Date: 23rd February 2001

Australia Toughens Hannibal Rating


An Australian review board has overridden a decision by the country's official ratings board and has toughened the rating for Hannibal.

The board set aside the MA 15+ rating originally established for the movie -- which allows children under 15 to see it if accompanied by an adult, or anyone 15 and older to see it without restriction. Instead, it imposed an R 18+ and ordered that the film's ads contain the notice that it is "unsuitable for anyone under 18 years by virtue of its depictions of high impact violence and the need for an adult perspective." Mike Selwyn, managing director of UIP, which distributes the film in Australia, told the Sydney Morning Herald that the review board's decision was "extremely unfortunate." He noted that Hannibal "has been seen by conservatively 600,000 to 700,000 people in Australia and there has been absolutely no public outcry."

Source: Studio Briefing