Mary Poppins 1964 film rating raised to PG in UK due to ‘discriminatory language’
- Disney film uses colonial term Hottentots, a derogatory word that refers to South Africa’s Khoikhoi people, said British Board of Film Classification
- BBFC said Pixar’s Ratatouille was raised from U to PG due to ‘comic violence’ while Fight Club was downgraded from 18 to 15 despite ‘ brutal violence’
Mary Poppins’ age rating has been raised from U to PG by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) almost 60 years after its release.
The age rating was changed because of “discriminatory language”, the BBFC said.
The 1964 film, starring Dame Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, uses the colonial term Hottentots, a derogatory word historically used by white Europeans to refer to the Khoikhoi people in South Africa.
Actor Reginald Owen’s character, Admiral Boom, uses the term twice in the film, once when he asked one of the children, Michael, if he was going on an adventure to “defeat Hottentots”.
Later, when chimney sweeps with soot-covered faces are spotted by the admiral, he shouts: “We’re being attacked by Hottentots”, before launching fireworks in their direction.
The BBFC told the PA news agency: “While Mary Poppins has a historical context, the use of discriminatory language is not condemned, and ultimately exceeds our guidelines for acceptable language at U.
