It is easy to believe that censorship of the media is a thing of the past in the United States. But that is far from the truth. There is an organization of people who decide if films contain "objectionable" material and ultimately determine who can see them, where films can be sold and viewed, and force filmmakers re-edited their films to suit their desires and get the rating the studio wants. These people are the MPAA raters and all we know about them is that they are "average american parents" and they have a monopoly on the ratings system. That is until now. In the documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated, director Kirby Dick not only hires a private investigator to find the identities of the raters, but unveils the unsettling truth about the MPAA's unethical practices and their control on the media. This film is fascinating, funny, and truly frightening. It is my opinion that everyone should watch it before the next time they go to the movies. This Film Is Not Yet Rated is available here at the Fogelson Library (I just re-shelved it today), so take a brisk 5 minute walk from your dorm and go pick it up! Even the deleted scenes are funny and intersting.
You can watch the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTL3XMDwY0c
And preview the first 10 minutes of the film here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjJ56BUPnSw
Information on film censorship from the National Colatition Against Censorship:
http://www.ncac.org/action_issues/Film.cfm
Some interesting and current news about the MPAA rating system:
http://www.ncac.org/entertainment/20070130~USA~MPAA_Weighs_Ratings_Reform.cfm
