MCLC: movie censors sink Noah's Ark

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: movie censors sink Noah's Ark
***********************************************************

Source: China Real Time (5/9/14):
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/05/09/in-china-movie-censors-sink-n
oahs-ark/

In China, Movie Censors Sink Noah’s Ark
By Laurie Burkitt

Noah's Ark is sinking.

China’s regulators are refusing to allow Hollywood’s biblical epic,
“Noah,” to be released in the country, people familiar with the matter
said Friday.

Though the Paramount Picture film was set for a May 9 or May 16 release,
it was pulled this week due to sensitive themes, they said. The Los
Angeles Times previously reported the regulator’s decision.

It’s not entirely shocking that the film was pulled by Chinese regulators,
even so late in the process. After all, Chinese authorities aren’t the
most likely candidates to sign off on a religious movie that could rock
the boat. Though China’s ranks of Christians are growing, the government
remains wary that the pull of the religion may ultimately subvert faith in
the Party or serve as platform for political organizing.

What may be more surprising is why the film’s distributors in China
thought it would pass muster in the first place. A person close to the
matter said that the film had “family elements” and “addressed
environmental topics” relevant an important to Chinese audiences. In the
film, Noah builds an ark to save humanity against a flood that God has
sent to wash away the human race, and brings his family on board to
repopulate a future, better world.

The film’s positive reception elsewhere is another major reason they
thought China might embrace it, the person said, noting that films that
make it big overseas often do well in China. “Noah,” starring Russell
Crowe, has raked in the cash in the U.S. market and overseas, pulling in
$332.7 million to date at box offices worldwide, according to film site
Boxofficemojo.com.

“Noah” has made big waves in other markets, with Arab nations, including
Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, refusing to release the film,
and has been seen as a litmus test for future Hollywood films that may
have biblical themes.

A spokeswoman for Paramount declined to comment on the film’s reception in
China.

China doesn’t always steer clear of all potentially religious or sensitive
content on its big screens. The country’s cultural czars, eager to soften
the country’s image in the world, appear to be green-lighting the “Tibet
Code,” a  DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. adventure story based on a recent,
wildly popular series of Chinese novels set in ninth-century Tibet.

There may have been another reason China’s regulators capsized the “Noah”
release, a second person familiar with the matter said. Chinese
authorities are eager for local films to succeed, and foreign blockbusters
can provide tough competition. Hollywood has already had a strong showing
in China over the past few weeks, with box-office hits like “The Amazing
Spider-Man 2” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”  Chinese director
Zhang Yimou’s film “Coming Home” is also set for release next week – a
much-anticipated film that authorities want very much to succeed.

– Laurie Burkitt. Follow her on Twitter @lburkitt
<http://twitter.com/lburkitt>