Iraq soldiering gets unfettered access to public
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
The must-see documentary Gunner Palace gives us the unfiltered and officially unapproved views of U.S. soldiers in Iraq, unhindered by Pentagon censors.
But the film very nearly fell prey to an even more determined band of scissor-wielders, the grannies of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). They can handle gunfire and explosions, but they run screaming from the sound of certain earthy Anglo-Saxonisms.
The MPAA was all set to slap an "R" rating on the movie, which opens today stateside and sometime after that in Toronto, meaning teens under 17 would need adult accompaniment.
The reason: the soldiers swear just too darn much. PG-13 films are limited to a single use of profanity, a restriction that wouldn't get you past the first reel of Gunner Palace.
Since teens just slightly older than 17 are in the film and also still in Iraq, killing people in the name of freedom, the concern about a little rough language is ludicrous.
Filmmakers Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein protested the R rating, along with their distributor Palm Pictures, asking the MPPA to bust it down to the unrestricted PG-13 rank that almost every movie receives these days.
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Amazingly, the MPAA snapped to attention and saluted the request. Is it possible the association is getting with the times, now that founding grandfather Jack Valenti, the man who caused the current ratings mess, has finally been pried away from the helm?
No such luck, apparently.
MPAA spokeswoman Phuong Yokitis said Valenti is still in charge of movie ratings, even though he recently handed over the reins to Dan Glickman, the new president and CEO.
And although Valenti's about-face was rare — last year, seven R-rated films were appealed and just three were successfully reclassified as PG-13 — the decision isn't the result of new MPAA policies.
"Jack is still in charge of the ratings system," Yokitis said in an interview. "The ratings remain the same and the guidelines remain the same."
But the Gunner Place ruling was unique enough to prompt a joint news release Wednesday afternoon from Valenti and John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theatre Owners, explaining the decision without defending the film.
The film's co-director Michael Tucker applauded the ruling.
"The MPAA made the right decision today," he said. "This new rating will allow the soldiers of the 2/3 to speak directly to the American people. It will also permit those teenagers who are hungry to understand the sacrifice thousands of their peers are making to do so."
Gunner Palace is named for the former Baghdad palace of the late Uday Hussein, son of ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, which is currently used as the base of operations for members of the Army's 2/3 Field Artillery unit.
The Gunners face death on a daily basis during their military rounds, but behind the walls of their palace compound they are able to swim, fish and golf in Hussein's indulgent expanse.
The film follows them as they work, nervously watching for snipers and bombers at every turn. But it also relaxes with them as they talk, sing and rap about the war, exhibiting a depth of commitment and thoughtfulness of purpose that rarely comes through in brief news reports.
"You may not like this, but please respect it," a soldier raps, quoting a Tupac lyric.
The film's well-made website at http://www.gunnerpalace.com does more than just promote Gunner Palace. It also links to the filmmakers' Baghdad diaries and to blogs of U.S. soldiers.
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
