Letter: Triumph of tosh

Sir: The British media consistently misinform readers as to the nature of the US "R" (Restricted) movie rating. It is not, as you stated in connection with the film Eyes Wide Shut ("Kubrick's final legacy", 12 March), an "adults only" classification, and the "restriction", such as it is, merely requires that persons under the age of 17, (and that can be any age below 17), must be accompanied by a person over the age of 17.

The US "adults only" classification (the equivalent to our "18") is "NC- 17", which is awarded to very, very few films indeed, and films so classified may not be seen by persons under the age of 17 whether accompanied or not. No major studio productions ever get classified "NC-17" as it is considered "bad box-office".

People in Britain fail to realise how incredibly mild the US film rating system is compared with here, and American children, if they have a mind to do so, can probably get to see almost all those films which in Britain are passed only for over-18s. That is something to reflect upon.

DAVE GODIN

Sheffield