Ratings: Why is Romeo and Juliet PG-13 while Richard III is R?

Cafe Society
1

I made a quick survey of my DVD collection earlier, and came to a strange realization: the 1996 movie version of Romeo and Juliet is rated PG-13 (for “contemporary violence and some sensuality” according to the MPAA). The 1995 movie version of Richard III is rated R (“violence and sexuality”).

What does Richard III have that Romeo and Juliet doesn’t?

(I’m not putting any spoiler tags on here, because I’m assuming everyone knows the rough plots of both plays. Y’all’ve been warned)

In R&J, the violence is in a gang-related context, except for the suicides at the end (and the threatened suicide when Juliet holds a gun to her own head). In Richard, they’re political assassinations for the most part. They’re a wee bit more graphic, what with Earl Rivers getting stabbed through the chest, a drowning, and an onscreen hanging. But then again, Mercutio is basically impaled, and he’s a character we’ve come to know and love by that point of the movie.

In R&J, the Montague crew drops acid before going to the Capulets’ party. In Richard, Lady Anne shoots up (well, and there’s constant smoking, but that doesn’t count).

In R&J, the two main characters (of strategically indeterminate age) have sex – the act itself is offscreen, but they’re shown in bed together en déshabille. In Richard, there’s an implied act of oral sex, but not much nudity to speak of. Ah wait, I just remembered the “good guy” Richmond waking up in bed next to his bride, so that’s pretty similar.

R&J has crossdressing, venemous hate between the two families, drunken debauchery, and some jokes with homosexual undertones. Richard has … well, the most gleefully evil bastard in stage history. And some possible offscreen animal cruelty.

What am I missing? Is it all in the marketing? Was Romeo and Juliet rated PG-13 because it was marketed toward the younger crowd, while nobody expected 13-year-olds to want to go see Richard III because it was cool? (Nowadays, parents can entice children with “Hey Magneto/Gandalf is in it!”) Is it the music? Is it the darker (?) tone of Richard?

– Dragonblink, who also noted that Spartacus is PG-13 while Ben Hur is rated G, of all things

2

When did Richard III come out? The PG-13 rating has only been around for 15 or so years now.

3

:smack:

Sorry, didn’t see the links until too late.

4

I don’t think Romeo + Juliet (which is how they write the title on my DVD) has anything as shocking and nasty as the boobytrapped bed scene in Richard III.

The latter is a much better movie, though.

5

Well Richard does have a war.

I think the violence in Richard III is just a bit more graphic than R+J. It’s been a while since I watched that version of R+J so I’m not sure.

But realize that the ‘ratings’ are not hard and fast. A group of people watch a film and then vote on a rating. So you may have a different group of people watch these two films. A group of people watching a film in '75 would give a different rating then a group watching in '95.

You can find more than you ever wanted to know about ratings here.

6

That may be, but these movies came out only a year apart, so the influence of changing times wouldn’t be that great. It could be just a difference in the group of people, though.

River’s death (which incidentally wasn’t a booby trap, it was Tyrell sneaking in – but I mainly know that because I’ve read the screenplay) was pretty graphic; the similar death in R&J, Mercutio’s impalement, was slightly less graphic but much more emotional. Compare, however, people getting eaten alive in the PG-13 Jurassic Park (1993), and the war in Branagh’s PG-13 Henry V (1989).

I know the ratings are pretty arbitrary, I’m just trying to get some idea of the motivation behind the difference … other than people sitting around a table and going “That McKellen guy gave me nightmares. He’d scare small children. Rate it R.” :slight_smile:

7

Yeah, Richard was evil incarnate. He literally set out to destroy everyone in the most insidious ways he possibly could. He lied, cheated, double & triple crossed friends, enemies, relatives not just for power but because he enjoyed every minute of it!

R&J is just a tragedy of star-crossed lovers. Bad things happen in it because of bad luck & fate, but everyone pretty much tries to get what they want without deliberately hurting anyone.

8

Nazi-like symbols and imagery. That’s what R3 has that R + J doesn’t have.

Vengeant (who wants to put some Nazi-like symbols in a Care Bears movie, as an experiment)

9

I guess that could move The Sound of Music up to an “R” rating. :wink: