Friday, January 8, 2010

[2010.01.09] MAINLAND CENSORS SPARE GIANNA JUN

The Chinese American director Wayne Wong directed SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN, based on Chinese American writer Lisa See's English novel of the same title, has already confirmed Zhang Ziyi and Korean star Gianna Jun Ji-Hyun as its stars. However the film company in order to pass the Mainland film censorship system will turn the original novel's lesbian plot into a friendship without regard for age in order to make a big pile from the Mainland market. Zhang Ziyi and Jeon Ji-Hyun's rumored bed scene thus has vanished.

The story takes place in the early Republic era in a remote area in the Hubei province, where a group of women whose feet were bind lived in isolation. They would use "women letter" to communicate with the same sex, they even wrote the "women letter" on their chests -- hinting at homosexuality. Reportedly Shu Qi was afraid of the film's nude scene and turned it down. The role finally landed in the hands of Korean star Jeon Ji-Hyun. Taiwan group F4 member also has a part.

SNOW will officially begin production this month. One of the film's executive producer, Shanghai Film Group expressed that the film will not involve any homosexual elements. The female camaraderie will be different from lesbian love. It will be an exchange of friendship. The entire film will only be about a friendship regardless of age because homosexual subjects will not possibly pass Mainland inspection for release. The fact is since the Ang Lee directed film LUST, CAUTION's 2007 release and its subsequent storm, Mainland film inspection standards have become narrower and narrower. Any subject that involves sex or daring concepts cannot avoid being cut. If it wants to make a big sum from the enormous market of 1.3 billion people, the film inevitably has to change its story to accommodate the censors.

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