Does anyone know when the song "Near You" was played? I have this film on VHS and have seen it a zilion times but cannot figure out which song it is. Also, I noticed the film was originally X rated and then changed to R. Was anything actually cut? Or was it just a rating change with the times.
share"I noticed the film was originally X rated and then changed to R. Was anything actually cut? Or was it just a rating change with the times"
It was lowered, I think, only a year or two after its initial release. The original X rating was for the nudity (which isn't much). By 1974 standards it was probably shocking but when it was reissued in 1976-77 it was lowered to an R with no cuts at all. "Midnight Cowboy" was the same way--it was X rated originally but that was lowered to an R too with no cuts.
Yes, I remember the Midnight Cowboy situation and the stigma of having a best picture award with an X-Rating. There was back and forth bickering about having to cut scenes to get the R rating but it was finally agreed that the rating would change with no cuts. Like Groove Tube, MC hardly had nudity at all.
shareThe big problem with MC wasn't the nudity--it was the gay scene. Is was when Voight is picked up by a teenage boy outside the movie theatre and they have sex. Nothing was shown but that was the scene that they wanted cut. It seems kind of funny that anyone was upset with that--it's actually pretty tame!
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Good point. That makes sense. Still there IS a little moral judgment occasionally. Up until a few years ago a gay kiss in a movie got u an automatic R rating! A 1980 film (I think it was "Najinsky") was R rated just because two guys were kissing. In terms of subject matter it was all PG material. That seems to have changed.
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"Remember the Sex Olympics? Notice how the screen goes blue with a 'Please Stand By' message on it? I would be willing to bet that this was placed over the most explicit action to get the film re-rated."
No. I saw this film a couple dozen times at the drive-in when it was released in the mid 70's. The "Please Stand By" was always there. It was the upside down talking real penis and balls PSA about STD's that gave it the X rating. If you ever saw it, you will remember this skit. It was freaking brilliant. I own an X-Rated 1st issue VHS version of this film. I don't know if this skit is in the R rated or not.
The reason I saw this film so many times at the drive-in was because of the "Uranus Corp" commercials. My friends would pay my way into the drive in because my real last name is Uranis (with an i). They just thought it was funny having a guy named Uranis with them. It was "my company", "your company makes sh**!", etc. I've heard every joke in the world about my last name, I laugh along with people and why not. My Great-Grandparents shortened the spelling when the came to the U.S., how could they have known. Also it helps that I'm a huge guy, so the jokes only go so far. The "Uranus Corp" commercials were hilarious. I still laugh my a** off at this film. BTW, you think I have it bad being named Thor Uranis, my Dads name was Dick. (No BS)
Thor
Another common misconception is that there is such a thing as an X rating in the USA. The film Midnight Cowboy was "rated" X by the distributor, not the MPAA. Later, in order to get the film booked into more theaters, it was resubmitted to the MPAA and got its R rating, the same rating it got the first time it was submitted.
shareDistributors were allowed to self-apply the X rating because the MPAA never copyrighted it. It was still an official MPAA rating.
Reverse Cutting! Fast Cutting! Random Cutting! How will he shock you next?
No, xot is correct, "X" was never and still is not an actual MPAA rating -- the top of their scale currently is NC-17. Use to mean they would not rate it, but now it apparently has been co-opted by porn.
The sex was ok, could have been R, it was the male full frontal nudity by Buzzy - (the FIRST EVER in released film!) and the Safety Sam sketch that made MPAA uncomfortable. BTW, one of those genital characters probably was Ken, but the cast swore to keep that secret! Even Buzzy has never revealed whether he was one or not; given his full frontal scene, I've always suspected he was in that sketch too.
I will view again for the "Near You" song and ask Buzzy about it.
No, xot is correct, "X" was never and still is not an actual MPAA rating
The MPAA DID issue an "X" to "Midnight Cowboy", as well as "Medium Cool", "Last Summer", "The Best House in London" and a number of releases by major studios. The ratings in 1968-70 were G, M, R and X, with M changed to GP (later PG in 1970, and the age restriction on R and X raised from 16 to 17.
The big studios were signatories to the MPAA rating system, so all of their films went to the rating board for classification. Yes, filmmakers COULD self-impose an "X" if they felt the film would likely land an X-rating, and save the fee for submitting the film, as the "X" was the only rating which was not a registered trademark. Many filmmakers went that route, but big studio releases, and any film with wide release went through the rating board.
Are you being sarcastic?
While ostensibly a warning to parents, MPAA ratings are in fact NOTHING MORE than a moral judgment.
Upset has everything to do with it. The people they select to rate the movie sit in a theater and if something makes them too uncomfortable...
It's a very secretive process. Check out this documentary "This Film Has Not Yet Been Rated" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0493459/
The MPAA originally gave 'The Groove Tube' an "X" rating due to male "Full Frontal" nudity, courtesy of both Buzzy Linhart ("The Hitchhiker" at the beginning of the film) and Ken Shapiro (the upside-down "spokepenis" for the P.S.A. on V.D.). Since neither were "standing at attention" during their scenes, the board agreed to re-rating the film an "R" on appeal.
Note to Benji-The_Dog: "The Sex Olympics" skit had the "Please Stand By" interuptions when the film was originally "X" - in other words, not added for the "R" version.
And to preppy-3: In regards to "Midnight Cowboy", it was the sex scene between Jon Voight & Brenda Vaccaro that originally got the film it's "X" - the MPAA considered it "too racy" for an "R" back in 1969. When United Artists re-submitted the film in, I think, 1971 to get the lower rating, the board said {believe it or not} "Ok - if 2 frames of that scene are removed." When John Schlesenger (the film's director) was told of this request, he flat-out refused. The board re-rated the film an "R" anyway.
"It's beyond the beyond!" - Pete Townshend
Thanks for the info WhomanJim but I think you're wrong about "Midnight Cowboy". There was a bio on John Schlesigner that came out a few years back. The author actually was able to interview Schlesinger before he passed away. Schlesinger said the board wouldn't give it an R because of the scene where the kid picks up Jon Voight at Time Square. The board asked him to cut it down but, as you said, Schlesinger refused completely and they gave it the R uncut. So, I think you're incorrect. If you want to check it the book is by William Mann. Sorry I can't remember the title but I think it's the only book ever written on Schlesinger.
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