In the world of movies, there are few ratings that are as feared as NC-17. It is regarded as the kiss of death by many, given that this particular rating can severely restrict the type of advertising that a movie will receive and can even dictate which theaters can show it. It’s no surprise, then, that many directors and studios try to avoid this at all costs.
What is perhaps more surprising, however, is the fact that that there have been many movies that were nominated for Academy Awards that were originally rated NC-17 - including many that ultimately won awards.
The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
Martin Scorsese is one of the most respected directors in Hollywood, and he has many great movies under his belt. One of his best recent efforts is The Wolf of Wall Street, which shone a piercing light on the decadent culture of Wall Street trading. Though it would later go on to be nominated for several Academy Awards–including the one for Best Picture–it had to cut some sex scenes and nudity in order to avoid the difficulties that would have been posed by the NC-17 designation.
Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
Boys Don’t Cry is widely regarded as one of the best LGBT movies ever made, and it is a haunting portrait of the life and death of Brandon Teena, the trans man who was murdered by his friends. It is a movie that doesn’t shy away from the brutality of the violence against Brandon, and its rape scenes in particular were deemed beyond the pale. However, it managed to avoid the NC-17 rating, which would have killed its chances at success, by changes to these particular moments. It would later go on to receive several Oscar nominations, including one for Hilary Swank (who portrayed Brandon).
Requiem For A Dream (2000)
Darren Aronofsky is another well-respected director in Hollywood, and he has been responsible for some truly groundbreaking movies. Requiem for a Dream is notable for its ability to capture the dark and sinister world of addiction, and it also features powerful performances. Like so many other movies that would go on to receive NC-17 ratings, it featured a sex scene that ran afoul of the censors, and it was ultimately releaed without a rating. It was a remarkable move by a studio to take such an action, rather than forcing the director to make changes.
Casino (1995)
In addition to being a well-respected director, Martin Scorcese has a reputation for creating movies that take the risk of earning an NC-17 rating. That is what happened with Casino which, like so many of his other movies, explores one of the darker aspects of American life, in his case the running of a casino and the changing fortunes of Las Vegas. Equally unsurprising is the fact that it needed to reduce some of its violent scenes in order to avoid the dreaded NC-17 and instead receive an R rating.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Like Scorcese, Quentin Tarantino is regarded as one of the foremost directors in Hollywood, with many successful movies to his credit. And, like Scorcese, his movies include a great deal of violence and bloodshed, including Pulp Fiction (arguably one of his best movies). Given the graphic violence that is on display during almost every moment of this movie, it’s not surprising that a number of cuts had to be made in order to get it to the level of an R rather than an NC-17.
Blue Valentine (2010)
While many of the most notable NC-17 movies emerged out of the 1990s, there have also been some that were released in the 2000s and 2010s. One of these includes Blue Valentine, which focuses on a married couple and the various stages of their relationship (including its downfall). Unlike some other movies, this time the NC-17 rating stemmed from an oral sex scene in which a woman is the recipient.
Fortunately for the producers and for the movie, the decision to give it an NC-17 was reversed, thus avoiding a potential box office problem.
Braveheart (1995)
There are few historical epics as highly regarded as Braveheart. Despite its numerous historical accuracies, the movie does capture the rousing story of William Wallace, who fought to keep the Scottish people independent of their English oppressors. Given the extraordinary amount of violence that the movie entails–some of the most grisly battle scenes to have ever been in a movie–it’s not entirely surprising that it had to make some cuts in order to make sure that it didn’t receive an NC-17.
The Godfather Part III (1990)
The Godfather is one of those movies that looms large in the American movie imagination, and while its two sequels might not have achieved quite the accomplishments of its predecessors, The Godfather Part III is still well-regarded.
Given the fact that this movie, like the other two in the series, focuses on the brutality of the world of organized crime, it almost got an NC-17 before the director decided to change a key murder scene to a less brutal depiction of death.
Y Tu Mamá También (2001)
Alfonso Cuarón is another director who has established a well-earned reputation for his visual artistry. Among his many other successful movies is Y tu mamá también, which explores the freight relationships among a group of young people. Given that it is also a movie about budding sexuality, and also given that it has several scenes involving drug use, it was inevitable that it would receive the dreaded NC-17, and so it was ultimately released in the United States without a rating at all.
Basic Instinct (1992)
There are few thrillers that have quite the reputation as Basic Instinct, which is widely seen as one of the best examples of the thriller genre. As was so often the case during the 1990s, the fact that the movie contained so many graphic depicts of things like sex and drug use meant that it was going to face the threat of an NC-17. The director ultimately cut several seconds and replaced others, though many of these were later restored for the DVD version.