From animated fairy tales to family comedies, the G-rating has come to be associated with children’s entertainment, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that every G-rated movie ever made has been intended or even appropriate for kids. This was especially true for films made before the PG-13 rating was introduced in 1984.
With the G simply standing for “General,” a classification that states no content within the film has been deemed inappropriate for any viewers, many iconic classics have earned the rating despite being intended for older audiences. From blockbuster historical epics to scintillating war dramas, these famous G-rated classics could leave modern viewers scratching their heads about their ratings.
10’Ben-Hur' (1959)
As a biblical epic following a nobleman who seeks revenge on his adopted brother who betrayed him and saw him sentenced to a life of slavery,Ben-Huris one of the great highlights ofAmerica’s mid-century fixation on grandiose historical dramas. It’s also one of the more surprising films to have earned a G-rating in the history of cinema.
In addition to its thematic gravitas, it also features a number of violent and cruel characters and, most notably, an intense chariot race thatspawned a rumor about a stuntman dying. On top of that, the film also has a runtime of over three and a half hours, making it intended solely for mature audiences.
9’Tora! Tora! Tora!’ (1970)
Tora! Tora! Tora!is a fascinating film as it has become an undisputed war classic despite garnering mixed reviews and performing disappointingly at the domestic box office. Focusing on the Japanese air raid of Pearl Harbor and the American blunders that prefaced it with intricate detail, the film is rigorous in its endeavor for historical accuracy.
While that makes it intriguing, it did face some criticism for its characters, who struggle to be engaging. While it’s largely a matter of personal taste in determining if it’s a historical masterpiece or an unexciting bore, the strict focus on the political scale of the attack, coupled with the fact that the film is 144 minutes long, ensures it is not a film that all audiences will enjoy.
8’The Andromeda Strain' (1971)
Focusing on a crew of scientists working frantically to nullify a mysterious disease that wipes out the population of a small Arizonan town, it is quite baffling thatThe Andromeda Strainwas ever given a G rating. In addition to its weighty narrative and confronting themes, the film also features nudity, animal experiments, and surgical procedures on the deceased.
The sci-fi drama was able to get away with much of its content, given it was depicted in a purely scientific manner, something which the ’70s far more liberal MPAA ratings were more accepting of. However, despite its unrestricted rating, theoriginal poster tried to warn audiencesby stating it “may be too intense for younger children.”
7’Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory' (1971)
A truly unique film in history,Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factorywas intended for young audiences but maybe shouldn’t have been. Based onRoald Dahl’s classic kids' novel, it doesn’t contain much in the way of offensive material, but it does have an uncanny ability to terrify children, especially younger ones.
Amid its dazzling display of vibrant colors and catchy musical numbers, one scene that sticks out for its impact was the tunnel of terror boat ride. An intense psychedelic adventure, the scene has a threatening, unnerving quality, making the filma delicate viewing option for parentswith small children.
6’The Ten Commandments' (1956)
Biblical and historical epics were a hallmark of American cinema through the ’50s. One of the greatest of those films wasCecil B. DeMille’s acclaimed classicThe Ten Commandments. With an all-star cast and a hefty 220-minute runtime, it depicts the story of Moses (Charlton Heston).
The scripture-based film doesn’t have a lot of suggestive violence or overly brutal characters, and there is very little within it that children would be struck by. However, its mammoth runtime, slow pacing, outdated style, and thematic focus would likely fail to engage most younger viewers.
5’Oliver!' (1968)
A musical with a number of children as major characters sounds like the perfect kid’s movie, but 1968’sOliver!was far from ordinary family entertainment. Based on a stage play that was itself based onCharles Dickens’ famous novel, the film follows an orphan who is taken in by a seasoned criminal and taught to become a pickpocket in 19th-century London.
While there is fun to be had, the film never loses touch with Dickens’ initial intent to showcase the hardships many impoverished youths faced without any flair of romanticism. WhileOliver!does have a triumphant fairy tale trajectory, its nuanced elements and darker components make it a film that would be more enjoyable and enlightening to older audiences.
4’Fiddler on the Roof' (1971)
Another musical,Fiddler on the Roof,has nothing in it that would be too harsh for young audiences, and its musical numbers might even enthrall children, but its thematic focus would fall on deaf ears. Based on the stage musical of the same name, it follows a poor peasant forced to marry off his daughters as he faces oppression in pre-revolutionary Russia.
The story itself wouldn’t necessarily elude children, but its election of antisemitism and the clashing of vastly different ideologies would be too much. Coupled with the fact that the film is three hours long, it stands as an undisputed G-rated classic that appeals to adults far more than it does most children.
3’True Grit' (1969)
WereTrue Gritto be released today as it is, there is little doubt that it would struggle to get such a gentle rating. The revenge flick has no lack of confronting material, including a drunken, misogynistic leading man, and a healthy dollop of foul language and violence.
It is a renowned American Western classic and a quintessential film for anyJohn Waynefan.It received a remakefrom theCoen Brothersin 2010, which, in addition to being a critically acclaimed, Oscar-nominated success, was rated M by the MPAA.
2’Gone with the Wind' (1939)
The legend surroundingGone with the Wind’s magnificence is almost enough to classify it as quintessential viewing. A sweeping romance set amid the American Civil War, the blockbuster epic has been celebrated for its astonishingly vast story, unforgettable characters, and its overwhelming sense of grandeur but has also been widely criticized for its sympathetic view of the slave-holding Confederate States and the Reconstruction-era America South.
Context is definitely required when watching it today. An awareness of what it was depicting and how it was depicting it ensures the four-hour romantic epic probably isn’t a film appropriate for most kids, if it ever was in the first place.
1'2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968)
Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi classic is a staple movie for any burgeoning cinephile. Rich with astonishing technical feats and meditative with the lens it casts over humanity’s most ambitious endeavors, the bulk of2001: A Space Odysseyfollows the crew of a spaceship on a mysterious voyage towards Jupiter and the problems they encounter with the ship’s advanced computer system.
Despite featuring some intense scenes and even a number of deaths, the film has little which would be seen as graphic violence, with its grislier plot details being handled more suggestively. The movie is rife with complex and challenging themes which younger viewers probably wouldn’t resonate with and may even frighten some.
