The first Hollywood film to be rated R
(Image source: Far Out / Patrick Tommaso / Imo Wegman)
Moviegoers of the 1930s would have been horrified if they could see the kind of cinematic material ending up on the Hollywood silver screen in the 21st century. Not only will their retinas likely explode when they watch Spider-Man swing across New York City in 3D, but they’ll simultaneously be horrified by the sheer amount of violence and profanity allowed on movie screens.
In fact, when cinema became popular in the 1930s, Hollywood adhered to strict censorship rules that were a far cry from the certification system we have today. This was thanks to the implementation of the Motion Picture Production Code, created by William Hayes, a set of ethical requirements that essentially any American production must follow if it wants to see a theatrical production.
American values were maintained, with any reference to drugs, sex and nudity prohibited. This became a problem not only for small independent films, but also for films with large studios, as David O. Selznick, who produced the 1939 Best Picture winner, was forced to pay a $5,000 fine for allowing profanity in the film. The movie’s signature line: “Honestly, baby, I don’t care.”
With many frustrated with the Hays Act’s restriction of freedom of creative expression, by the late 1960s, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) sought to make a difference. Desiring to establish an age rating that could be applied to every film released, the organization created the MPAA rating system, which included the infamous “R” rating, which prohibited anyone under the age of 16 from viewing the film in question.
Seeing the opportunity to become an industry first, it was created by director Gordon Fleming Division In 1968, it was the first Hollywood film to be rated R. After being certified for adult content, profanity and violence, screenwriter Robert Saparoff dared to include words like “hell” and “crap” and even went so far as to include a “shocking” scene where Characters drinking in public.
Aside from its secondary role in Hollywood history, Division It’s not all that notable, being a nice crime thriller that tells the story of a group of thieves who fight with each other after $500,000 from their previous heist goes missing. Perhaps its most distinctive feature is its inclusion of actors Jim Brown and Gene Hackman, the latter of whom later won two Academy Awards for his role in the film. French connection And the unforgiven.
Take a look at the trailer for Division Below and explore the somewhat tame world of the first R-rated Hollywood film.
