Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 21, 1994 TAG: 9402220256
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. LENGTH: Long
"Parents don't want to white-knuckle the video control every time they rent a video and bring it home to watch with the family," Rolfe said.
So, nearly three years ago he launched the nonprofit Dove Foundation to publish a list of videos "appropriate for family viewing."
"Pretty soon, it became a real sought-after list. People began taking the list into their local video stores and then we started getting calls from video store owners asking for the lists, too," Rolfe said.
Dove won national attention in 1992, when it helped persuade McDonald's to drop its promotion of the PG-13-rated "Batman Returns" because of the movie's violence.
Today, about 600 video outlets in 35 states and Canada buy blue-and-white Dove stickers and slap them on about 1,000 videos on Dove's list. That's nearly four times the 161 stores in the program at the start of 1993, but less than 1 percent of some 70,000 video outlets nationwide.
Rolfe said major studios aren't filling the demand for family movies, and parents don't really know what to expect when they rent a video rated PG or PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America.
"Parents are frustrated when they walk into a video store because the MPAA rating system has become so inconsistent - and because 40 percent of videos carry no ratings whatsoever," he said.
"It's overwhelming sometimes trying to choose a video and this Dove seal makes it a lot easier. `PG-13' doesn't tell you much anymore," said Janet Fisher, a mother of three who was browsing the video department of a store in Grand Rapids.
A single flash of frontal nudity or even just one swear word is enough to get a thumbs down from Dove's national network of about 15 volunteer reviewers.
"Sleepless in Seattle" squeaked through, even though there were reservations about Meg Ryan's character having an affair with a boyfriend.
"And yet we approved it because the affair was never glorified or recommended - and in the end she falls in love with the guy she didn't have the affair with," said Rolfe, who has the final say.
Rolfe says that just because Hollywood's standards have become more permissive, the same doesn't necessarily hold true for the public.
"When we put a Dove seal on a movie, all we're saying is that this movie is appropriate for family viewing. When we don't, we're not necessarily saying it's a bad movie or an evil movie - just that it's probably not a good movie to share with your 6-year-old."
Dove charges video stores $100 annually to join, giving them updated video lists, stickers and signs. For $19 a year, individuals get lists updated quarterly and a newsletter. The group also receives grants and individual donations.
Some of Dove's detractors say the organization is nothing but a smokescreen for pro-censorship religious conservative groups.
"Their goal seems to be to decide what Americans ought to see or not see, and we don't believe there should be any self-appointed or self-anointed group to make such decisions on the part of individuals or families," said Vans Stevenson, spokesman for the Motion Picture Association of America.
Stevenson and others point to Dove's affiliation with the Michigan Decency Action Council, an anti-pornography group.
Rolfe acknowledges that Dove began as an arm of that organization, but insists it is independent.
The Decency Action Council's president, Dar Vander Ark, is Dove's secretary-treasurer. Dove's co-founder and chairman is Brad Curl, president of the National Christian Association.
Some members of Dove's advisory board are more widely known, including entertainer Steve Allen, actor Dean Jones, former Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry and Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.
Recently, Rolfe has been trying to persuade studios to release edited versions of movies on video.
Dove also is working with two television networks interested in using the Dove logo in promoting made-for-TV movies, miniseries and specials, Rolfe said.
And it's begun working with McDonald's on a festival of Dove-approved movies and creation of video libraries for hospital pediatric wards.
"I've been surprised and delighted by our growth," Rolfe said. "But it was easy. All we had to do was pick a topic that millions and millions and millions of people agree with."
\ FAMILY MOVIES\ DOVE FOUNDATION RECOMMENDS THESE FILMS AVAILABLE ON VIDEO\ \ Beethoven's 2nd\ \ Chariots of Fire (12 years and up)\ \ Dennis the Menace\ \ Free Willy\ \ Groundhog Day (12 and up)\ \ Home Alone (12 and up)\ \ Life with Mikey (12 and up)\ \ The Muppet Christmas Carol\ \ My Girl (12 and up)\ \ The Princess Bride\ \ Rookie of the Year (12 and up)\ \ The Secret Garden (12 and up)\ \ Sister Act (12 and up)\ \ Star Wars
by CNB