Saints and Soldiers - MPAA Rating

MPAA Rating

Saints and Soldiers was originally rated "R" by the MPAA. The director, writers and producer wanted a rating of PG-13. The director had this to say on the commentary track of the DVD when Gunderson is fatally shot:

Little: "The majority of the people who bought this are probably aware that Saints and Soldiers, when it was originally rated, received a "R" rating. And as we went through that process, for lack of a better term, went to war with the MPAA to find out what it was that we did that constituted a "R" rating, this was one of those scenes that came to them. And again, it came to personalized violence. They said, you care about these characters, and to see them die in a horrific way is worthy of this rating."

Some criticism has been leveled against the MPAA rating board with regard to their rating independent films more harshly than those of the large studios. (See also "LDS cinema and MPAA ratings".) Producers edited the film to receive PG-13 for commercial distribution.