In order to understand film classification decisions and the role of the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) better, I looked at 3 films of different genres and thought about why the film was given the certificate that it already has, and if & why I would change the certificate. The first film I looked at was Nightmare On Elm Street (2010), which is an 18 certificate. It is easy to see why this film is an 18, as it shows a lot of gory violence and has deeply disturbing psychological horror themes. In the case of this film, I wouldn't change the certificate as I think it fits the content of the film well.
The next film I looked at was Girl, Interrupted (1999), which is a 15 certificate. This film revolves mainly around adult themes such as suicide, although to a younger audience this may not be obvious. There are a few scenes which make it obvious why this film has a 15 certificate, though these scenes are short and could easily be cut out if the film was marketed towards a younger audience. However I think that considering the film generally would appeal to an older and more mature audience, the certificate is fitting.
The next film I looked at was Girl, Interrupted (1999), which is a 15 certificate. This film revolves mainly around adult themes such as suicide, although to a younger audience this may not be obvious. There are a few scenes which make it obvious why this film has a 15 certificate, though these scenes are short and could easily be cut out if the film was marketed towards a younger audience. However I think that considering the film generally would appeal to an older and more mature audience, the certificate is fitting.
-large-picture.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*) |
Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie in Girl, Interrupted |
The last film I looked at was Heathers, which was given an 18 certificate in the UK and and R certificate in the USA. I disagree with this rating: although the film does display adult themes such as teenage murderers and suicide, it is definitely not scary or shocking enough to warrant an R rating, as the film generally gives the 'scarier' moments a satirical edge. Heathers definitely should not have been given an older age rating than Girl, Interrupted, however I think that the reason Girl, Interrupted was a 15 and Heathers was given an 18 certificate could be because of the 11 years between their release. I would have given this film a 15 certificate rather than an 18, because of the reasons I listed above, and the fact that recently with the rise of the internet and easier access to films, Heathers has become incredibly popular with a younger teenage audience, and so in marketing this to 18+ year olds, the distributors missed out on a huge demographic.
Winona Ryder in Heathers (above) and the IMDB Parents' Guide page for Heathers (below)
No comments:
Post a Comment