'King's Speech' director bemused by ratings

The director of The King's Speech has suggested that the BBFC should be stricter on violence than swearing when rating movies.

Speaking at the London Film Festival, Tom Hooper admitted that he was "bemused" at the 15 rating initially given to his film when the 12 rating for action movies Salt and Casino Royale were taken into account.

Last week, the BBFC reclassified the film as a 12A, explaining: "After careful consideration by the president and director of the BBFC, the board took the view that the way the strong language is presented in The King’s Speech did not contravene the language guidelines at '12A' and that the public would understand why the Board has reached this decision."

Hooper said of the initial rating: "My head is in my hands about it. I go to see Salt, where a tube is force-fed down Angelina Jolie's throat and poured water down her throat to simulate drowning - that's not a problem.

"The Daniel Craig scene in the last Bond where his b*llocks are smashed in through a chair with no bottom. Another torture scene - that doesn't get a 15."

He continued: "This extraordinary division we make between language and violence and sex and violence - I find hugely disturbing. These are scenes that still are in my head from those two films that I don't want in my head. They're troubling me and I'm my age... I'm just bemused by it."

The film's lead actor Colin Firth added: "It would be very interesting actually for somebody to do a study as to who the people are that would complain about that stuff before they would complain about the violence.