X rating
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2010) |
An X rating is a film rating that indicates that the film contains content that is considered to be suitable only for adults. Films with an X rating may have scenes of graphic violence or explicit sexual acts that may be disturbing or offensive to some viewers. The X rating is used in different ways by different countries, and it may have legal or commercial implications for the distribution and exhibition of such films. For example, some countries may ban or restrict the sale or rental of X-rated films, while others may allow them only in specific theaters or with special taxes. Some countries may also have different criteria or definitions for what constitutes an X-rated film, and some may consider the artistic merit of the film as a factor in classification. The X rating has been replaced or renamed by other ratings in some countries over time.
Australia
The Australian Classification Board (ACB, formerly known as the OFLC), a government institution, issues ratings for all movies and television shows exhibited, televised, sold, or hired in Australia. Material showing explicit, non-simulated sex that is pornographic in nature is rated X18+.[citation needed]
People under 18 may not buy, rent, exhibit, or view these films in cinemas. The exhibition or sale of these films to people under the age of 18 years is a criminal offence carrying a maximum fine of $5,500. Films classified as X18+ are forbidden from being sold or rented anywhere in the six states of Australia. They are legally available to be sold or hired in the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. Importing X18+ material from these territories to any of the Australian states is legal, as the constitution forbids any restrictions on trade between the states and territories.[citation needed]
France
Films may be shown in theaters in France only after classification by an administrative commission of the Ministry of Culture. In 1975, the X classification (officially: "pornographic or violence-inciting movies") was created for pornographic movies, or movies with successions of scenes of graphic violence. The commission has some leeway in classification; it may for instance take into account the artistic qualities of a movie to not count it as "pornographic". Movies with an X rating may only be shown in specific theaters; they bear special taxes and tax rates, including a 33% tax on revenue.[citation needed]
In 2000, some conservative associations sued the government for granting the movie
United Kingdom
The original X certificate, replacing the
Sometimes the rating of a film has changed significantly over time. For example, the French film
United States
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2018) |
In the
Because the X rating was not trademarked, anybody could apply it to their films, including pornographers, as many began to do in the 1970s. As
See also
- Censorship
- List of NC-17 rated films
- Motion Picture Production Code
- Strong language
- Television content rating system
- .xxx, top-level Internet domain
References
- ^ "Wheare Report, The (1950)". Screenonline. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ "Jules and Jim". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
- ^ Case Study:Battleship Potemkin Archived March 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Backstory RoboCop AMC". YouTube. Archived from the original on July 18, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ Rotslter, William. Contemporary Erotic Cinema. New York: Penthouse/Ballantine Books, 1973. page 251.
External links
- Screen Online article about the X certificate
- Refused Classification Website covering in varying detail many films that have run foul of the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification, with separate sections for hardcore films and video games
- Explanation of X-ratings in the US
- How "X-rated" Came to Mean "Porn" and the Death of Movies for Grown-ups A brief history of the social and legal forces that drove adult themes out of the legitimate cinema, by film director Tony Comstock
- Australian government says yes to R18+ video games bill