{"id":1432755,"date":"2023-10-14T01:40:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-14T05:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/?p=1432755"},"modified":"2023-10-14T01:40:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-14T05:40:00","slug":"the-movie-disney-and-china-dont-want-you-to-see","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/the-movie-disney-and-china-dont-want-you-to-see\/1432755\/","title":{"rendered":"The Movie Disney And China Don\u2019t Want You To See"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Movie Disney And China Don\u2019t Want You To See<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Authored by Jonathan Miltmore via The Epoch Times<\/a> (emphasis ours),<\/em><\/p>\n

Few directors in Hollywood have more power than Martin Scorsese, the Oscar-winning director of box office hits such as “Goodfellas,” “Casino,” “The Departed,” and “The Wolf of Wall Street.”<\/p>\n

(L-R) Actor Richard Gere, director Martin Scorsese, the Dalai Lama, and producer and screenwriter Melissa Mathison hold hands at the end of a brief meeting with reporters prior to a speech by the Dalai Lama at an awards ceremony in New York on April 30, 1998. The ceremony honored Mr. Scorsese and Ms. Mathison for their work on the film ‘Kundun.’ (Matt Campbell\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

But even the legendary filmmaker lacked the clout to save the fate of his movie “Kundun” (1997) when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) came knocking on Disney\u2019s door.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The film is probably one that most readers have never heard of, even though it was nominated for four Academy Awards and included the legendary Mr. Scorsese. A historical drama written by Melissa Mathison, “Kundun” explores the life of the young Dalai Lama, who in 1950 saw his homeland of Tibet invaded by the CCP.<\/p>\n

Ms. Mathison conceived the project after meeting the Dalai Lama in 1990, and although she had concerns that Hollywood wouldn’t be interested in such a film, she caught a break when she convinced Mr. Scorsese to direct the film.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not saying he wants to do it, but I know he\u2019s going to get it,\u201d Ms. Mathison recalled thinking. \u201cI knew he\u2019d understand the society, the moral code, the journey, and the spirituality of it,\u201d she said in the documentary “In Search of Kundun with Martin Scorsese.”<\/p>\n

Disney eventually agreed to distribute the film, which was given a $28 million budget. But China had other ideas.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tibet, along with Taiwan and Tiananmen, is among the forbidden Three Ts\u2014the issues considered most contentious by the CCP. So with China becoming an emerging global power in the 1990s, the CCP decided to flex its muscle and attempted to nix the project.<\/p>\n

Two days into the production of “Kundun” in 1996, a representative from the Chinese Embassy approached Disney’s chief strategic officer,<\/strong> Lawrence Murphy.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cYou started shooting a film in Morocco about the Dalai Lama called ‘Kundun,’\u201d the diplomat said before explaining that Beijing had concerns with the film\u2019s subject matter.<\/p>\n

‘Play by China\u2019s Rules’ … or Else<\/h2>\n

At the time, Mr. Murphy hadn\u2019t even heard of the film. But it would soon become clear that the CCP wanted the shooting of “Kundun” shut down. Why Beijing would want the movie censored is obvious. “Kundun” describes atrocities that China\u2019s communist regime committed in the 1950s following its invasion of the Himalayan country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe Chinese have bombed the monastery of Lithang. It has been destroyed<\/strong>,\u201d an adviser tells the Dalai Lama at one point in the movie. \u201cNuns and monks are made to fornicate in the streets. They put guns in the hands of Khumba children and force the child to kill the parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the description is horrifying, even more moving is the scene in which an elderly Tibetan woman tearfully and frantically insists that she’s \u201chappy and prosperous under the Chinese Communist Party.\u201d<\/p>\n

This isn’t exactly flattering stuff for the CCP, any more than “Schindler\u2019s List” is for the Nazis. Yet history isn’t always pretty.<\/p>\n

In any event, the CCP\u2019s decision to lean on the film left Disney CEO Michael Eisner in a pickle.<\/p>\n

If Mr. Eisner shut down the film, he\u2019d anger Mr. Scorsese and look weak for caving to the CCP. If he proceeded with production, he risked losing Disney\u2019s commercial and manufacturing foothold in China, as well as the 1.4 billion potential consumers.<\/p>\n

So Mr. Eisner opted for a third way. He allowed the shooting of “Kundun” to proceed, but he limited the film\u2019s distribution and marketing. “Kundun” was released on Christmas Day in 1997\u2014in two<\/em> theaters nationwide.<\/p>\n

In other words, in the contest over truth and creative freedom versus government censorship, Disney blinked, and film producer Matt Tabor describes what Disney\u2019s decision meant going forward.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf foreign companies wanted access to [China\u2019s] market, they were going to play by China\u2019s rules,\u201d Mr. Tabor noted in a recent production<\/a> by the Foundation for Economic Education on the showdown. \u201c’Kundun’ marked the first opportunity for China to flex that muscle in the movie business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

It was a watershed moment. And if there was any doubt that Disney caved to China, which officially considered the film \u201can interference in China\u2019s internal affairs,\u201d one need only read the groveling message that Disney sent to China after the dust had settled a year later.<\/p>\n

The Apology: \u2018We Made a Stupid Mistake\u2019<\/h2>\n

Despite \u201csending ‘Kundun’ quietly to the gulag,\u201d Disney found itself kicked out<\/a> of China\u2019s burgeoning market, along with other U.S. film studios.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThese films are full of inaccuracies,\u201d a Chinese official told The Washington Post. \u201cThat\u2019s why they are not popular within China.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made a stupid mistake in releasing ‘Kundun.’ This film was a form of insult to our friends. The bad news is that the film was made; the good news is that nobody watched it. Here I want to apologize, and in the future, we should prevent this sort of thing, which insults our friends, from happening. In short, we\u2019re a family entertainment company, a company that uses silly ways to amuse people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Eisner\u2019s complete capitulation would have a profound impact on the global entertainment landscape for years to come<\/strong>. It explains why “Kundun” can\u2019t be streamed on Amazon or Netflix even today. It explains why NBA executives go apoplectic when a single general manager tweets his support<\/a> of protesters in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

One can appreciate the tough situation that Mr. Eisner was in without agreeing with his decision to banish “Kundun” to Siberia. Companies have commercial interests, and balancing those against doing the right thing or supporting creative expression isn’t always easy. Indeed, this balancing act existed before Disney banished “Kundun,” evidenced by one executive\u2019s stated reason for passing on the film.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t need to have my spirits and wine business thrown out of China,\u201d Edgar Bronfman Jr.\u2014the CEO of Seagram, which briefly owned Universal Pictures\u2014replied when pitched on “Kundun.”<\/p>\n

Yet, the message of Disney\u2019s showdown with China isn\u2019t really about the ethics of dealing with a powerful communist regime. The real lesson is that we should prevent governments from amassing such dictatorial power in the first place, and remind ourselves that governments are hardly arbiters of truth. Indeed, if the past few years have taught us anything, it\u2019s that government officials have no business deciding what’s true and what’s false\u2014even though it\u2019s a power they clearly desire<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The reality is that those who wish to censor speech are usually far more interested in power than truth\u2014the CCP\u2019s attempt to censor “Kundun” reinforces that idea\u2014and reminds us that sometimes the best way to exercise freedom is to watch a movie they don\u2019t want you to see<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Matt Tabor contributed to this article.<\/em><\/p>\n

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nFri, 10\/13\/2023 – 21:40<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bhttps:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/geopolitical\/movie-disney-and-china-dont-want-you-see<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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