Every time (at least in the US) they show a movie preview in the theaters, they introduce it with a quick green screen saying that the preview is approved to show to all audiences, and then it tells you what rating the movie itself has.
Has anyone ever made or seen a preview that wasn’t approved for all audiences? Maybe an R rated preview or an NC-17 preview?
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The trailers you’re referring to are known as “Green-band” trailers. Trailers with an “R” rating have a red background and are known as “Red-band” trailers and can only be shown on “R” rated features. Very few are released because of the limited chances to run them (although, nowadays most movies seem to be rated “R” so, why not?) I’ve seen a couple, most recently one for (I think) American Pie, I can only recall one or two others since I’ve worked in the exhibition industry.
An interesting FYI: They’re called trailers because they used to be shown at the end of the movies. (Ever notice how when you watch an old movie on TV all the credits are at the beginning and at the end there’s just the film company logo? That’s where they used to go. I guess they figured they had a more captive audience by showing them at the beginning.)
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The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) is responsible for classifying film trailers and adverts as well as the films themselves, either as E (Exempt), U (Universal), PG (Parental Guidance), 12, 15 or 18 (the highest rating shown in normal cinemas).
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“American Pie” had a ‘R’ preview. It was the only one I remember seeing with teh red band.
I saw a preview of Crash that was an “R” preview and also the American Pie one. Those are the only two I can remember specifically but I know I have seen them on other films.
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I’d like to know who decides what is suitable for all viewing audiences and how???
I remember taking my kids to a kid-flick, some Nickleodian thing, I think. One of the previews was for “The Full Monty”. They showed the scene where one guy sez, “You can’t sing; you can’t dance; what can you do?” Then the guy pulls down his pants and everyone goes bug-eyed… My kids were tugging at my arm asking, “What? What can he do, Daddy?” Jeez!
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Joey,
I’m with ya. I went to see “Toy Story 2”, as kiddie as it gets. There was a 10 minute or so “preview” of this new dinosaur movie. It was great animation, all the way up to when the FREAKING HUGE T-Rex jumps out of the trees (in full earth shaking surround sound) and ROARS as loud as he can, chasing the other dinos. He even kills one. It scared the shit out of the kids in the theatre.
I’ll tell you what, I was startled by it. If it had scared the shit out of one of MY kids there would have been heck to pay. VERY inappropriate.
Zette
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In the U.S., the film industry is self-regulated. If you have concerns, talk to the MPAA.
The dinosaur movie you’re referring to is a future Disney release and I’m guessing the preview was released “attached” (on the existing print) that exhibitors are discouraged from taking off. Film companies are notorious for pairing inappropriate trailers with their films. They’ll slap a “Deathwish” type ad on some kids movie or some “Home Alone” type crap on a documentary.
Another thing about what’s acceptable for all audiances is that because the people in the MPAA change frequently so does the level of what is and is not acceptable. I’m remembering one other red band trailer I’d seen in the past for “Working Girl.” The only reason I could determine that the trailer was “R” rated was because it included a scene where Sigourney Weaver lifted the front of her dress so Melanie Griffith could spray her with anti-static spray. A few years later the trailer for “Wayne’s World” came out for general viewing, yet it featured a clip of Mike Meyers with his underpants hiked up into his butt-crack and mincing about for his girlfirend.
The only thing I can suggest is that most theaters have a policy of removing trailers if someone complains (not advertisements, you’re stuck with those.) I had to remove “Edward Scissorhands” from “Beauty and the Beast” because a parent deemed it “too scary.” (I ended up replacing it with the “Wayne’s World” trailer with the underwear scene snipped out – don’t tell Paramount!) At the theater where my husband works they had to remove the DTS lead in because some little kid was traumatized by it, lol!
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