MovieChat Forums > The Trial of Billy Jack (1974) Discussion > 2 questions...

2 questions...

posted 14 years ago by Reverend-Flasher
5 replies | jump to latest

I recently picked up all the Billy Jack films on VHS at a local Op Shop and haven't seen them for years since I saw them on TV probably at least 15 years ago. "The Trial Of Billy Jack" has a PG rating which I found odd considering some of the violence in it. The Vietnam massacre flashback, while not explicit by today's standards is still pretty powerful and shocking. Also the shooting of a little boy (with one arm and carrying a rabbit!!) by a National Guardsman is pretty nasty as well.
"The Born Losers" is also rated PG and we are treated to rape, nudity, swearing and violence. Not that I'm against violent films, just curious.

Second question concerns "The Trial Of Billy Jack", this page states the aspect ratio as 1.33:1, but says the intended ratio was 2.35:1. The film itself has Panavision in the credits and some scenes do bear evidence of "pan and scan" to fit TV screens. Any answers on this one? Thanks in advance.

In memory of Sam Peckinpah

[–] info-550-296928 14 years ago

good luck with that

[–] WarpedRecord 14 years ago

I'd say this is safely in PG territory, especially for the '70s. The scenes you describe may be disturbing, but I didn't find them graphic. They looked pretty fake, actually.

I'm sure if you have an old VHS of the film, it's pan and scan. I watched a DVD release where the image was 2.39:1, and it was a glorious image.

[–] avalco 13 years ago

you have to remember this is when the ratings system pretty much came out and there was no PG13. It was either PG, R, or the dreaded X which is was Midnight Cowboy was originally labeled as.

[–] WarpedRecord 13 years ago

I find it curious what PG films could get away with in the '70s, while "Midnight Cowboy" was initially rated X for having not much more.

[–] dragongrrrllll 10 years ago

I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think the PG rating had even been introduced yet; I think the film's original rating was R, "restricted". That meant if you were between 13-18 you had to have someone with you who was over 18. Theaters weren't particularly vigilant about enforcing this; I went to see it with a dozen or so friends when I was 15 and no one in our group was older than 16. I think the PG ratings didn't show up until I was in my early 20s. As I said, I'm not positive.

In any case, for its time this movie was considered pretty violent. Compared to what we see these days on commercial television, it's practically G rated, but this was like 40 years ago. (Man, I'm OLD.) On the DVD commentary Tom and Frank Laughlin laugh about how the bright red fake blood looks so ridiculous, but they rave about what an amazing job Dolores Taylor and Teresa Laughlin did of acting like they'd been shot. Of course, they were talking about their wife/mother and daughter/sister, so they might have been a little biased.