A Film Unfinished, the documentary directed by Yael Heronski, was recently given a rating of "R" for "disturbing images of Holocaust atrocities including graphic nudity."
Eh, really?
I’m not exactly the biggest fan of Holocaust films, but do I have to be the one to tell the body that hands out film ratings that the Shoa wasn’t the PG-13 affair they might think it was? From all accounts, A Film Unfinished is an extremely well done documentary. And while I know the Hollywood equivalent of a "Holocaust film" usually involves SS officers with English accents, and happy endings, the MPAA should know that isn’t really accurate.
Thankfully, the film has a Beastie Boy on it’s side: Adam Yauch (or MCA as he’s better know by) whose company Oscilloscop is producing the film, has come out and said exactly what we were thinking:
"This is too important of a historical document to ban from classrooms… I understand that the MPAA wants to protect children’s eyes from things that are too overwhelming, but they’ve really gone too far this time. It’s bullshit."
At the end of the day, we have all learned a valuable lesson: they might not put out albums that I care about, but the wisdom of the Beastie Boys is usually pretty much dead on.
Update: New York Magazine attempted to call the MPAA for a quote, but got no response.