Not recommended under 12; PG to 14 (Distressing scenes, lack of interest)
This topic contains:
Children under 12 | Not recommeded |
Children aged 12 - 14 | Parental Guidance recommended |
Children 15+ | Suitable for this age group |
This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.
Name of movie: | Viceroy’s House |
Classification: | PG |
Consumer advice lines: | Mild Themes and mild language |
Length: | 106 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Viceroy’s House is based on the true story of the transition to independence for India in 1947. Lord Mountbatten (Hugh Bonneville) is tasked with the role of overseeing this monumental event and is sent as the last Viceroy to India. He’s accompanied by his wife Lady Edwina Mountbatten (Gillian Anderson) and daughter Pamela (Lily Travers). The British have ruled India for 300 years and during that time India has been integrated into one large country. There is still, however, much division amongst the Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. Jawaharlal Nehru (Tanveer Ghani), leader of the Congress Party, is determined that India should remain as one country but Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Denzil Smith), a Muslim leader, wants a separate country for his people.
Mountbatten comes to the conclusion that partitioning the country is the only solution. However, what he doesn’t know is that this very plan had already been drawn up by Churchill and the previous Viceroy. Riots break out across the country both before and after partition. India’s independence and the creation of Pakistan, create the largest mass migration in history with 14 million people displaced and 1 million deaths. What should have been a victory for India is turned into a tragedy in which India is torn apart by religious sectarianism.
Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.
Civil uprisings; India and Pakistan; Religious sectarianism.
Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.
Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.
There is some violence in this movie including:
Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.
Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:
Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.
In addition to the above mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged eight to thirteen, including the following:
Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.
There are some sexual references in this movie, including:
There is no nudity and very little sexual activity in this movie, including:
There is very little coarse language in this movie, including:
Viceroy’s House is an historical drama documenting the largest mass migration in history. It is a tragedy that India’s independence came at such a high cost of lives. The movie tells the story well with a romantic love interest woven through, which emphasises the heartbreak of separation. The colour of India is beautifully shown against a backdrop of great despair. The violent content is shown in brief snippets and is not too overwhelming; therefore it is suitable, with parental guidance, for children 12 and over.
The main messages from this movie are that dividing people along religious lines is always going to cause problems and that love can overcome many barriers.
This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as.
Tip: Leave out the first A, An or The
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Content is age appropriate for children this age
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