This is a 1969 film called The Witchmaker. The back cover rating only shows an "M" icon with the MPAA logo beside it.



How should I enter this one in the database?

From Wikipedia:

Quote:
The original movie ratings were:

    G: General Audiences – All Ages Admitted.
    M: Mature Audiences – Parental Discretion Advised, But All Ages Admitted.
    R: Restricted – Children Under 16 Not Admitted Without an Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian.
    X: Adults Only - No One Under 18 will be Admitted.

and

Quote:
The M rating was changed because parents were confused as to whether "M"-rated films or "R"-rated films had more intense content. This led to the "GP" rating in January 1970.

Not sure what to put in there, this is where Invelos would need to chime in, but it looks like this was the equivalent to PG today (since GP was changed to PG in 1971). That's what I would do locally but probably should be blank within the system until that is added or something.

As the Movieman notes it is most equivalent to PG (M -> GP -> PG) so i wouldn't vote against PG used as an equivalent.

I probably wouldn't object to PG13 either cause M covered what both PG and PG13 now cover. 

In fact PG13 is probably safest.  It's not Not Rated, it has a rating.

Quoting Katatonia:

Quote:
Yep, same film. Which is weird if it was later re-rated R. "M" seems more like PG or PG-13, and there was an R rating back in 1969.

I was too young to attend R films in 1969 but i suspect what qualified for R (or PG/PG13) in 1969 has changed over the years.  The standards are, to some degree, subjective.

Some older main stream films (Midnight Cowboy is a common example) were initially released as X and later changed to R.  Doubtless some M/PG films moved up as standards changed.

Quoting tweeter:

Quote:
Quoting Katatonia:
I was too young to attend R films in 1969 but i suspect what qualified for R (or PG/PG13) in 1969 has changed over the years.  The standards are, to some degree, subjective.

Some older main stream films (Midnight Cowboy is a common example) were initially released as X and later changed to R.  Doubtless some M/PG films moved up as standards changed.

Plus lots of stuff rated PG back in the early to even late 80's (and starting much sooner than that)  would get an R today.
Sheena with full nudity is rated PG, that would be an instant R today for seeing bush! There's other examples but I can't think of thm right now.

Due to this mixed with other rating going up, I'd say leave it custom M locally and NR for submission. I guess the re-rating might be good, but that would have to the same cut of the film, just the title changed, to be solid info. If someone can confirm that I'd have no issue voting yes for the re-rating.

Personally, I convert my M's to PG's as that's what the rating later migrated to.  Leaving it blank certainly makes sense to accomodate the more retentive folks we have.  Making it NR is a little fuzzy as it most certainly did have a rating.

Quoting Addicted2DVD:

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I agree that leaving it blank makes sense. Changing it to NR... the only reason I considered it is because that is what we did for TV series... even when it had it's own rating on the case.

Yeah, fair enough.  It's something most of us will change locally anyway, so it probably doesn't matter that much.

Quoting bigdaddyhorse:

Quote:
Hope "Catergory 1" is the Chinese equvilant of PG-13.

Actually, I think that would be Category II-B.

I believe Category I is all ages. 
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