X-rated
X-rated (also known as X certificate or X classification) is a film rating indicating strong adult content, typically sexual content and nudity, but also including violence and profanity.
In the United States, the X-rating originally referred to a non-trademarked rating that indicated a film contained content unsuitable for minors such as extreme violence or explicit sex and thus was for adults only.
When the MPAA film rating system began on November 1, 1968 in the U.S., the X-rating was given to a film by the MPAA if submitted to them or, due to its non-trademarked status, it could be self-applied to a film by a distributor who knew beforehand that their film contained content unsuitable for minors. In the late 1960s to mid 1980s, several mainstream films were released with an X-rating such as Midnight Cowboy, A Clockwork Orange, and Last Tango in Paris.
Because the X-rating was not trademarked, anybody could apply it to their films, including pornographers, which many began to do in the 1970s. As pornography began to become chic and more legally tolerated, pornographers placed an X-rating on their films to emphasize the adult nature of them. Some even started using multiple X's (i.e. XX, XXX, etc.) to give the impression that their film contained more graphic sexual content than the simple X-rating. In some cases, the X ratings were applied by reviewers or film scholars, e.g. William Rotsler, who wrote "The XXX-rating means hard-core, the XX-rating is for simulation, and an X-rating is for comparatively cool films." [2]Nothing beyond the simple X-rating has ever been officially recognized by the MPAA.
Because of the heavy use of the X-rating by pornographers, it became associated largely with pornographic films and thus non-pornographic films given a X-rating would have fewer theaters willing to book them and fewer avenues for advertising. This led to a number of films being released unrated sometimes with a warning that the film contained content for adults only. In response, the MPAA eventually agreed in 1990 to a new NC-17 rating that would be trademarked and could only be applied by the MPAA itself.
Notable X-rated films in the United States
- The 1968 film Greetings, directed by Brian De Palma, and starring Robert De Niro in his first film role, was the first film to receive an "X" rating in the United States. It has since been re-rated "R".
- Midnight Cowboy (1969) is the only X-rated film ever to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. At the time the X-rating did not have the stigma it later took on. Midnight Cowboy has also been deemed culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Due to a degree of relaxation in attitudes regarding sex in film, the (unchanged) film was re-rated "R" in the 1970s.
- I Drink Your Blood (1970) was the first film to receive an X-rating based on violence alone as well as for some nudity. It took a lot of editing to get it back down to an "R." At the invitation of the film's producer Jerry Gross, this work was done by projectionists across the United States.
- A Clockwork Orange (1971) originally received an "X" rating from the MPAA for its sexual content. Today, many critics recognize it as one of Stanley Kubrick's most important films. The uncut version of the film has been released on DVD with an "R" rating.
- Ralph Bakshi's Fritz the Cat, released in 1972, was the first animated film to receive an "X" rating in the US, promoted with the tagline "He's X Rated and Animated!" The material in the film itself wasn't pornographic, and the film was later released unrated on VHS and DVD.
- In 1973, Andy Warhol's Frankenstein became the first 3-D movie to be officially rated "X" for its extreme violence nd sexuality.
- 1974's The Street Fighter, starring Sonny Chiba, was the first film to receive an "X" rating for violence in the US.
- 1900 (1976) was originally rated "X" and had over an hour of footage cut for an R-rating before its US release in 1977. The uncut version was released on VHS in 1993 with an "NC-17" rating. In 2006, Paramount Pictures surrendered the NC-17 rating for the uncut version and released it on DVD.
- Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes (1977) was given an X-rating. Several of the most violent/graphic moments were edited out to get an "R" rating. The uncut version is now available on all US DVD releases.
- 1980's "Friday the 13th" and its sequels (except the 4th installment) were all cut for violence to get an "R" rating. Uncut editions can be found only in certain countries, while all known US releases currently contain the theatrical cuts.
- My Bloody Valentine (1981) infamously had 9 minutes cut for an "R" because of the gore.
- Scarface (1983) was given an "X" rating 3 times (original, 2nd, and 3rd cuts) for extreme violence and graphic language. Director Brian De Palma pulled in a panel of experts, including real narcotics officers, stating that the film was an accurate portrayal of the real-life drug underworld and should be widely seen. This convinced the 20 members of the ratings board to give the 3rd cut an "X" rating by a vote of 18 to 2. However, De Palma surmised that if the 3rd cut was judged an "X" then the original cut should have been rated "X" as well. He asked the studio if he could release the original cut, but was told that he couldn't. However, since the studio executives really didn't know the differences between the three submitted cuts, DePalma released the unedited and intended version of the film to theaters anyway. When Scarface was released on DVD an "R" rating was accidentally printed on the back. Brian De Palma said Scarface should be rated "R" because it was like the mob movie Goodfellas, but the rating board said that Scarface was much worse than Goodfellas in terms of violence and language.
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), was intended for an "R", but given an "X" for graphic violence, prompting the filmmakers to release it as "Unrated."
- RoboCop (1987) was originally given an "X" rating by the MPAA for scenes of "excessive violence." To satisfy the requirements of the ratings board, director Paul Verhoeven trimmed blood and gore from the most violent scenes for an "R" rating. The unrated version is available on the Criterion laserdisc and DVD releases (both now out of print) and the RoboCop Trilogy boxset.
- Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990) was originally rated "X" for its brutal, gory violence. 5 minutes of the film was cut for an "R" rating. The unrated version is now available alongside the R-rated version on DVD.
- In 1990, the ultraviolent cult thriller King of New York received an "X" rating for graphic violence and crude language. It was edited and appealed to "R". Shortly after it was released, the "NC-17" rating was introduced.
- Total Recall (1990) was given an "X" rating for excessive violence. Some violence was trimmed and different camera angles were used in some of the more over-the-top scenes for an "R" rating.
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