The classic movie Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke (with his infamous Cockney accent) was in the headlines this week, as it was reported that British film censors had its movie rating changed. The Disney family movie, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2024, was previously rated "U," for "universal" (meaning suitable for all), to PG, recommending parental guidance for young children.
A reason for the change, according to the BBC, was that the movie, which is set in 1910 London, uses a derogatory term that was previously used by White Europeans about nomadic people in southern Africa.
Movie ratings are a tricky thing, as groups in the US (the Motion Picture Association) and the UK (British Board of Film Classification) attempt to offer guidelines about what movies are appropriate for certain age groups. For reference, the ratings system in the US includes G (open to all ages), PG (parents suggested for some young children), PG-13 (parents strongly advised for anyone younger than 13), R (adults required for anyone under 17) and NC-17 (absolutely no children under the age of 17). The ratings in the UK are U, PG 12A (suitable for audiences 12 and older), 15 (suitable only for audiences 15 and older) and 18 (suitable for adults only).
However, these ratings have often led to a bit of controversy and/or confusion. In the UK, a number of other classic movies before Mary Poppins have had their ratings changed upon re-examination. In the US, while we cannot find an instance where the MPA has changed a movie's theatrical rating after its release, movies have cut or re-edited things for a lower rating, either prior to release or as a new version for re-release or home video.
We've gathered a handful of examples of when the UK has changed a movie's rating after the fact and the US saw movies make changes to get a new rating for a re-released version of a movie. Check them out right here:
The Elephant Man
In 2020, the BBFC submitted an annual report that included a number of movies having their ratings changed in the UK. Among them was the 1980 drama The Elephant Man. The movie, which tells the story of John Merrick, who was mistreated and abused because of his bodily disfigurements in Victorian England and stars Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt, was changed from PG to 12A for "moderate threat, upsetting scenes and injury detail."
The Fast and the Furious
Not all movies that have their rating changed see it go up; in some cases movies are downgraded to allow more to see them without restrictions. One recent case is The Fast and the Furious, the first movie in the popular Fast and Furious franchise. The BBFC lowered The Fast and the Furious' rating from 15 down to a 12A.
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon, the 1980 sci-fi movie starring Sam Jones and Max Von Sydow, was another one of the movies the BBFC updated in 2020 after receiving many complaints. Apparently, of the 93 complaints the BBFC received in 2020, 27 of them were for Flash Gordon, specifically for its depiction of "discriminatory stereotypes" with its villain Ming the Merciless, played by Von Sydow and not an actor of East Asian descent. Flash Gordon went from a PG to 12A rating.
The Karate Kid
Another example of a movie that actually saw its rating lowered for more audiences was the 1984 favorite The Karate Kid starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, which went from a 15 to a 12A. However, with its warnings for moderate violence and drug references, it is still the highest rated movie in the Karate Kid franchise, as The Karate Kid Part II and The Karate Kid Part III (as well as the eventual spinoff movies) are all rated PG or lower. TBD on what rating the upcoming Karate Kid 2024 movie gets.
The King's Speech
Our first US example involves the Best Picture-winner The King's Speech. When the movie was released, it earned an R rating for language. This was primarily because of a scene in which King George VI (Colin Firth), as part of his speech therapy, spews out a litany of swear words, including the F-word. Generally, any more than two uses of the F-word in a movie will get an R rating in the US, which is one of the more controversial aspects of the US rating system. After The King's Speech won its Oscars, The Weinstein Company, who distributed the movie, re-released a version of the movie that limits Firth's use of the F-word to just one, replacing the others with "s**t." The idea behind this change was entirely the studios wanting to allow for more audiences to see their movie.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Another example of the great reclassification of 2020 was The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The first in the legendary trilogy of movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's iconic books, The Fellowship of the Ring was raised from a PG rating to a 12A because of "moderate fantasy violence and threat." This actually brought it in line with its sequels, The Two Towers and The Return of the King.
Requiem for a Dream
Darren Aronofsky's breakout movie Requiem for a Dream is another example of a US movie making tweaks after its release for a lower rating. The director's operatic drama about drug addiction earned an NC-17 rating from the MPAA, losing an appeal to have its rating lowered to R before its release, and being one of the rare movies that does get a wide release with an NC-17 label. However, when it came time to release the movie on video, an R-rated version, which trimmed down some of its more extreme scenes, was crafted.
Rocky
Before 2020, the classic underdog movie Rocky starring Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire and Carl Weathers was available to UK audiences with just a PG label. However, another title included in the 2020 report, Rocky saw its rating raised to 12A for "moderate violence, mouthed strong language and domestic abuse." All other Rocky movies are also rated 12A in the UK.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
A trip to a galaxy far, far away was aged up for the second Star Wars movie, The Empire Strikes Back. After initially being released with a U rating, as Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope was, The Empire Strikes back was raised to PG in the UK in 2020 for "moderate violence and mild threat." Ratings for other movies in the sci-fi franchise vary in the UK: The Phantom Menace has a U rating, Return of the Jedi and Attack of the Clones earned a PG, while Revenge of the Sith and all of the new movies post 2015 movies (The Force Awakens, Rogue One, The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story and Rise of Skywalker) were rated 12A.
Gone with the Wind
We also wanted to mention a special situation with a Hollywood classic, Gone with the Wind. The movie based on Margaret Mitchell's book about Scarlett O'Hara during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras in the deep south did not have the modern MPA rating system when it was released in 1939, so it can't be reclassified. However, in 2020, the streaming service Max (then HBO Max) briefly removed Gone with the Wind and then re-added it with a disclaimer to offer historical context about the movie's depiction of Black characters. The move came in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder and is still included if you stream Gone with the Wind today.
