I was watching an interesting film the other night called Indie Sex: Censored on IFC.
One of the more interesting tidbits was that when the X rating first came out it was for films like Midnight Cowboy and Last Tango In Paris — actual artistic films that depict adult themes unsuitable for kids. Then Deep Throat came out which was essentially a comedic hard core porn, and based on it’s massive commercial success the “adult film” industry was born making an X rating synonymous with pornography.
The NC-17 rating was produced to try to increase the respectability of adult films. Unfortunately, Showgirls came out in an attempt to legitimize the new rating and its subsequent box office bombing has had lasting repercussions for theaters and rental agencies willingness to show movies bearing the rating.
I get frustrated because film is, for me, an opportunity to experience the filmmaker’s world for a brief span. I really like the opportunity to see the world for a bit through someone else’s eyes and to have that perspective sanitized for consumption by children leaves me wanting something more realistic.
It also irritates me in a larger social sense as well. One of the issues that I dealt with when working for MPP was the massive misunderstandings that exist in our society in relation to mild-altering substances.
