Movie ratings in different countries? Gathering information... (1 Viewer)

[KristianH]

Hi ppl, Im wondering if you care to help me on this matter:

Im looking for Rating-lists for movies from different countries.
Example for USA: G, PG, PG13, R, NC-17, Unrated.

Now the criteria is: The ratings has to be in the native language, that is if its french-ratings, I want them in french (if applicable). If possible with a short explanation in english (again if applicable).

So far I have covered:
Sweden,
USA,
Great Britain,
Germany,
Denmark,
Australia,

Any help would be much appreciated.

Best regards

 

[Aaron Reynolds]

In Ontario, Canada, the theatrical film ratings go like this:

F: Family. All ages admitted.

PG: Parental Guidance.

AA: Adult Accompaniment. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult over 18. Most films rated R in the US for language or violence are rated AA in Ontario.

R: Restriced. Under 18 not admitted. At all.

On video it's slightly different (and this is from memory, so I may screw it up a bit):

F

PG

A14: same as AA theatrically

A18: most theatrical R films get this rating on video

R: pretty much reserved for 'unrated' direct to video "erotic thrillers"

 

[Ricardo C]

Here in Venezuela we have:
A: For general audiences. It's kind of a combo of the American G and PG ratings. However, it can be misleading. Movies like Toy Story get an A rating, but so did The Lord of the Rings and Spider-Man. We had LOTS of freaked-out kids at LOTR screenings, who thought they were gonna see something in the same vein as Harry Potter
B-12: Only people over 12 admitted. LOTR should have carried this rating, but oh well. VERY few movies are ever granted this rating.
B-14: Only people over 14 admitted. Mildly "naughty" material, like a Martin Lawrence comdey, gets this rating.
It's worth noting that most B-level films don't specify whether they're "12" or "14." If you see a lone B as the film's rating, then it's assumed that it's only for people over 14.
C-16: Another seldom used rating. No one under 16 admitted.
C-18: No one under 18 admitted.
C-21: A rare one. This is sort of like an American NC-17 rating. It's usually used on those soft-core pseudo-porn straight to video flicks.
As with the B rating, most movies use a plain C, without the age subdivisions. In these cases, it's assumed that they're intended for people 18 and older.
D: Only people over 21 admitted. In 99% of cases, it's reserved for porn movies.
PS-- When you said you wanted the ratings in their original language, what did you mean, exactly? Do you need a Spanish-language description of the Venezuelan ratings? Let me know.

 

[Angsty]

In Australia, we have the following:

G - General admission - suitable for all ages

PG - Parental Guidance recommended for people under 15 years

M - Mature - for people over 15 years

MA - Mature Accompanied - under 15 not allowed entrance unless accompanied by parent or adult guardian

R - Restricted to adults over 18 years

Angela

 

[KristianH]

PS-- When you said you wanted the ratings in their original language, what did you mean, exactly? Do you need a Spanish-language description of the Venezuelan ratings? Let me know.

First of, thanks a bunch everyone...please keep it coming this is highly appreciated, now regarding the quote above,

Considering that most countries only have a letter ("R") or a letter and a number combination my request of getting the rating in the countries language was a bit overkill.
But what I mean is, that some countries has ratings that are not presented in that way, example is Denmark: "Tilladt for børn over 11 år" = "Allowed for children over the age of 11". For ratings systems like this I would much prefer the countries presentation of them in native language.

Best regards

 

[Bjorn Olav Nyberg]

Since you already have Sweden and Denmark, Norway is probably not going to be a surprise

Tillatt for alle (A)
7 år (barn ned til 4 år i følge med foresatte)
11 år (barn ned til 8 år i følge med foresatte)
15 år (unge ned til 12 år i følge med foresatte)
18 år (absolutt nedre grense).

