British censors under pressure as other countries give Batman a 15 certificate

11 April 2012
The Weekender

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The violent new Batman movie has been given a 15 or a 16 rating in many countries - piling further pressure on British censors who handed it a family-friendly 12A certificate.



Parents say they have been let down by the British Board of Film Classification which insists that its decision is the right one for The Dark Knight.

It emerged yesterday that the Republic of Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and South Korea have found it suitable only for those aged 15 and over.

The Dark Knight, starring Heath Ledger as The Joker, has been criticised for its high level of violence

The Dark Knight, starring Heath Ledger as The Joker, has been criticised for its high level of violence

The Netherlands have been even stricter, awarding it a 16 certificate. In South Africa
the film is only shown after 9pm and has also been given a 16 rating.

America has sanctioned a PG-13 rating, which means parents are 'strongly cautioned' because some material may be inappropriate for young children.

The BBFC yesterday claimed many foreign film ratings are more lax and do not stop younger children from seeing the film. Sue Clark, spokesman for the censors,
said: 'The point about a 15 in Ireland is that you can be seven and go and see it with an adult  -  if you give it a 15 rating in the UK you can't see it if you are under 15.'

Shocked: Iain Duncan Smith took his 15-year-old daughter to see the latest Batman movie

Shocked: Iain Duncan Smith took his 15-year-old daughter to see the latest Batman movie

She added that most countries in Europe would allow younger children to watch the film if they were accompanied by an adult.

But Simon Calvert, of the Christian Institute, countered: 'It is a poor excuse to say ratings given by other countries are only advisory.

They are there to advise parents what age a film is appropriate for. Parents who take their responsibilities seriously will rely on this rating when deciding whether to take their children to see the film.

'The BBFC have got this wrong and won't admit it. I don't think we can trust the board and perhaps we need a tougher legislative regime to prevent abuses like this.'

John Beyer, director of mediawatchuk, added his voice to the chorus of criticism. 'Clearly other countries feel it is not suitable for young children,' he said.

'One has to look at the fact we have a knife culture and ask what effect the BBFC's decisions over the last 40 years or so have had on this.

'There is public concern about violence in entertainment and the board seem to be immune to it.'


The board's rating allows those aged 12 and older to see The Dark Knight unaccompanied, while much younger children can watch it with an adult.

Businessman Mog Hamid, 43, said he regretted taking his son Daniel, nine, to see the film in North London yesterday.

He said: 'It was just too violent for someone as young as Daniel, he had his hands over his face a lot of the time because he was scared.'

Duncan Boyd, from the Church Society, said: 'Any film that might encourage a child to engage in gratuitous violence should be awarded at least a 15 certificate,' he said.

TV presenter and mother-ofthree Melinda Messenger, who has refused to take her children to see The Dark Knight, added: 'Children are like sponges and they absorb everything you put in front of them.

'I find it really worrying that we are exposing our kids to these kinds of images from such a broad spectrum of media.'

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