The Naked Truth: Why Hollywood Doesn't Make X-rated Movies

by Kevin S. Sandler

From parents and teachers to politicians and policymakers, there is a din of voices participating in the debate over how young people are affected by violence, strong language, and explicit sexual activity in films. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) responded to this concern in 1968 when it introduced a classification and rating system based on the now well-known "G," "PG," PG-13," "R," and "X." For some, these simple tags are an efficient way to protect children from viewing undesirable content. But do the MPAA ratings only protect children? In The Naked Trut h, Kevin S. Sandler argues that perhaps even more than viewers, ratings protect the Hollywood film industry. One prime indicator of this is the collective abandonment of the NC-17 rating in 1990 by the major distributors of the MPAA and the main exhibitors of the National Association of Theatre Owners. By categorizing all films released by Hollywood and destined for mainstream theaters into R ratings (or lower), the industry ensures that its products are perceived as "responsible entertainment"—films accessible by all audiences and acceptable to Hollywood's various critics and detractors.

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2007

Reviews

[Jeremiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a little repetitive at times, as if a series of lectures on the same subject had been stitched together into a book, but Sandler still delivers. It is at its best when dealing with specific cuts that movies made to avoid NC-17 ratings. There are only a handful of MPAA insiders who have released books about the inner workings, but Sandler has wisely quoted from those few sources liberally. It is a good followup to, but not nearly as concise as, the documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated. I recommend it for movie buffs, and anyone who is interesting in the seemingly capricious and arbitrary ways that movies are rated, but be prepared for some redundancies and academic prose.