Natasha Kaplinsky says film rape scene would have higher class today

2023-01-12

New film ratings chief Natasha Kaplinsky says Keira Knightley rape scene in The Duchess would have higher classification of 15 if released today due to greater concern over anti-women violence

Natasha Kaplinsky was named the new president of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)
She believes the public has become more sensitive to sexual abuse of women
The film ratings chief argued the 2009 film, The Duchess, would have a 15 rating if it was assessed again

Natasha Kaplinsky said the rape scene in Keira Knightley’s The Duchess would have a higher classification of 15 if the film was released today due to greater concern over misogynistic violence.

Miss Kaplinsky, the new president of the British Board of Film Classification, said the public has become more sensitive to sexual abuse of women, as well as terrorist violence.

Whilst not directly mentioning any cases such as the 2021 rape and murder of Sarah Everard, which sparked an outcry over violence against women, Kaplinsky spoke of how attitudes had certainly changed since.

She said 2009 film The Duchess, which involves a rape, was previously deemed acceptable viewing for 12-year-olds, however, would now have a 15 rating if it was assessed again.

Natasha Kaplinsky, the new president of the British Board of Film Classification, said the public has become more sensitive to sexual abuse of women, as well as terrorist violence

Speaking on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour today, she said: ‘I think off the back of the MeToo movement sexual violence was a really big issue.

‘We were strict anyway in the guidelines, but actually things have moved on.

‘And various films, for example, I don’t know if you have seen The Duchess with Keira Knightley, that was submitted in 2008. It was classified as a 12 then, but if it was re-submitted it would be a 15 now because we’ve got much more culturally sensitive to rape, or the sound of rape.’

Miss Kaplinsky added that although viewers do not see the assault on screen, they hear it.

She added how it was ‘quite disturbing’ that there was an acceptance that 12-year-olds might know about sexual violence, but they don’t want to see it.

She said the rape scene in Keira Knightley’s The Duchess would have a higher classification of 15 if the film was released today due to greater concern over misogynistic violence

Miss Kaplinsky said it was the violence rather than sex and nudity that she felt people had become more sensitive to, adding that last year’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover was a different issue and despite lots of sex it was classed as suitable for 15-year-olds.

She said: ‘Attitudes have softened a little bit perhaps to some of the issues in Lady Chatterley and that’s now rated as a 15 because the sex scenes, there are plenty of them, but they’re not very explicit.

‘The nudity in Lady Chatterley, in the latest film, is rather beautiful, it’s playful, it’s romantic, it’s not sexual.’

She added: ‘Violence was a big issue in 2019. There’s an acceptance of violence of kind of fantasy violence – that Jason Bourne, kind of Marvel violence – but real-life terror threats have got people agitated. And so there’s a desire that that would be a higher rating.’

The film ratings chief, who has children aged 14 and 12, said: ‘It’s an incredibly tough environment to grow up as a kid.

Miss Kaplinsky said it was the violence rather than sex and nudity that she felt people had become more sensitive to

‘I would hate to grow up again where they’re bombarded constantly with content. Navigating that environment is incredibly complicated.’

The former BBC newsreader and Strictly Come Dancing champion will each month chair the board of classification, which oversees decisions on the most ‘complex and controversial’ of cases.

She will also chair the Advisory Council on Children’s Viewing.

Discussing the role, she said: ‘Every four or five years or so there’s a huge public consultation – takes into account over 10,000 people’s views, and then those classification guidelines shape how films are classified, and constantly reflecting public sentiment and cultural values.

‘We also do additional research on domestic violence or strong language, race and discrimination – whatever the key topics are.

‘I’m very interested to see how views will change post-covid. I feel that mental health will be a big issue, tolerance to violence, coercive behaviour – that border between 15 and 18 violence.’

Kaplinsky will each month chair the board that provides age ratings for film and other visual content such as DVDs.

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