Potter Overrules

Well. Well. Well.

Now in the back of my memory banks I recall that recently a film was banned in Australia because it featured 'extended' sex scenes with minors. The reasons why it was banned and what the film was is irrelevant right now, the fact is that it remained banned even though there were protests, attempts to view it, national news coverage. No budging.

Fast forward a few months.

A children's book, the third in a series, has been made into a film. Like every film, it goes to Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC or Offlik). On Thursday last week the OFLC deemed Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban unsuitable for younger audiences (a 5/3 majority) and rated it M15+. The reasoning was that there were 'horror elements' in the film, i.e. when Ron is being attacked by a wolf and there's a fight between a werewolf and Professor Snape. (Yahoo News)

Naturally Roadshow appealed the decision.

So the board met again, and 'unanimously' decided to give it a PG rating. Only 4 members were at the appeal.

The word from OFLC is that the "new classification means that the film may contain material which some children find confusing or upsetting and may require guidance." (Yahoo News)

When your child can't sleep for week because it's had the innocence scared out of it by a 20 foot high salivating werewolf, be sure to write to OFLC and share your concern.

Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification is clearly able to determine what an adult may or may not choose to see at the cinema, but clearly can't protect our kids from a multinational beast.

Go and see the film, just leave the littlies at home.