The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has raised the age rating of "Mary Poppins" to PG in the UK, nearly six decades after its initial release.
According to the Daily Mail, the film's rating has been changed from U, indicating no potentially offensive or harmful content, to one recommending parental guidance. This adjustment is due to the inclusion of discriminatory language.
The change occurred due to the use of a derogatory term referring to the Khoikhoi people, early inhabitants of Southern Africa. This term was noticed in the dialogue spoken by the character Admiral Boom, initially aimed at off-screen individuals and later used in reference to child actors in the film whose faces are blackened with soot.
"We understand from our racism and discrimination research … that a key concern for … parents is the potential to expose children to discriminatory language or behavior which they may find distressing or repeat without realizing the potential offense," a BBFC spokesperson told the Mail.
"Content with immediate and clear condemnation is more likely to receive a lower rating."
In a statement to BBC, a BBFC spokesperson further noted that, "while Mary Poppins has a historical context, the use of discriminatory language is not condemned, and ultimately exceeds our guidelines for acceptable language at U. We therefore classified the film PG for discriminatory language."
The organization stated that a PG rating "should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older" and that "unaccompanied children of any age may watch, but parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger, or more sensitive, children.
According to the BBFC, only the cinema version of the film is affected by the reclassification, while home entertainment versions retain a U rating.
The word at issue is "Hottentot," a term adopted by Dutch settlers to refer to the Khoikhoi people, believed to mimic their language. This term is considered offensive and would later be generalized to refer to all Black people.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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