Editing X-rated (section)

== History ==
=== The 1968 Rating System ===
When the MPAA replaced the old [[Hays Code]] with a voluntary rating system in 1968, the "X" rating was the most restrictive category. Unlike the G, M (later PG), and R ratings, the MPAA did not trademark the "X" rating. This allowed any filmmaker to self-apply an "X" to their movie without submitting it to the board.

=== Mainstream X-Rated Films ===
In the early 1970s, several mainstream, critically acclaimed films received the X rating for violence or mature themes:
* '''[[Midnight Cowboy]] (1969):''' The only X-rated film to ever win the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]]. (It was later re-rated "R").
* '''[[A Clockwork Orange]] (1971):''' Directed by [[Stanley Kubrick]]; originally released with an X rating in the U.S. due to graphic violence.
* '''[[Last Tango in Paris]] (1972):''' Starring Marlon Brando; a major mainstream success despite its X rating.

=== The Shift to Pornography ===
Because the "X" symbol was not trademarked, the burgeoning adult film industry began using it as a marketing tool. Producers of films like ''[[Deep Throat (film)|Deep Throat]]'' and ''[[Behind the Green Door]]'' applied the "X" to signal explicit content to consumers. 

To stand out, some producers began using '''"XX"''' or '''"XXX"''' to imply even more graphic content. None of these "multi-X" ratings were ever official MPAA designations.