Okay, did some scans as well but don't expect too much. Most of my Ian DVDs are American DVDs, and since this is about foreign DVDs, I didn't scan them.
The German DVDs I do have are:
- Die Regeln des Spiels ("The Rules of the Game"/ The Rules of Attraction)DVD extras contain movie trailer and TV spots, making of, audio commentary (the infamous commentary LOL), production notes, cast and crew info, picture gallery
rating is FSK 16 (thought that was interesting to compare as well)
Cover and
DVD (easily offended ppl should maybe not click...)
- Das Haus am Meer ("The House at the Sea"/ Life as a House)DVD extras contain original commentary and documentation, character building "Inside Life as a House" and "from the Ground Up", deleted scenes (with original commentary), cast and crew, movie trailer
rating is FSK 6
Cover and
DVD - U-Boat (In Enemy Hands)no DVD extras
rating is FSK 16
Cover and
DVD _____________________________________________
Just some info on the German rating system:
FSK (Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft = Voluntary Self-control of the Movie Industry) is probably similar to the American MPAA. They decide upon the age rating of a movie.
There is:
FSK Ohne Altersbeschränkung (without age restriction)
FSK 6
FSK 12
FSK 16
FSK 18
I think it's pretty self-explanatory: You have to be 6, 12, 16 or 18 to see this movie in the theaters. Until a few years ago this meant that even with an adult/parent you couldn't get into the movie if you didn't have the age. Nowadays, you can go if your mother of father accompanies you but for example, I couldn't go with my nephew because I'm not his legal guardian.
Of course, if no one asks... *hem* *whistles*
And a few words on the reasons for which rating is chosen:
As you can probably see at the example there (the Ian movies), Germans are much more lenient towards sex, sexual content and nudity (see Life as a House). We are just a lot more accustomed to see nudity and we see it as something natural, nothing that our children need "protecting" from.
However, we are much stricter when it comes to violence (think the violence and drugs in Rules of Attraction earned it the FSK 16 rating). Guess our take on violence is that it's "bad" and children should have a certain age before they are confronted with it, until they are able understand the context. I guess we think that children who are confronted with violence and brutality at a young age are "numbed" to it and are more likely to become violent themselves.
I had actually expected a rating of FSK 12 for U-Boat since there's not so much brutal violence in it but... mhmm... the more I think about it, the less sense this makes. LOL! Okay, I think it is probably because it's a movie about the war, 2nd World War specifically, and German characters - soldiers even - are portrayed as being "good", even heroic. That is just a big nono. Heroic - or not just plain evil - German soldiers in World War 2 context could be interpreted as glorification or approval of the Nazi regime and that's just a nono. Schindler's List received a FSK 12 but I think it was because Schindler was not a soldier (so not part of the "regime").
