From: johnson@spectra.com (boyd johnson)
Subject: Re: why the hang-up on NC17?
Organization: Spectragraphics Corporation
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 20:57:19 GMT

In article <1992Nov15.062915.26252@leland.Stanford.EDU> firestar@leland.Stanford.EDU (Lipton Ann Meredith) writes:
>In article <1992Nov15.044137.5024@spectra.com> johnson@spectra.com (boyd johnson) writes:
>>
>>Please don't confuse the R and NC-17 ratings.  NC-17 is simply a
>>renaming of the X rating, no-one allowed under age 17, which implies not
>>only "sexuality, naked breasts" but fully viewable sex acts
>>complete with genitilia.  Besides that it usually means there is no
>>plot to the movie.  I'm not making a statement, just clearing it up.
>>
>
>I'm sorry, but I think you've been misinformed.  NC17 wasn't created
>just to rename X -- it's simply that since X has been associated with
>pornography, such as you describe, the industry felt that respectable films
>that were just too intense for people under seventeen were in effect censored
>by the X rating.  So NC17 was created to differentiate between graphic,
>sometimes frightening films, and straight pornography.  Please keep in
>mind the classic Midnight Cowboy, starring Dustin Hoffman, and Best Picture
>winner, was rated X.  I don't think anyone ever accused it of being plotless.

Thanks to all who helped clear this up for me.
It appears that a Canadian 'R' rating is the same as an American 'NC17'
rating (with the exception of the age 18 requirement in Canada).

Also NC17 appears to have been created to designate the same type of
movie the X rating was "originally" intended for before X became
synonomous with porno films.  I had misunderstood comments made when the 
rating was created for the purpose of overcoming the stigma attached to 
X ratings.

The X rating is apparently still alive and well and only seems to
indicate the movie's main purpose is to display explicit sex.
I'm sure I'll get disagreements on that also. :)

Midnight Cowboy was indeed a classic, unlike NC17 movies such as Wild
Orchid which had the thinnest of plots and, though less explicit than
the typical X rating would comfortably fit in that rating.

As to the 'plotless' comment, notice I said these ratings "_usually_
means there is no plot".  More accurately I should have said a story line
that could usually be completely described in a couple minutes.

From my reply to the one email reply I got to this article:

> >>Oh, didn't you know that it leads to a lack of "Family Values" and
> >>teen pregnancy and all??
> >
> >Well, it certainly doesn't help get rid of the "women always want it
> >even if they say they don't" attitude.
> 
> What does THIS have to do with anything???

That's what I get for being too brief on this whole article.
There is a common theme in most X and NC-17 movies of women that resist
the forced advances of men, but within a minute go into a sexual frenzy
and have changed their minds.
This has been attributed to helping rapists justify their attacks on
women, at least for date rape and even stranger rape.
I'd say this has a great deal to do with both family values and teen
pregnancy.  If the connection still isn't clear I can elaborate, but I
really didn't want to make this a big political argument.

-- 
======== Boyd Johnson    nosc!spectra.com!johnson  San Diego, Ca. ========
Xref: sparky rec.arts.movies:33221 rec.video:13705