Hollywood directors call for overhaul of movie ratings system

From CNN Producer Eden Pontz

LOS ANGELES (CNN)-- A group of top Hollywood directors Thursday called for an overhaul of the current ratings system and a "zero tolerance" policy for underage admission by theater owners.

The Director's Guild of America Task Force on Violence and Social Responsibility issued its recommendations one day after lawmakers in Washington blasted the entertainment industry for what a new report -- released Monday by the Federal Trade Commission -- describes as the marketing of violent movies, music and games to children.

"There's a lot of finger pointing to Hollywood, there's a lot of criticism, and I believe it's a little bit unbalanced," said director Rob Reiner. "We're trying to take and be responsible."

Director Paris Barclay said parents need to do a better job of regulating what their children listen too and see.

The task force recommended a "simple, clean and detailing rating" for all media that parents and other consumers could use.

Reiner said the system in place today is not effective in getting the best information to parents and guardians who supervise what films their children see. "We are more than willing to get involved in forming a new system," he said.

Directors Barclay, Wes Craven and Brad Silberling also joined DGA President Jack Shea at the press conference. The group endorsed an "industry-devised code of conduct" for marketing motion pictures.

The task force advocated a new system that would give parents and other consumers the most detailed information possible regarding the "true nature and content of films (or other media)" and the reason for its rating. "We want parents to be able to make informed decisions for themselves and for their children," Shea said.

The task force urged the industry to adopt references that more clearly delineate a film's "intended" audience.

"Under the current system, all children under 17 are treated equally. However, while some films may be appropriate for older children to see with parental accompaniment, some are inappropriate for younger children under any circumstances," Reiner said, reading the task force's statement. "This problem needs to be addressed."

"The NC-17 rating that currently exists has been an abject failure," he said. "Many films that should not been seen by minors are recut so that they receive a hard R rating. This has the effect of not only compromising filmmakers' visions, but also greatly increasing the likelihood that adult-oriented movies are seen by the very groups for which they are not intended."

Barclay said the explosion of the Internet means there will soon be more types of films and more ways to access them than ever. "We must do something to revise the system now -- before things get completely out of control," he said.

FTC report on entertainment marketing sparks outrage on Capitol Hill
September 13, 2000

See related sites about MOVIES

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.