Translation
Allowed for anybody (A)
7 years (Children down to 4 years accomanied by superiors)
11 years (Children down to 8 years accompanied by superiors)
15 years (Young people down to 12 years accompanied by superiors)
18 years (No one under 18 admitted)

In other words, for 7 years, that means a 7 years old may see the movie alone, for any children between 4 and 7, they must be accompanied by their superiors.
Also, the ratings do not indicate whether the movie is really suitable for their age group, only that it has not got contents that may scare that age group. If a movie is allowed for anybody, does not make it a childrens movie.

 

[Iain Jackson]

United Kingdom ratings:
U (Universal - suitable for all ages)
PG (Parental Guidance - some scenes may not be suitable for younger viewers)
12 (Not suitable for anyone below this age)
15 (Not suitable for anyone below this age)
18 (Not suitable for anyone below this age)
I believe that there is also a Restricted 18 category for hardcore pornography, but this does not affect cinema releases.
I also hear that the British Board of Film Classification is experimenting with a PG-12 certificate (similar to the PG-13 certificate in the USA).

 

[Oliver Kopp]

This is how it works in Germany.

ohne Alterbeschränkung (everyone can see it)
ab 6 Jahren (you have to be 6 years or older to see the movie)
ab 12 Jahren (you have to be 12 years or older to see the movie)
ab 16 Jahren (you have to be 16 years or older to see the movie)
ab 18 Jahren (you have to be 18 years or older to see the movie)

 

[kevin_asai]

Singapore rating:
G (All ages permitted)
PG (Parental Guidance recommended)
NC-16 (You have to be 16 years old and older to watch the movie)
R(A) (You have to be 21 years old and older to watch the movie)
If a region 1 DVD title rated-PG has the status of PWC (Passed With Cut), it cannot be sold in Singapore. Movies that has rating higher than PG with Clean status (without cuts), cannot be sold in Singapore.
Quite a strict censorship issues here in Singapore.

 

[Florian Finkenzeller]

Oliver,

I'd still add, that a movie might not get a certificate by the FSK (the ratings board) at all. This treatment is usually reserved for ultra-violent films or films which in one way or the other violate regulations of the StGB.

A film which does not carry a FSK certificate is in essence treated as if it had received a FSK18 rating (no advertisment, no selling to minors, etc. allowed) but in addition can be confiscated by court order if it is found to be in violation of current laws. (Which usually is the case if the FSK denies a certification.)

In special cases the FSK might deny the usual certification (FSK6, FSK12, FSK16, FSK18) but on request of the distributor certify that the movie is not in violation of the pertinent laws, giving it a seal which indicates this. (Most recent example I am aware of was the uncut release of Starship Troopers over here.)

Florian

 

[Veli-Matti Reitti]

The Finnish ratings:

S/T = Kaikille Sallittu(approved for general audiences)
K-7 = Kielletty alle 7-vuotiailta(banned for everyone under 7)
K-11 = Kielletty alle 11-vuotiailta(banned for everyone under 11)
K-15 = Kielletty alle 15-vuotiailta(banned for everyone under 15)
K-18 = Kielletty alle 18-vuotiailta(banned for everyone under 18)
KK = Kokonaan Kielletty(Totally banned for all audiences, although this is not used that often. I my life time i can't recall seeing this ever. It's is however films that include child-pornography, animal-harming and such things that get this rating. Pretty much movies "that don't excist".)

Banned for everyone doesn't necessary mean that children under these ages don't have the possibility to see these movies in theaters because there is often a different rating that applys when accomanied by superiors. It's however not possible for childern under these ages to see the movies alone. So it's pretty much up to the parents to decide which movies they wanna let their children see with some limitations naturally. These limitations are often different depending on the movie and i actually don't know if there is some kind of standard that is used. For example i doubt that a 7 year old child will be able to see a K-18 movie even with his parents.

 

[KristianH]

Great, many thanks to all,
Countries covered so far:

Australia
Canada (Ontario, heard about different ratings in different parts?)
Denmark
Finland
Germany
Great Britain
Norway
Singapore
Sweden
USA
Venezuela

Still looking for "The rest of the world" =)

 

[Jonathan Burk]

This is a fascinating thread. For comparison, is there a way to find out which ratings a movie has received worldwide?

