What's In A Rating?

G: Suitable for general audiences; all ages are admitted. The Lion King, for instance.

PG: Parental guidance suggested; some material may not be suitable for children. Star Wars.

PG13: Parents strongly cautioned; some material may be inappropriate for childrenunder 13. Jurassic Park.

R: Restricted; a viewer under 17 requires an accompanying parent or guardian. The Passion of the Christ.

NC17: No one under 17 is admitted. Last Tango in Paris.

• Unrated: Not actually a rating, but distributors of arthouse films often feel their audiences are so small that rating isn’t worthwhile. A rating must also have a brief description of why a film got a particular categorisation. Trouble is,ratings aren’t consistent; accusations of undue favours to powerful movie bigwigs and harshness towards independent or radical filmmakers are nothing new.