Some form of censorship is, most would agree, necessary. But few in this country would want to entrust it to the Hollywood mafia in the form of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
The committee concerned, under the presidency of the oleaginous Jack Valenti until last year, has commanded the scene for many years, refusing to give reasons for their ratings and pretending, as our British Board did for some time, that violence was its chief concern, not sex.
Kirby Dick's documentary allows Valenti to condemn himself by sucking up to congressmen of both American parties and presenting an image of liberal open-mindedness that was often at odds with the committee's frequently reactionary conclusions.
At the end of the film, Dick is seen submitting it to the committee and achieving a rating which, in America, virtually means it's got very little chance of wide exhibition. Point made.
The film is not full of sex and violence, though there are some examples of both. But its talking heads are eloquent enough to make a good argument about the failure of the MPAA to distinguish between exploitative filmmakers and artists working within controversial areas.
We get, for instance, big-company films treated more generously than independent productions and bolshie film-makers punished for their cheek rather than the content of their films. There is an appeals process but it usually confirms the MPAA's original convictions.
These are said, of course, to be in line with the opinions of "ordinary decent folk" and undoubtedly they often are. But, as the film says over and over again, the remit of radical film-makers is still far too narrow for comfort.
The film takes rather too much time spying on the various members of the committee and naming and shaming them. But one of its best points is made by director Allison Anders, who complains that women's sexuality is treated far more severely than that of men. The most gruesome women-in-peril scenes are allowed but, as Kevin Smith remembers, he was chastised for Liv Tyler's character in Jersey Girl admitting that she masturbated.
This Film Is Not Yet Rated
Cert: 18