I've heard that some movies that receive "R" ratings in the US get the equivalent of a "PG" in other areas.

 

[Ushabye]

Here are the ratings in Ireland:

G - general addmission.
PG - parential guidance suggested.
12PG - under 12's must be accompianed by parent or guardian.
15PG - under 15's must be accompianed by parent or guardian.
18 - no one under 18 admitted.

(The 12 and 15 ratings got their 'PG' add-ons only last year. Untill then it was similar to the 18 rating where you didn't get in if you were under the age no matter whom you were with.)

The differances in ratings and what each country will pass is facinating: Ireland had a total ban on numb-chucks in films untill two years ago. This led to pictures such as "Teenage Mutant Turtles" being cut.

Most recently, "Attack Of the Clones" was passed as a PG film in Ireland. Where as the same film was given a 12 in the UK because of Obi-Wan's head-butting of Jango Fett. Fox wanted a PG in the Uk also, so the headbutt was removed. Some Star Wars fans in England have been taking the ferry to Ireland to see the film here due to this.

 

[Adam Barratt]

New Zealand is a little difficult as there are literally dozens of currently available classifications and new classifications are added every few years (last time in 1994) to replace older ratings systems (which remain in force, meaning there are numerous obsolete classifications still floating about on older films). 90% of films are covered by the following classifications, however:
G suitable for general audience
PG parental guidance recommended for younger viewers
M and RP16 suitable for mature audiences 16 years of age and over.
R13 restricted to persons 13 years and over
R15 restricted to persons 15 years and over
R16 and R restricted to persons 16 years and over
R18 restricted to persons 18 years and over
The above classifications also use a three colour colour coding system of green, yellow and red: green for general exhibition (eg. G), yellow for recommended but not required (eg. M) and red for enforced (eg. R18). Each classification also receives a censor's note which comments on violence, drug use, sexual content etc.
Harry Potter received a yellow PG certificate with a warning 'supernatural themes'.

The whole thing is ridiculously complicated and quite laughable.
Adam

 

[Iain Jackson]

You can get a lot of information about film ratings at the IMDB. It's quite interesting - from what I can tell of the French system, a lot of films that would get R ratings in the US only end up with "12" ratings or similar... just look up the ratings for Robocop...

 

[Keith Mascarenhas]

In India it goes something like this:
U = Universal. Suitable for audiences of all ages.
U/A = Suitable for adolescent and adult audiences, also suitable for older children accompanied by their parents.
A = Adults. Suitable for adults only.
An interesting fact: Violence is usually glossed over but there's a big no-no when it comes to nudity and sex. For example, Kate's nudie scene in Titanic was completed clipped out and the movie was then given a "Universal" rating. Also, I have seen that Hindi movies with violence released in India with a U rating almost always end up with a 15 or 18 rating in the UK. Interesting, huh? Evidently the criteria used in evaluating and rating a movie in the UK and India are completely different.

 

[kevin_asai]

Hongkong's rating system :
Category I = Suitable for All Ages
Category IIA = Not suitable for children
Category IIB = Not suitable for children and young person
Category III = Under 18 are probihited to watch the movie.

 

[Luc D]

Quebec:
G = all ages
+13 = Must be 13
+16 = Must be 16
+18 = Must be 18 (very few films get this rating)
I double checked and it turns out that if accompanied by an adult, those under 13 can attend a +13 film. However, the rest stands.
Here's a site that pretty much covers all of Canada:
http://www.gtm.ca/cdn_ratings_chart.shtml

 

[KristianH]

Bumping this up a bit.
Any more countries? So far covered:

Australia
Canada (Ontario)
Canada (Quebec)
Denmark
Finland
Germany
Great Britain
Hongkong
India
Ireland
New Zealand
Norway
Singapore
Sweden
USA
Venezuela
Anyone from France? Japan? And of course all the other countries =)
regards