Censoring the Classics

[Susan Foreman]

Return of the Jedi (and others) rating changed / BBC News

"Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi has had its rating upgraded from a U to a PG because of its violence and a scene showing Han Solo frozen in carbonite.

The film was given a U "universal" rating by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) when it was released in 1983.

But it has now been reappraised, with the ratings body ruling that "the detail and overall intensity" of violence in the film mean it should be a PG, which stands for parental guidance.

The BBFC's latest annual report said the rating was changed because of "violence and threat" in the film, despite this being "offset by humour and an emphasis on loyalty in adversity".

The U rating means a film is suitable for all audiences above the age of four.

A PG suggests some content may not be suitable for children, and parents or guardians are advised to show discretion and be present while children are watching.

"Although violence is offset by humour and an emphasis on loyalty in adversity, the detail and overall intensity meant that, under current guidelines, we reclassified the film PG for violence and threat," the BBFC said.

Return of the Jedi was the third Star Wars film to be released.

In its 2023 annual report, the BBFC said: "This sci-fi adventure sequel concerns rebel heroes who must rescue their friends before facing an intimidating enemy army.

"As well as laser gun fights, aerial dogfights, and fight scenes which include the occasional use of improvised weapons, a person falls to a presumed but unseen death, a villain tortures a character by repeated electrocution, and a hero severs a villain's hand at the wrist in a scene featuring limited detail.

"A captor attempts to feed his prisoner to a monster, and there are other scenes of threat involving bombs, hostages and a hero being frozen alive."

The film sees Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford, imprisoned in the carbon chamber after he was frozen by Darth Vader in 1980's prequel The Empire Strikes Back, which is classified as PG, to test whether the process will safely capture Jedi Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill.

Return of the Jedi was not the only film reclassified in the latest changes.

Abba - The Movie, released in 1978, was also upgraded from U to PG because of "mild sex references and language" in a "suggestive" song title and lyrics, discussion of a "sexual term", and band members talking about one of them being given the title of "sexiest bottom".

The BBFC also noted that the film features "mild bad language".

It said the sequences were "no longer within our standards at U" despite upholding the initial rating for video and theatrical releases in 1987 and 2008.

Other films to be reclassified were 1947's Black Narcissus, which went from U to PG due to "mild threat, violence, brief bloody images and discrimination", and 1995's Higher Learning, which went from 15 to 18 for "sexual violence".

In the report, the BBFC also announced plans to strengthen its partnership with Amazon's Prime Video as part of its collaboration with streaming platforms in the UK.

It said it hoped to establish a self-rating system similar to the BBFC's existing agreement with Netflix."

[Susan Foreman]

It's too early to know if 'Wicked' will become a classic or not, but...

Bullying of green-skinned witch in Wicked labelled discrimination by regulator / The Standard

"Bullying of the green-skinned witch in movie musical Wicked has been labelled as "discrimination" by regulators.

The film, which serves as a prequel to the 'The Wizard Of Oz' (1939) and is billed as "the untold story" of Elphaba and Glinda, has been given a PG rating by the British Board Of Film Classification (BBFC).

In its classification breakdown the organisation explains that there are depictions of discrimination when a woman with green skin is "mocked, bullied and humiliated because of her skin colour".

It also highlights a disabled woman being "treated in a condescending manner by able-bodied people" and talking animals being "persecuted in a fantastical society"."