Malle-Practice

WHICH MOVIE DESERVES AN NC-17 "ADULTS ONLY" rating: A) the escapades of an oversexed ice-pick murderer or B) a somber study of upper-class Britons? If you picked B, you too can work for the Motion Picture Association of America. The MPAA forced French director Louis Malle (Atlantic City) to re-edit a love scene in Damage, which opened last week, before receiving the same "R" given the gore and genitalia of Basic Instinct. Malle had no choice -- many theaters won't show NC-17 movies. "In no way was the scene pornographic," he insisted. "In Europe we don't have this problem with nudity." Explaining the double standard, MPAA head Jack Valenti said, "Violence comes in many different forms. With sex there are only so many positions."