Guess What Movie This Was? |
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Dragon Drop
Forum Groupie Joined: June 26 2015 Location: New York Status: Offline Points: 73 |
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Posted: February 17 2019 at 07:34 |
Movies have been rated in the United States since 1968, and as I understand it the "PG" rating is supposed to mean (among other things) that the film contains no profanity other than "mild" swearing. But there was one occasion (i.e. only one that I know of) when a movie studio committed an outrageous violation of the rating code and got clean away with it –– in 1976. The Internet Movie Data Base has a supposedly complete listing of the film's "profanity" content, which includes hell, damn, bitch and b*****d, as well as the S–word, and even "nigger" –– but there's no mention of the F–word, which if present would probably have required an "R" rating. But in fact, the film actually contained what the censors considered the most profane word of all, the word "mother–....er" –– I heard it myself –– and yet it got a "PG" rating, which presumably can only mean that the rating board failed to notice that F–word occurrence. I can well believe that they did, because it was done so casually that most of the audience probably wouldn't even notice it. It happened in a scene with many people talking at once; the word was only heard softly, buried in a hum of voices, and the actor wasn't close to the camera when he said it. In fact, it was a "family" movie intended mainly for children, and the actor who said the word was only about 14 or 15 himself. So what could easily have been a scandal becomes, instead, just a trivia question: What movie it was it?
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HackettFan
Forum Senior Member Joined: June 20 2012 Location: Oklahoma Status: Offline Points: 7951 |
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One year before Star Wars.
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A curse upon the heads of those who seek their fortunes in a lie. The truth is always waiting when there's nothing left to try. - Colin Henson, Jade Warrior (Now)
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Snicolette
Forum Senior Member Joined: November 02 2018 Location: OR Status: Offline Points: 6039 |
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I have a hunch, but I did have to look up "family films of 1976," since I wasn't a child and didn't have any yet, would not have seen it that year. Not sure if that's fair or not, let me know and I'll post what I think. Totally understand if it's not fair. I did not ever see the film I'm betting it is, however.
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"Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp
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Dragon Drop
Forum Groupie Joined: June 26 2015 Location: New York Status: Offline Points: 73 |
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I'd be interested to know exactly which database of family films you were looking at. But anyway, go ahead and post your guess; it's probably correct. If anyone has a DVD of the movie, they can check it out. On my DVD, I hear the word at 1 hour, 24 minutes and 16 seconds from the beginning of the film.
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Snicolette
Forum Senior Member Joined: November 02 2018 Location: OR Status: Offline Points: 6039 |
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I used this one. https://movieweb.com/movies/1976/family/
Initials BNB?
Edited by Snicolette - February 17 2019 at 14:12 |
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"Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp
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Dragon Drop
Forum Groupie Joined: June 26 2015 Location: New York Status: Offline Points: 73 |
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Yes, you got it: "The Bad News Bears". That's the film about a girl (Tatum O'Neal) joining a boys' baseball team. But that incident had nothing to do with her; near the end of the film, an opposing pitcher tries to "bean" one of the Bears, and you hear the word just a moment before he releases the pitch, so he's probably the one saying it. In fact, he was mad at the batter for making a "finger" at him.
But Tatum herself had said the S-word earlier in the film, so there's no sexist implication that swearing is "for men only". In fact, as I recall, the heavy language in that film was the subject of much comment at the time; until then, on-screen swearing was thought of as "for adults only". |
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Snicolette
Forum Senior Member Joined: November 02 2018 Location: OR Status: Offline Points: 6039 |
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Good game. Those naughty youngsters!
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"Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp
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