NC-17 : To be or not to be

by Daniel Herrera

With this weekend’s announcement that the upcoming comedy from Sasha Baron Cohen has been given an NC-17 rating, Bruno now adds itself to the list of films ‘unsuitable’ for children under 17. The film was only given the rating after its first submission to the MPAA so odds are it will be re-edited down to a respectable R rating to earn more money. Studios are notorious for not releasing films in theatres that get an NC-17 rating in order to recoup their funds.

This process began back in 1989 when the Peter Greenaway film The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover was the first film ever to receive the NC-17 label after the MPAA originally gave the film an X rating, but due to a large outcry over the films artistic integrity the new rating was created with approval from then president Jack Valenti.

Now, with most theatre chains out right refusing to show NC-17 films in their theatres for fear of public outcry, and the fact that they will not earn enough money, many studios now market their films with a ‘Hard R’ rating. The fake moniker has not been approved or denied by the MPAA and is just swept under the rug as its films contain scenes which under normal circumstances would be given an NC-17 rating.

Truth be told those films slapped with the NC-17 rating have historically not made that much money– as seen below– but what you got to wonder is that those films mentioned are all mainly independent films and some films of ‘lesser quality’.

Following grosses taken from box office mojo

1	2340	Showgirls	MGM	$20,350,754	1995
2	3195	Henry & June	Uni.	$11,567,449	1990
3	3687	The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover	Mira.	$7,724,701	1990
4	4146	Bad Education	SPC	$5,211,842	2004
5	4267	Lust, Caution	Focus	$4,604,982	2007
6	4392	Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!	Mira.	$4,087,361	1990
7	4812	The Dreamers	FoxS	$2,532,228	2004
8	5026	Crash (1996)	FL	$2,038,450	1996
9	5054	Bad Lieutenant	Aries	$2,000,022	1992
10	5226	Wide Sargasso Sea	NL	$1,614,784	1993
11	5360	A Dirty Shame	FL	$1,339,668	2004
12	5672	Whore	Trim.	$1,008,404	1991
13	5898	Young Adam	SPC	$767,373	2004
14	5989	Inside Deep Throat	Uni.	$691,880	2005
15	6056	Dice Rules	7Art	$637,327	1991
16	6106	Orgazmo	Oct.	$602,302	1998
17	6260	Bent	Gold.	$496,059	1997
18	6739	Tokyo Decadence	N.Arts	$277,845	1993
19	6995	Matador	WA	$206,952	1988
20	7001	Man Bites Dog	Roxie	$205,569	1993

From the past 17 years only 19 films were released in theatres under the NC-17 rating. Compare that to the number of films released each ear. According to the most recent data from the MPAA, 2007 saw 603 films released in the U.S theatrically.

Some films that were originally given the NC-17 rating and then changed to an R or a Hard R include:

The Godfather part III

Boys Don’t Cry

Last Tango in Paris

Requiem for a Dream ( I think we all know for what scene)

Pulp Fiction

The Wild Bunch- This 1969 film also holds the distinction for being originally an R rated film when it was shown in theatres and released on video then in 1993 when the film was gearing up for a re-release in theatres the film was then rated NC-17.

Of these few films mentioned all share on common element. They are all Oscar nominated films. Now of course the Oscars are by no means the end all as to what a great movie is, but it does certainly add questions as to whether quality films can earn respect with the NC-17 label. Either way with only 19 films released in the past 17 years there certainly is room for more films to come whether or not the films earns huge dollars at the box office.