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mqx

Seattle

Member Since 2003

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Thursday Aug 05, 2004

Aug 4, 2004
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I had planned to devote an entry on the San Diego Comicon, but something else came up again... so, a little another diversion, if you will. Comicon highlights later.

My comments in theAVP Hate Thread (actually, I started it), got me thinking more about the PG-13 rating; which I have called the death of action movies.

First, a little history.

PG-13 was a rating created solely as a response to films becoming more violent and intense in the mid 80s. Specifically, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. More specifically, Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg came on the scene in the late 70s with a little movie called 'Jaws'. 'Jaws', besides being a masterpiece of Spielberg's career, was the touchstone for two dumb events of the modern era: a foreshadowing of the PG-13 rating, and the Hollywood blockbuster mentality.

That second thing is for a later time.

'Jaws' was originally released or pulled, then re-released, with an 'R' rating. With some careful dickering with the MPAA, Spielberg pushed it back to a PG and began a long career of pushing the limits of the rating board.

With nothing really overtly violent, his direction style and excellent use of John William's music, made things seem much more intense than they should. Up until then, the rating pretty much split down the lines of blood or tits. Enough of either one and they busted out the 'R'.

But, as the 80s progressed, the violence in the 'R' rated movies got so intense, the normal violence in the PG movies seemed tamer and tamer.

Then, in 81, Spielberg's first Raiders hit. Lots of violence (melting faces for crying out loud), very intense... but, only PG. In 82, what I consider the first real cornerstone that PG-13 was built on, Poltergeist; produced by and said to be at least partially directed by Spielberg. Interestingly enough, that year also saw two very 'R' rated movies come out, Conan the Barbarian (featuring massive blood and delimbing) and John Carpenter's The Thing. Blade Runner and First Blood, also rated 'R', paled by comparison.

83 was the calm before the storm, and Scarface and Valley Girl held both ends of the 'R' rating that year. Spielberg didn't put anything out that year. Well, the calmest segment of the Twilight Zone movie, but who's counting?

So, 1984 comes out, and with it Temple of Doom and Gremlins (which Spielberg produced). Both amazingly violent 'adventure' films, both rated PG. Creatures being blown up in microwaves, hearts being pulled out of human chests, child labor camps, and Indiana Jones smacking his elementary school aged helper/slave upside the head, lots of whipping, etc, etc.

Needless to say, people freaked out. Probably the same people that still freak out over violence in movies today, but, needless to say, Something Needed to be Done.

The solution was a middle rating, PG-13. Created quickly, it was instituted on July 1st, 1984. The last movie that missed being caught in its net was Conan the Destroyer. A campy, watered down sequel... it was obvious that Hollywood was already figuring out how to take the edge off of interesting action movies to appeal to a younger crowd that doesn't know any better.

Red Dawn was the first PG-13 movie, which came out in August. The violence in that isn't any more or less different than the random 'R' or 'PG' movies of the era.

It took a little time to figure out how to make the PG-13 work; but since I know you folks don't like to read this much, I'll save the rest of the story for my next entry.


unravled:
What interests me most is the amount of violence they'll put up with before slapping an R rating on it versus the amount of sex.
Aug 5, 2004

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