. “I think the pressure has to do with the current administration, and [there is] this encroaching feeling constantly of the notion of family values.” Got to say we doubt it on that occasion.

Apparently the MPAA told Waters that if they’d edited everything they wanted out, the film would have been trimmed from 99 minutes to a scant 10. A version was eventually produced for “collectors” on DVD that nabbed an R.

Did it affect the box office? The controversy didn’t stoke anyone to rush out and see it. The movie scraped to just over a million dollars.

The verdict: Loss!
 

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Comments

    • Mart15

      Apr 10th 2009, 13:49

      Everyone should praise the modern BBFC, if only because we don't have to put up with this kind of censorship.

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    • fishosaurus

      Apr 11th 2009, 12:31

      I agree with Mart15. The MPAA are a bunch of hypocritical catholic mothers who are happy to let people watch guns, violence, homophobia, mysogeny and other general religious nastiness (which ISN'T natural and most dont do in real life), but nearly pass out at the idea of two people having sex (which IS natural and most do in real life). This leads to the common ridiculous situation of a film filled with bloody violence, horror and suffering depicting a sex scene with their bottom halves under the covers and their top halves fully clothed! WHO HAS SEX LIKE THAT! Just because they are moronically ashamed and embarressed by sex doesn't mean normal people are! IDIOTS.

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    • fishosaurus

      Apr 11th 2009, 12:35

      The MPAA are a bunch of hypocritical catholic mothers trying to force their ridiculous dogmatic nonsense (sex is evil - but guns, violence, torture, horror, homophobia, mysogeny etc are ok) on the rest of us. IDIOTS.

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    • fishosaurus

      Apr 11th 2009, 12:37

      Sorry for double post, didn't think first one succeeded (because maybe too long) so did a shorter version.

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