Chinese movie star Chow Yun-Fat's role in Pirates of the
Caribbean: At World's End has been slashed in half by censors
in China for vilifying and defacing the Chinese.
The film which was released on the mainland early this week
shows only about 10 minutes of Chow's scenes while in the Hollywood
version his scenes take up about 20 minutes of the film.
One of the scenes that were cut involved Captain Sao Feng
reciting a famous Chinese poem to the heroine who he falls in love
with at first sight.
Zhang Pimin, deputy head of the film bureau under the State
Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), told Xinhua
in a telephone interview on Friday that the decision to cut Chow's
and other scenes was made according to the country's "relevant
regulations on film censorship" and "China's actual
conditions."
The cuts "will not impair either the continuity of plot or the
image of characters," added Zhang, who refused to provide specific
reasons for the cuts.
The Popular Cinema, a nationally circulated magazine, however,
gave a clue. "The captain starred by Chow is bald, his face heavily
scarred, he also wears long beard and long nails, whose image is
still in line with Hollywood's old tradition of demonizing the
Chinese."
Chinese censors also cut Chow's line in which he states "Welcome
to Singapore" because it hints Singapore is a land of pirates and
has already attracted protests from Singaporean people.
The magazine said that this has not been the first time that
Hollywood has aroused protests from other countries for its
unacceptable depiction of local people. Mexico and France have even
once issued bans on offensive US movies from screening in domestic
cinemas.
"The Hollywood is increasingly relying on international box
offices for profits because its domestic market has been
oversaturated, so it's very natural for major studios to hire famed
international actors to lure foreign audiences," the magazine said.
In 2005, US movies garnered US$8.99 billion in domestic market, but
US$14.25 billion in the international market.
"But its lack of understanding of local cultures has been a
constant source of disputes across the world," it added.
The cut actually have some effects on the part of audiences in
China, who have to struggle to follow the plot.
"The cut has made the plot and the role of Captain Sao Feng
difficult to understand," said a viewer You Hui. Many viewers also
expressed similar opinions on the Internet.
Chow has starred in Curse of the Golden Flower,
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Anna and the
King.
But the authorities insist the movie has been well received in
China anyway.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End has been well
received by the Chinese movie-goers since its release, according to
Zhang, deputy director of the SARFT. "It is hoped that
Pirates will beat Spider-Man 3 at the box-office,
"?though it is not?so likely.?
Pirates raked in 1.18 million yuan (US$153,000) on the
first day of its release in Shanghai.
Spider-Man 3, released on May 2 on China's mainland,
has raked in more than 100 million yuan (US$12.99 million), topping
China's domestic movie box office so far this year.
?
(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2007)