In Germany the Movie has a rating for 6 year olds. Saw it today with my son(7) and he was a bit
shocked by the torture scene and the giant rat scene. Maybe this movie is better for kids from 8 and above - any experiences with that?
Every country has their own ratings system. In the US, The Princess Bride is rated PG, which signifies "Parental guidance suggested." It's generally a good idea for parents to view these movies themselves first, to see if they are suitable for their younger kids. The next rating up would be PG-13, and there's really nothing in this movie that would cause it to be rated at that age level.
The German rating system jumps from age 6 to age 12. So I guess the question is, is this movie closer to what would typically be rated for age 12 in Germany? I notice that other American movies of that time that were rated PG in the US, such as "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and "Superman II," were certified for age 12 in Germany, not age 6.
For comparison, in the Netherlands, "The Princess Bride" was at one time rated for age 6, but changed to age 12 a few years later. The movie was rated "tous publics" in France; okay for all audiences (France seems to give this rating to just about everything). Norway rated it for age 10, Sweden rated it for age 11, and Hungary rated it for age 12.
One interesting fact is that the ratings in the US are done by a body which is basically a branch of the motion picture industry, whereas in many other countries it's done by some government-established committee. It looks like the German ratings board, the FSK, is industry-aligned rather than government-sponsored. Which way is better? Perhaps that's a discussion for another day.