The Other Side of the Wind has received a R rating from the MPAA.
The Motion Picture Association of America has given The Other Side of the Wind a R, or Restricted, rating prior its theatrical release on November 2.
In announcing the rating today, the MPAA said that Orson Welles’ posthumous release contains sexual content, graphic nudity and language. It is the first Welles-directed film to receive the designation that no one under 17 can attend the film unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
This is no surprise given the scene of nude women in a steam bath, including one wearing a strap-on dildo; the lack of wardrobe on Oja Kodar throughout much of the film-within-a-film; and the steamy car sex sequence. The Other Side of the Wind has more than its share of sex and nudity. (Welles referred to The Other Side of the Wind as a “dirty picture” in a 1970 conversation with Bogdanovich.)
The Other Side of the Wind also contains vulgar language, including the F-bomb.
The movie will be released in select theaters on November 2, when it also is made available to 130 million Netflix subscribers in 190 countries.
The Other Side of the Wind takes place at the 70th birthday party of maverick director J.J. “Jake” Hannaford (John Huston), who is struggling to complete his comeback film during the rise of New Hollywood. Attending the party are successful young directors, like Brooks Otterlake (Peter Bogdanovich), hangers-on and critics. Hannaford dies at the conclusion of the party. Welles’ movie recounts Hannaford’s final hours using a mix of 16mm and 35mm color and black-and-white film shot at the party, along with scenes from his unfinished movie, which stars Kodar and Bob Random.
Welles shot The Other Side of the Wind between 1970 and 1976.
It remained unedited and unreleased until 2018 when it was completed for Netflix by Bogdanovich, Filip Jan Rymsza, Frank Marshall, and Academy Award winning editor Bob Murawski.
__________
Post your comments on the Wellesnet Message Board.