US Film Company Condemns China’s Edit of Horror Movie
Okay, here’s a breakdown of the key facts from the CBC News article, suitable for summarizing or understanding the situation:
Main Issue:
A Chinese distributor, Hishow, significantly altered the film Together (a romantic drama featuring a gay couple) by digitally swapping the faces of the actors to make the couple appear heterosexual. This was done without the permission of the filmmakers.
Key Details:
* Film’s Origin & Alteration: Together is a foreign film that was imported into China. Hishow changed the film to comply with Chinese censorship standards, specifically regarding depictions of homosexuality.
* Filmmaker Response: The company that produced Together strongly disapproves of the changes and has demanded Hishow stop distributing the altered version.
* Public Reaction: Chinese social media users are largely critical of the edit, calling it inappropriate and a “defiling” of the original work. Many question why the film was imported if it couldn’t be shown in its original form.
* Chinese Censorship: China has strict censorship rules for films,controlling what citizens are allowed to see. Films are pre-screened, and edits are frequently enough required to align with “Chinese values.” While edits are common, the face-swapping technique used by Hishow is considered especially crude.
* Expert Opinion: film studies professor Chris Berry notes that while censorship is expected, importing the film and then making such a drastic alteration is surprising.
* past Precedent: The article references Bohemian Rhapsody as another example of a film where references to same-sex relationships were edited out for the Chinese market.
In essence, the article highlights a case of censorship and unauthorized alteration of a film in China, sparking public backlash and raising questions about the extent to which foreign films are being changed to meet local standards.