The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has given a PG age rating to a film produced for the Museum of Liverpool. THE POWER AND THE GLORY? is the first film to be shown in The Museum of Liverpool’s brand new theatre, which opens to the public on Thursday 28 March 2013.
The 20 minute film THE POWER AND THE GLORY? by Hurricane Films, was made specifically for the Museum and is rated PG for archive images of historical events including World War I and news footage of Bloody Sunday. The film will be shown in the Museum of Liverpool theatre nine times a day every 45 minutes from 10:15am until 4:15pm and no tickets are required.
David Austin, Assistant Director, BBFC said: “The BBFC’s key role is child protection, under the Licensing Act and Video Recordings Act we provide age ratings for releases at the cinema and on DVD or Blu-Ray respectively, but we also work to provide ratings for those who seek age ratings voluntarily whether for online films or museum installations such as this. THE POWER AND THE GLORY? contains some images that younger children may find upsetting and it’s useful for parents to be able to read about the short film before they take younger children.”
Dr David Fleming, Director of National Museums Liverpool said: “We have tried to create a film which gives a very real interpretation of the British Empire. THE POWER AND THE GLORY? doesn’t shy away from telling the story of Liverpool’s involvement in the rise of the British Empire and its impact on the rest of the world, questioning some assumptions about its benefits and in turn asking the audience to ponder those questions themselves.
“The growth of the British Empire and the coming of the Industrial Revolution created the conditions for the rise of Liverpool, but it also led to Liverpool’s economic decline. The film uses powerful imagery and references to key events in world history to tell this story, which we hope will enlighten visitors to the Museum who want to find out more about the history of the city.”
The BBFC provides BBFCinsight content information about every film given an age rating, the BBFCinsight for THE POWER AND THE GLORY? reads: THE POWER AND THE GLORY? documents the growth and power of the British Empire and its effects on society and world events. The film touches on most of the conflicts in which Great Britain has been involved over the past 400 years, using paintings and photographs. Those from the past century include images of dead bodies on the battlefield as well as brief images of street rioting. There are older images of African slaves packed into a ship and of an emaciated child in a British concentration camp in South Africa.
PG stands for Parental Guidance. A PG film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.
Notes to editors
About the BBFC
The BBFC is an independent, private, not for profit company which classifies films, videos, DVDs and certain video games, advertisements and trailers. The BBFC operates transparent, well-understood and trusted co-regulatory and self regulatory classification regimes based on years of expertise and published Guidelines which reflect public opinion and the risk of harm; and is accountable to Parliament.
Museum of Liverpool
The Museum of Liverpool is the country’s most visited museum outside of London. It is the largest newly-built national museum in Britain for more than a century, demonstrating Liverpool’s unique contribution to the world.
As the first national museum devoted to the history of a regional city, it showcases popular culture while tackling social, historical and contemporary issues and is a fantastic, free family day out. It has attracted nearly 1.8million visitors since opening in July 2011. The prestigious Council of Europe Museum Prize for 2013 was awarded to the Museum for its commitment to human rights as well as its work with children and families from all backgrounds.
The Museum has received generous support from several major funders, along with grants from trusts and foundations, corporate support and individual donations. Major funders include the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS),Garfield Weston Foundation and the Clore Duffield Foundation.
www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/mol/
