Editing X-rated

{{Infobox terminology
| name           = X-rated
| origin         = [[Motion Picture Association of America]] (MPAA)
| year           = 1968
| status         = Replaced by [[NC-17]] (1990)
| current_use    = Generic term for [[Adult film|adult content]]
| related_topics = [[Censorship]], [[Film rating system]], [[Porno Chic]]
}}

== Overview ==
'''X-rated''' is a term originally created by the [[Motion Picture Association of America]] (MPAA) in 1968 to designate films that were strictly for audiences aged 18 and older. While originally intended for both mainstream films with mature themes and explicit content, the label was eventually co-opted by the [[adult film]] industry. 

In modern usage, "X-rated" has become a generic synonym for hardcore pornography, though the official rating was retired by the MPAA in 1990 and replaced by the '''NC-17''' rating.

== 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.

== The Death of the X Rating ==
By the 1980s, the "X" rating had become so closely associated with pornography that mainstream studios found it impossible to market "serious" adult-themed films. Major newspapers refused to carry ads for X-rated movies, and many theaters refused to screen them.

In 1990, following the controversy surrounding the film ''Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'', the MPAA officially retired the X rating and replaced it with **NC-17** ("No Children Under 17 Admitted").

== Global Variations ==
* '''United Kingdom:''' The [[BBFC]] used an "X" certificate from 1951 to 1982, which was later replaced by the "18" rating.
* '''Australia:''' Australia maintains a legal "X18+" category specifically for non-violent hardcore pornography.

== See Also ==
* [[NC-17]]
* [[Motion Picture Association of America]]
* [[Golden Age of Porn]]
* [[Censorship]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Film ratings]]
[[Category:History of cinema]]
[[Category:Adult industry]]