 
An
Open Letter on NC-17
 April
8, 2002
Mr. Peter Bart
Vice-President, Editor-in-Chief, Variety
Dear Peter:
I read your
editorial, “Calling Out the Sex Police” (Variey International
Weekly - April 8-14, 2002) with interest and dismay. I agree that
“Y Tu Mama Tambien” is a wonderful movie with significant
commercial appeal even though it was released unrated. But I believe
the picture was perfectly suited for the NC-17 rating, and would
have done as well or better with that rating.
At the National
Association of Theatre Owners (“NATO”) we have recently
examined the NC-17 rating and have decided to work for its revitalization.
The NC-17 is an important part of the integrated whole of the system
as designed by the MPAA and NATO. It should not be feared as commercial
death.
|
CONSUMERS
SPEAK OUT
The
following data reflects a nonweighted sample of more
than 27,000 interviews with consumers ages 18 and
up, conducted by AC Nielsen ReelResearch, a firm specializing
in online consumer research in the areas of entertainment,
consumer products and business to business. Interviews
were conducted March 14-April 18.
|
| Please
indicate the rating of the movies you have ever seen
in a theater. |
Have
you ever accompanied a minor to an R-rated movie? |
| G |
76%
|
Yes |
33%
|
| PG |
84%
|
No |
67%
|
| PG-13 |
89%
|
|
| R |
90%
|
|
| MC-17 |
50%
|
|
| Unrated |
33%
|
|
| Overall,
how do you feel about an NC-17 rating? |
| I
like this rating very much |
35%
|
| I
like this rating somewhat |
19%
|
| I
neither like nor dislike this rating |
38%
|
| I
dislike this rating somewhat |
4%
|
| I
dislike this rating very much |
4%
|
| How
appropriate do you think it is that a Rating Board is
dictating what your children can and can't see? |
| I
think this is very appropriate |
39%
|
| I
think this is somewhat appropriate |
36%
|
| I
think this is neither appropriate nor inappropriate |
11%
|
| I
think this is somewhat inappropriate |
8%
|
| I
think this is very inappropriate |
5%
|
| How
comfortable would you feel taking a minor to an unrated
movie? |
| I
would feel very comfortable |
11%
|
| I
would feel somewhat comfortable |
15%
|
| I
would feel neither comfortable nor uncomfortable |
20%
|
| I
would feel somewhat uncomfortable |
27%
|
| I
would feel very uncomfortable |
26%
|
|
Many observers,
including someone as experienced and learned as you, blindly accept
false assumptions regarding the NC-17. You wrote that “The
Problem is simple: The NC-17 stigma gets a film banned by big
theater chains; newspapers refuse to carry its ads. By contrast,
‘Y Tu Mama Tambien’ hasn’t met with any turndowns
from theaters or newspapers.” Unfortunately, each of those
statements is factually incorrect.
NATO represents
22 of the largest 25 theatre companies in the United States, as
well as hundreds of independents. We have discussed the viability
of the NC-17 rating at our most recent Board of Directors and
General Membership meetings. Having surveyed those companies on
this issue specifically, I can state unequivocally that good movies
released under the NC-17 format would be played on more than a
sufficient number of screens. Indeed, none of the “big theater
chains” you wrote about has any policy to ban the exhibition
of NC-17 films. It is highly likely that a movie like “Y
Tu Mama Tambien” would get more, not less screens, if it
were properly rated.
We have also
begun to examine the issue of advertising. Although a very limited
number of newspapers will not accept advertising for NC-17 films,
the majority will. Of course, there are many other advertising
outlets that ust be examined as well. We will continue to pursue
this issue, along with our partners at the studios.
The bottom
line is that these two assumptions get reported in the trade press
over and over, accepted as fact through the sheer force of repetition.
Our job is to educate you folks about the facts. We are working
with our rating system partners at the MPAA on these issues, as
well as the creative community. We hope that we can debunk the
myths.
In the mean
time, thank you for this opportunity to comment.
Sincerely,
John Fithian
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