The latest Bond flick, Skyfall, hit China’s big screen last week on January 21st. But moviegoers are raising eyebrows at the version they saw. The editing of "Skyfall" for Chinese audiences, has prompted movie fans and experts to call for reforms to the country’s movie censorship system.
Changes to the 200 million US dollar blockbuster include the removal of a scene in Shanghai in which a Chinese security guard is shot by a French gunman and Bond’s lines asking about a woman being forced into prostitution.
On the Chinese mainland, all imported movies are censored by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. Censors often cut overly violent or pornographic scenes before a film hits the big screen here. Some moviegoers are complaining about the changes.
"I want to see the original version. Cuts can make the story line of the movie look awkward. It may even become hard for us to understand the whole story because every detail of a movie is meaningful."
"The fewer cuts the better. But if the movie is crossing certain lines, I think there should be some adjustments. But these changes shouldn’t be allowed to affect the story line. A better solution would be to have a movie rating system to replace the current setup. "
That strikes a chord with one local movie expert, who says standards for the current system are not clear.
Prof. Liu Haibo, Shanghai University, said:"Decisions are usually made based on the censors’ personal experience and standards. And those are people from all walks of life, which means that not each one of them is professional in terms of looking at the film in an artistic way. In fact, many films that have passed the checks are still not suitable for youngsters. "
Zhang Ningben, Shanghai, said:"Liu says there may be a proposal at this year’s National People’s Congress to open the market further to both foreign and domestic films and film makers.