|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
June 9, 1999R ratedTheaters, youths shrug off president's photo ID campaignFrom staff and wire reportsTRAVERSE CITY - Local theater operators say President Clinton's attempt to crack down on children sneaking into R-rated movies by requiring photo identification is a redundant effort. Youths say it's futile. On Tuesday, President Clinton announced new restrictions imposed by the nation's largest group of theater owners. "You shouldn't have to worry about your G-rated kids getting into violent or suggestive R-rated movies," the president said in a Roosevelt Room ceremony with representatives of the National Association of Theater Owners. "Too often, children do get past the ticket counter unescorted and underage." But local theater operators say policies already are in place to keep underage youths from seeing R-rated movies, and that Clinton is simply playing politics by making an issue of it. "We're kind of amused by it. It is what we do," said Bryan Jeffries, executive vice president of film and marketing for GKC Theatres, the Illinois company that owns the 20 screens at the Grand Traverse Mall and Horizon Outlet Center. Jeffries noted that the ID-checking is a policy, not a law. Clinton is just trying to enforce it. "He is asking that a policy that already exists be implemented a little harder," Jeffries said. "Good luck," was the response of GKC employee Justin Lardie. While employees do try and check for identification and monitor "theater hopping" - buying a ticket for one film but going to see another - Lardie said parents buying tickets for children under 18 happens "all the time." "We do try and keep on top of it, (but) after they get their ticket, there's really not a whole lot we can do," he said. "I don't know what Clinton plans on doing to stop that." Young people attending the movies Tuesday said they had had virtually no problems seeing what they wanted to see. "I've never really had trouble getting into R-rated movies," said Judd Melton, 17, of Traverse City, who was planning to see "The Matrix" one of six R-rated films at the 10-screen Horizon Outlet Center complex. An R rating recommends no one under 17 be admitted without a parent or guardian. Danielle Cornish, 20, of Benzie County, said she has both asked older people to buy her tickets when she was younger, and that she has bought tickets for younger people when asked. "It's not going to matter," she said of the ID policy. Even if it were possible to keep underage youths from R-rated movies, it won't prevent them from seeing sex and violence, some pointed out. "They'll just see it on TV," said Kyle Harris, 18, of Traverse City. Jeffries of GKC Theatres said movie studios bear some responsibility, too. "Hollywood should be held a lot more accountable for where they market the films," he said, noting R-rated movie ads in magazines targeted for youths. He added that parents need to be aware of what the different ratings mean. Between 25 percent and a third of movies get an R rating, he said. "An educated parent makes as much of a difference as anything else," Jeffries said. Of the 17 movies now playing on GKC's 20 local screens, six, or 35 percent, are rated R. The ID requirement was the latest in a series of steps to curb youth violence in the aftermath of the high school rampage that left 15 people dead in Littleton, Colo. The restrictions were a victory for Clinton, who had challenged theater and video store owners a month ago to enforce the rating systems on movies they show, rent and sell. The White House said it would keep up the pressure on video stores. Watchdog groups said the new requirement will put teeth into the 31-year-old movie rating system and the R-rating that bans children under 17 unless accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. "The industry has taken a big step: enforcement at the box office," said James M. Wall, special consultant to the motion picture industry for the National Council of Churches. "Kids have always managed to sort of slip their way past box offices. A requirement like this sets a mood that we are serious about enforcing the R-rating." The new policy was adopted by the National Association of Theater Owners, representing more than 20,000 screens spread across every state. That's about two-thirds of all screens in the nation. The White House said it would try to get all theaters to follow suit. "We believe that this will go a long way in carrying out our responsibilities to the parents of America," said William F. Kartozian, the association president. Appearing with Clinton in a ceremony in the Roosevelt Room, he said theaters will display posters announcing the new policy and advising young people to be ready to show an ID. "Over the years, theater owners have turned away millions and millions of dollars in business, and to the best of my knowledge, we're the only industry that voluntarily does such," Kartozian said. Jack Valenti, head of the Motion Picture Association of America, applauded the ID requirement. "It's a big step forward," he said in a statement. Yet there is some wariness in Hollywood about the anti-violence campaign, with some worried that the entertainment industry has been turned into a political scapegoat. Clinton acknowledged that some people have reservations, saying, "I think that the public ambivalence you see is more their uncertainty about, 'Well, are we agreeing to censorship? Are we getting into trouble here?"' However, he predicted that once people are persuaded that "no one is pointing a finger at anybody else, I think we'll have good participation from the entertainment community, and I'll be surprised if we don't," he said. Clinton urged the House to follow the Senate's lead in approving tougher gun control measures, including requirements for safety locks on handguns and background checks for purchases at gun shows. |
|
