CHINA, ENTERTAINMENT, COMMENTARY: What Can Film Classification Do?
By Louise Liu
Films have never been distinctly and strictly classified in China. We do label some films as "Unsuitable for Children." Unfortunately, its good intention has been taken advantage of for vicious purposes. Somehow the label "unsuitable" has become an indicator of violence, nudity, and sex, which caters to the appetites of certain people. So these films are promoted to attract particular audiences even when they are actually suitable for the general public. In such cases, these audiences feel cheated after seeing such films. Some producers even deliberately add nude scenes into a film to make it "unsuitable." All of these behaviors are in defiance of the classification system.
In contrast, in many other countries films are strictly classified.
In America, according to the MPAA (Motion Pictures Association of America), there are 5 categories of movies: G (General Audience); PG (Parental Guidance Suggested), PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned); R (Restricted), NC-17 (No One Under 17 Admitted). They are classified according to the proportion of nudity, violence, bad language, terror, etc., in the content.
In Britain, 6 categories are classified as Universal, suitable for pre-school children, Universal, under 12, under 15, under 18, and R18. In Hong Kong, films are classified into three levels: for the general audience, unsuitable for children, and for adults. The classification systems are different but similar in the purpose of protecting children from bad influences.
In Mainland China, there are no such strict restrictions, which doesn't mean that the films being shown in our cinemas are all proper for the general public. For example, the blockbuster Saving Private Ryan was put on the silver screen years ago in Mainland China and no special introductions were given. Many parents took their kids to the cinema. As a result, the audience, especially the children, were stunned, or horrified by the bloody scenes, not mentioning the frequent usage of dirty words. The film was graded as an "R" in the states, but it met no restrictions at all in Chinese markets. And its DVD is available to everyone in supermarkets or video stores.
Nowadays, the children are encouraged to learn English through watching English-speaking films. A very interesting phenomenon can be noticed among the children: Having been exposed to lots of English films, they've made quite limited progress in their language studies, but they become more and more familiar with taboos such as shit, damn and fuck.
That's an important reason why so many people are appealing for classifying films in China. At the same time some suspect the effectiveness and practicality of setting film classifications in China.
Wang Jing, a famous commercial film director in Hongkong, holds the opinion that classification will not solve the problem. In China, pirate activities are so rampant that almost all kinds of films are available on the pirate market. Thus restrictions in cinemas are almost useless as the kids have easy access to the forbidden ones anyway.
Besides, many people still wonder whether film classification will become a sign of permission for pornographic films. Actually, the classification means to categorize films and ensure that they be in accordance with mainstream moral standards. The final standards for classification will by no means overthrow social moral standards. And the content of sex and violence should be in accordance with the plot, and within the limit of appreciation by the general audience.
But even a perfect classification system will not solve the problem once for all as long as the pirate market still exists, which means all the efforts made for regulating the film industry are bound to be meaningless.
Films have never been distinctly and strictly classified in China. We do label some films as "Unsuitable for Children." Unfortunately, its good intention has been taken advantage of for vicious purposes. Somehow the label "unsuitable" has become an indicator of violence, nudity, and sex, which caters to the appetites of certain people. So these films are promoted to attract particular audiences even when they are actually suitable for the general public. In such cases, these audiences feel cheated after seeing such films. Some producers even deliberately add nude scenes into a film to make it "unsuitable." All of these behaviors are in defiance of the classification system.
In contrast, in many other countries films are strictly classified.
In America, according to the MPAA (Motion Pictures Association of America), there are 5 categories of movies: G (General Audience); PG (Parental Guidance Suggested), PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned); R (Restricted), NC-17 (No One Under 17 Admitted). They are classified according to the proportion of nudity, violence, bad language, terror, etc., in the content.
In Britain, 6 categories are classified as Universal, suitable for pre-school children, Universal, under 12, under 15, under 18, and R18. In Hong Kong, films are classified into three levels: for the general audience, unsuitable for children, and for adults. The classification systems are different but similar in the purpose of protecting children from bad influences.
In Mainland China, there are no such strict restrictions, which doesn't mean that the films being shown in our cinemas are all proper for the general public. For example, the blockbuster Saving Private Ryan was put on the silver screen years ago in Mainland China and no special introductions were given. Many parents took their kids to the cinema. As a result, the audience, especially the children, were stunned, or horrified by the bloody scenes, not mentioning the frequent usage of dirty words. The film was graded as an "R" in the states, but it met no restrictions at all in Chinese markets. And its DVD is available to everyone in supermarkets or video stores.
Nowadays, the children are encouraged to learn English through watching English-speaking films. A very interesting phenomenon can be noticed among the children: Having been exposed to lots of English films, they've made quite limited progress in their language studies, but they become more and more familiar with taboos such as shit, damn and fuck.
That's an important reason why so many people are appealing for classifying films in China. At the same time some suspect the effectiveness and practicality of setting film classifications in China.
Wang Jing, a famous commercial film director in Hongkong, holds the opinion that classification will not solve the problem. In China, pirate activities are so rampant that almost all kinds of films are available on the pirate market. Thus restrictions in cinemas are almost useless as the kids have easy access to the forbidden ones anyway.
Besides, many people still wonder whether film classification will become a sign of permission for pornographic films. Actually, the classification means to categorize films and ensure that they be in accordance with mainstream moral standards. The final standards for classification will by no means overthrow social moral standards. And the content of sex and violence should be in accordance with the plot, and within the limit of appreciation by the general audience.
But even a perfect classification system will not solve the problem once for all as long as the pirate market still exists, which means all the efforts made for regulating the film industry are bound to be meaningless.
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