Writers Guild Urges Change in MPAA Rating System

While acknowledging that the current movie ratings system has “served the public interest and the (film industry) for years,” the Writers Guild of America on Friday added its voice to the chorus of critics calling for changes.

“Our feeling is that there is something wrong (with the ratings system),” said WGA West President George Kirgo, adding his personal view that the ratings have not “kept up with the times.”

Kirgo said he is not sure the answer is an A rating, a new category designating non-pornographic adults-only films, which has been suggested by some film critics, independent distributors and several high-profile directors. But he said there are sufficient inequities in the system to warrant “serious dialogue” on the subject.

Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, has agreed to meet with representatives from both the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild this week, with the meetings expected to take place Wednesday or Thursday in Los Angeles. The discussions may also be attended by several of the directors who signed a recent petition requesting a modification of the ratings.

The petition was circulated by Silverlight Entertainment, a small New York-based independent distributor that is about to release Wayne Wang’s “Life Is Cheap . . . but Toilet Paper Is Expensive.” The film received an X from the MPAA’s ratings board, and such well-known directors as Francis Coppola, Sydney Pollack, Blake Edwards and David Lynch signed the petition asking the MPAA to create a category for non-pornographic films intended for adult audiences.

The X rating has become almost exclusively identified with hard-core sex films. The result is that makers of legitimate mature-themed movies tagged with the rating are unable to book their films with many theater chains or advertise them in many media outlets.

Silverlight intends to release “Life Is Cheap . . . “ with a self-administered A rating. In advertising copy that has been submitted to newspapers, a disclaimer explains there is no MPAA rating because “many leading filmmakers believe the MPAA’s current rating system promotes censorship and does not serve the best interests of the viewing public.”