Arlene Binuya, age 11, of Florence, S.C., for her question:
HOW IS A MOVIE RATED?
Today the motion picture industry is a billion dollar business. It has been estimated that theaters in the United States are now worth more than $2.5 billion, and more are being constructed each week. Payroll for people working in the industry tops $1 billion annually. Movies have been called the No. 1 art form of the 20th century.
From about 1915 until late 1940s, production, distribution and exhibition of motion pictures was controlled by the American motion picture industry itself. Major studios made the movies and then showed them at theaters which they owned.
In the late '40s the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that with control over production, distribution and exhibition, movies had become a monoply. An order was issued that forced motion picture studios to sell their theaters. By 1953 the studios were out of the exhibition business.
About this time, studios also started to drastically cut their production on new films. Television was giving lots of competition, and many independent movie makers were going into the business of producing and distributing their own pictures.
Up through the period when major studios dominated the motion picture industry, there was no special rating of movies. Rather, self regulation and censorship by the industry itself were the order. A number of states and local governments had censorship boards that reviewed all movies before they could be shown in their areas. Some religious and civic organizations also got into the act by advising their members whether they believed a movie to be offensive.
In 1952 the Supreme Court made a series of decisions that eliminated the legal reasons that permitted local and state boards to function.
From 1922 until the 1940s, the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, controlled by the studios, attempted to catch and delete material it felt might be offensive. In 1945 the group became the Motion Picture Assn. of America, and in 1968 they adopted a classification on completed films that is still used today.
A " G " rating designated that the picture was suitable for all ages. A " PG " rating indicated all ages would be admitted but that parental guidance was suggested. " R " signified the picture was restricted with persons under 17 admitted only if accompanied by a parent or guardian. " X " meant no one under the age of 17 was admitted.
Another type of movie rating comes from the industry itself. People in the industry are members of a group called the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Each year the members rate themselves by voting for the presentation of Oscars to those who have made outstanding achievements in the film making industry.