These days, there’s the extremely rare “NC-17” rating for anything that goes beyond the “R” rating. Back in the day (and “back in the day” means before the 1990s), however, there was the much cooler-sounding “X” rating, which was given to films that were considered far too hardcore for anyone under 17.
Many of these films were later changed to an R rating, but the legacy of the X rating lives on today as it remains an important part of cinema history. So here are six famous X-rated films and what made them so controversial at the time.
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
The only X-rated film to ever win the Oscar for Best Picture (and also one of the greatest), Midnight Cowboy is about a sometime gigolo – but mostly a sex worker for gay men – played by Jon Voigt and the relationship he builds with a weakened con man played by Dustin Hoffman.
I just mentioned that Voigt’s character resonates with gay men in particular, and that’s the main reason the film got the X rating. That said, it might not be the reason you think. There’s a great article in Vanity Fair detailing that the film could have actually been rated R, but some of the people in charge were legitimately concerned that the film would turn some young men gay.
Of course, it’s a silly idea that a movie could turn a whole generation of teenagers gay, but that was in the late 1960s, mind you, and people thought differently then. Nowadays, we widely support gay rights and even encourage Film and television characters played by gay actors. So we have come a long way since 1969. Not as far as we need to, but progress has definitely been made.
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
And now a bit of the old ultra-violence. One of Stanley Kubrick’s best films is also one of his most controversial. My older sister once warned me not to watch this filmand for good reason. The content of this film is definitely not for children.
A major reason for this is the sexual violence. According to Slashfilm, the pivotal moment that had the censors tearing their hair out is probably the most famous moment in the entire film (aside from the part where Malcolm McDowell gets his eyes opened with staples), and that is the infamous home invasion scene in which McDowell’s character belts out “Singing in the Rain” before sexually assaulting a man’s wife right in front of him.
Nowadays, the Droogs are apparently considered so harmless that they as a spectator in the Space Jam ConsequenceBut back in the early 70s, this film was too harsh for younger eyes. Today, they cheer for Bugs Bunny.
Fritz the Cat (1972)
The very first X-rated cartoon, Fritz the Cat was proud of this award, even proclaiming on the film’s poster, “We didn’t get an X rating for nothing, baby!” And it’s pretty easy to see why this film has an X rating, but the BBC has a pretty detailed article on why it got that normally dreaded age rating.
It was directed by Ralph Bakshi (in his directorial debut!) and is based on the comic of the same name by R. Crumb. Fritz the Cat seems to be the kind of film for which the X-rating was invented.
With drug use, sex, political activism and some pretty outdated racial stereotypes (although one gets the feeling that Bakshi is the black crows from Disney’s Dumbo)The film industry definitely didn’t want parents to take their children to see a film in which a cat has a foursome.
That means, without Fritz the Catwe probably wouldn’t have had more cartoons for adults like The simpsons (I’m glad I grew up with it), family GuyAnd South Parkso we thank Ralph Bakshi and R. Crumb for that.
Dance of the Devils (1981)
The evil death Is my favorite horror franchise of all time. With five films under my belt, I would say that there hasn’t been a bad one yet, with the latest installment, Evil Dead rises, receive a respectable rating of four out of five stars from us.
The tone of the series, however, was very different. In the last two entries, 2013 evil Deadand the already mentioned Evil Dead – Rise of the Deadthe creative teams started making pure horror films again. Dance of the Devils 2And Army of Darkness are definitely examples of horror comedies.
However, it is the first film from 1981 The evil death that was considered so extreme that it received an X rating when it was first released. Looper goes into why that was the case, but it basically boils down to one particular scene, something even Sam Raimi regrets today. If you’ve seen the film, you know it’s about a woman in the forest… and a tree. I’ll leave it at that.
There’s also a lot of blood spilled and all that demonic stuff definitely didn’t help matters. Nowadays, the film is still pretty shocking, especially when you think about when it was first released.
Baadasssss Song by Sweet Sweetback (1971)
An ancestor of the blaxploitation genreMelvin Van Peebles’ The Baadasssss Song by Sweet Sweetback is a perfect example of why the X rating was created. The film can be seen as many things – a political statement, a black empowerment film, or, as some would probably classify it, borderline pornography.
In fact, according to Den of Geek, this is partly why the film got away with some of its more offensive elements, such as a scene cut from some later versions in which Van Peebles’ own son Mario (who is 13, after all) plays a younger version of his character who copulates with a sex worker.
However, Van Peebles took the X rating with pride, since no one in Hollywood would touch this film with a barge pole, so he starred in it (and even performed his own stunts) and financed the film.
As someone who has seen many films and is hardly ever shocked, I must tell you, The song by Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss really shocks me (how did he get away with a film like that?!), which is no small thing.
The Last Tango in Paris (1972)
Finally, I would like to talk about The last tango in Pariswhich, believe it or not, was the seventh highest-grossing film of 1973. Starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider, the film is essentially about two lovers who have a lot of anonymous sex… until it doesn’t happen anymore.
The reason for the X rating of this film, like many other films here, is a particular scene. But unlike The evil deathwhich contained a vivid moment with a tree, The last tango of Paris has a graphic scene with butter.
I won’t even go into the scene in question because it is disgusting, but what’s even more disgusting is the revelation that the actress didn’t even know the scene was going to happen.
There’s a whole article about it in Glamour, and while Marlon Brando is still a highly respected actor, this film is definitely a stain on his career because there is no excuse for what he and director Bernardo Bertolucci tried to do to Maria Schneider. No excuse at all.
And that’s the list. There are many other X-rated movies I could have talked about, but these six movies are the ones I think are most discussed. How many of these X-rated movies have you seen?
