MPAA adds smoking as film-rating factor

[Zoneboy]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070511/...NTZJJ0DHRxFb8C

LOS ANGELES - Smoking will be a bigger factor in determining film ratings, the Motion Picture Association of America said Thursday, but critics said the move does not go far enough to discourage teens from taking up the habit.

MPAA Chairman Dan Glickman said his group's ratings board, which previously had considered underage smoking in assigning film ratings, now will take into account smoking by adults, as well.

That adds smoking to a list of such factors as sex, violence and language in determining the MPAA's G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17 ratings.

Film raters will consider the pervasiveness of tobacco use, whether it glamorizes smoking and the context in which smoking appears, as in movies set in the past when smoking was more common.

Some critics of Hollywood's depictions of tobacco in films have urged that movies that show smoking be assigned an R rating, which would restrict those younger than 17 from seeing them.

"I'm glad it's finally an issue they're taking up, but what they're proposing does not go far enough and is not going to make a difference," said Kori Titus, spokeswoman for Breathe California, which opposes film images of tobacco use that might encourage young people to start smoking.

Glickman said a mandatory R rating for smoking would not "further the specific goal of providing information to parents on this issue."

Smoking in movies with a G, PG or PG-13 rating has been on the decline, and the "percentage of films that included even a fleeting glimpse of smoking" declined from 60 percent to 52 percent between July 2004 and July 2006," Glickman said.

Of those films, three-fourths received an R rating for other reasons, he said.

"That means there's not a great amount of films in the unrestricted category as it stands," said Joan Graves, who heads the ratings board. "We're not saying we're ignoring the issue. We're trying the best way possible according to what we've learned from parents to give them information about what's in a film."

Titus said smoking in films had declined in recent years but remains more prevalent than MPAA figures indicate.

Descriptions on sex, violence and language that accompany movie ratings now will include such phrases as "glamorized smoking" or "pervasive smoking," Glickman said.

If rated today, a film such as 2005's "Good Night, and Good Luck," about chain-smoking newsman Edward R. Murrow, would have carried a "pervasive smoking" tag but probably would have retained its PG rating because of its historical context in the 1950s, Graves said.

Titus said film raters should be as tough on smoking as they are on bad language to minimize the effects of on-screen smoking on children, including her own 5-year-old daughter.

"I don't want her using that language, but last time I checked, she's probably not going to die from that," Titus said. "If she starts smoking from these images she sees in movies, chances are she's probably going to die early from that."

While Titus' group wants tougher ratings restrictions, the MPAA released statements of support for its plan from John Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society, U.S. Sen. Joe Biden and filmmaker Rob Reiner, among others.

"By placing smoking on a par with considerations of violence and sex, the rating board has acknowledged the public-health dangers to children associated with glamorized images of a toxic and lethal addiction to tobacco," Barry Bloom, dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, said in a statement.

[Zoneboy]

This is ludicrous, A person under the age of 17 can watch a movie or tv show at home with smoking but the possibility of them no longer being allowed inside a theater because a character in a movie smokes is downright dumb.

It's my belief that kids take up smoking more-so from peer pressure or the fact that their parents do it than from anything they see on tv or in the movies. My parents, grandparents & alot of my friends smoked and I did try it once in school because I was pressured into it by a friend. I smoked about half of a cigarette and didn't like it. That was 30 years ago and I've never touched another.

The point I'm trying to make it as that I was influenced by peer-pressure and not because of what I saw in a movie or tv show. Even today episodes of various shows that include smoking are still being aired. What's the next rating gonna be, TV-S? (Smoking) I think education should be the main focus not barring someone from seeing a movie.

[catlover79]

I'm not surprised.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by catlover79

I'm not surprised.

Neither am I but people have smoked in movies and on tv for many years so why all of a sudden is it a cause for concern? If a parent smokes in front of their kid, That does more harm than seeing it at the movies.

[Lex Luthor]

I guess if there is driving in the movies they should make it NC 17 as well because they can't drive yet.

This is just taking things too far

[Zoneboy]

The MPAA might can dictate what is seen by someone under 17 in a theater but those movies will ultimately be released on dvd, cable and available for download which they have no control over. If teens want to see a movie bad enough, They will.

[comedyfreak]

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

people have smoked in movies and on tv for many years so why all of a sudden is it a cause for concern? If a parent smokes in front of their kid, That does more harm than seeing it at the movies.

Exactly! Plus what does it have to do with how to determine if a movie is suitable for someone under 17 if they're going by smoking as opposed to sex, drug use, or sex. They're going to have to give it a separate rating. This makes no sense at all.

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

The MPAA might can dictate what is seen by someone under 17 in a theater but those movies will ultimately be released on dvd, cable and available for download which they have no control over. If teens want to see a movie bad enough, They will.

I agree 100%. Couldn't have put it any better myself.

[Zoneboy]

Here's food for thought, Kid's under 17 won't be allowed to see a movie because of the smoking but I'm sure the theater will not limit their trips to the snack bar to buy buttered popcorn, soda, raisinets etc... And I thought childhood obesity was just as big a concern as teen smoking.

[comedyfreak]

Excellent point.

[catlover79]

I worked in the box office of a movie theater for over 6 years and you're all absolutely right. I've lost track of all the kids I busted for sneaking into the R movies, how many IDs I checked, how many excuses I heard, how many times I was cussed out. They'll try anything to get into an R-rated movie if you refuse them. Plus, most of them smoke anyway!!

[TJL]

Hollywood has no problems cranking out torture porn like Hostel and The Hills Have Eyes, but Angelina Jolie smoking a Marlboro will bring the end to civilization as we know it.