Whatever happened to the family film? Hollywood today mistakenly believes that, to be successful, movies must be hip, edgy, shocking, and rife with sex, foul language, violence, and bad taste.

• Author: Anschutz, Philip F.
• Position: Mass Media

IN TODAY'S WORLD of mass media and instant communication, movies still have an enormous influence on our culture and an even larger effect on young people. Research shows that the average American child between the ages of 2-18 spends five hours and 45 minutes per day with media--mostly electronic. Think about that in the context of these figures: Hollywood turns out more than five times as many R-rated films than those rated G or PG or soft PG-13. No less than 2,146 releases in a recent four-year period received R ratings, compared to 137 rated G and 252 PG.

Is this preponderance of R-rated films simply--as we so often hear--a response to the market? I would say not, considering that, of the top 20 moneymaking films of all time, not a single one is rated R and, of the top 50, only five are rated R. Don't these figures make you wonder what is wrong with Hollywood--if only from a business point of view? Why, in the face of these statistics, does the cinema capital of the world keep putting out so many nonfamily oriented pictures?

Let me mention the ideas that I have run across which define the typical Hollywood mindset. One is that the way to be successful is to be hip and edgy. A second: to be noticed and, therefore, successful, shock value must be utilized to gain attention. A third dictates that sex, foul language, violence, and bad taste always seem to find a market. Another states that you have to grow up in the film business in order to understand it and have the right creative instincts for it. Moreover, to earn respect from your peers within the West Coast's moviemaking community, you have to produce, at the very least, films that have Academy Award potential--which in recent history predominantly have been R-rated.

My wife and I now have a number of grandchildren who are growing up surrounded by the products of this culture. Five or so years ago I decided to stop cursing the darkness--I had been complaining about movies and their content for years--and instead do something about it by getting into the film business.

My reasons for jumping into the entertainment field were not entirely selfless. Hollywood as an industry can be insular and does not, at times, understand the market very well. I saw an economic opportunity in that fact. Also, because of digital production and distribution, I believe the film industry is going to be partially restructured in the coming years--another great opportunity. Finally, I saw a chance with this...