I thought the films “A Decade Under The Influence” and “This Film Is Not Yet Rated” went together very well and it was upsetting to miss out on the conversations we may have had on these films in class. They both touch on the topic of what is appropriate and for what audience it is appropriate for.

The 70s can be looked back as more of a revolutionary renaissance when it comes to just about anything. It was a time where people wanted to express themselves and live their lives how they wanted to. At the same time they wanted films to express current issues and relatable things. This also opened up the acceptance of sexuality and gore in movies and ultimately loosened up the ratings. They film makers were getting some very edgy films compared to what they were before and had to understand what was happening in the world around them when they went to make their ratings. It seemed like these critics just like the rest of the country at the time started to open their eyes and approach this realistically. Coming from a period of recent change in the African American community and amongst women this was a time for them to truly shine and express themselves. Before there were not a lot of young or even female directors readily accepted and it was very hard to earn a name in the film industry. In the late 60s and 70s they basically opened the doors to all of these new and highly motivated film makers and directors and some of the greatest movies came out of it.

“This Film Is Not Yet Rated” delves into the world of film rating and the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and some of the more behind the scenes deals and bias influencing a movie’s cautionary rating. In some ways I don’t really mind how the board wanted to be anonymous but we need an understanding of who is rating our movies the way they are being rated and why. As it has been said before they are playing God with nobody to hold them accountable. I feel like we all used to take movie ratings for granted. This film has opened my mind up to the bias and secrecy behind movie ratings but also to how hard their job must be. Although we have a current movie rating system there is no consensus as to what is appropriate and what is not when you get down to it. It’s obvious that everyone views the world differently, and some people might find sex to be less of an issue than violence and vice versa. Especially in this world we are experiencing a change in the social acceptances of many different things as we grow and begin to understand them for what they are. I feel like we’ve experienced something similar back in the 70s as well. At some point we are going to realize and come to terms with the reality of todays world and what we are expected to accept and be comfortable with.

I think that some of this all comes back to appeasing the majority rather than the minority when it comes to movie ratings. If we can hold the MPAA accountable and assure quality and consistent movie ratings across the board with clear communication to the public about any changes in policy there can be a lot of good done for the film industry, but mainly for the quality/experience the viewer takes away from the movie.

There’s a lot that you need to ask yourself as you go to think about movie ratings in terms of how we are progressing as a society. One of the first questions I asked myself while approaching this new topic was “should a movie with scenes of homosexual sex receive a higher rating than that of the same movie but with heterosexual sex scenes?” but another question I feel that should be asked is “do either of these scenes make you more uncomfortable than the other, and should that affect the movie rating?”