Senior MPs have criticised the British Board of Film Classification's decision to allow young children to see the new Batman film, The Dark Knight.
In a letter in the Times today, Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, said he was "astonished" that the BBFC did not give the film a 15 certificate, which would stop children under the age of 15 from viewing it.
Keith Vaz, the Labour chairman of the home affairs committee, has also said that the film should have been a 15. Instead the BBFC made it a 12A, meaning that children under the age of 12 can see it if accompanied by an adult.
Duncan Smith decided to speak out after taking his 15-year-old daughter to see the film, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, at the weekend.
"Unlike past Batman films where the villains were somewhat surreal and comical figures, Heath Ledger's Joker is a brilliantly acted but very credible psychopathic killer, who extols the use of knives to kill and disfigure his victims, during a reign of urban terrorism, laced with torture," Duncan Smith wrote.
"It is a relentlessly violent film, filled with dark themes, and as I left I wondered what the board could possibly have been thinking. There is no way that a parent could have been guided by the classification and realised what they were about to see."
The BBFC said the film's 12A certificate was justified because of the film's superhero context.
What do you think? Is it too dark and violent for children? Or is it just superhero fantasy with no bearing on the real world?
In a letter in the Times today, Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, said he was "astonished" that the BBFC did not give the film a 15 certificate, which would stop children under the age of 15 from viewing it.
Keith Vaz, the Labour chairman of the home affairs committee, has also said that the film should have been a 15. Instead the BBFC made it a 12A, meaning that children under the age of 12 can see it if accompanied by an adult.
Duncan Smith decided to speak out after taking his 15-year-old daughter to see the film, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, at the weekend.
"Unlike past Batman films where the villains were somewhat surreal and comical figures, Heath Ledger's Joker is a brilliantly acted but very credible psychopathic killer, who extols the use of knives to kill and disfigure his victims, during a reign of urban terrorism, laced with torture," Duncan Smith wrote.
"It is a relentlessly violent film, filled with dark themes, and as I left I wondered what the board could possibly have been thinking. There is no way that a parent could have been guided by the classification and realised what they were about to see."
The BBFC said the film's 12A certificate was justified because of the film's superhero context.
What do you think? Is it too dark and violent for children? Or is it just superhero fantasy with no bearing on the real world?
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- LindseyIndigo
- added this
- added August 05, 2008
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I think these right wing assholes need to spend more time on their own children and leave the population to make their own decisions. Even if this was a rated 15 movie younger kids will still watch it if they want. And anyone that thinks this decision would help a parent better gauge a film, then they are bad parents.
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- lifterbaron
- 5 months ago
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I don't think that it should, because although the majority of 12 year-olds would find it dark, they could still have a great cinematic experience, which is what film is all about.
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It is quite a disturbing film - especially the Joker.. I don't think it's somethimg I'd show to young kids though your average 12/13 year old is pretty resilient these days.
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