On 4/14/2022 8:15 PM, RichA wrote:
> On Wednesday, 13 April 2022 at 15:29:15 UTC-4, Ubiquitous wrote:
>> The same publications who can’t stop talking about Florida’s Parental Rights
>> in Education bill, which they falsely refer to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill,
>> are curiously silent on China’s discrimination against gay people. Variety
>> reported that “gay dialogue” was removed from the Chinese version of
>> “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” but the “spirit of the film
>> remains.”
>>
>> “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling had already informed fans that Dumbledore
>> was gay in 2009. The previous installment of the “Fantastic Beasts” series
>> never addressed the character’s sexuality explicitly, however, this latest
>> release does make a passing reference to it. In total, six seconds were cut
>> from China’s release of “Secrets of Dumbledore.”
>>
>> Apparently, the omitted scene “alluded to the romantic past between male
>> characters Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen),” per
>> Variety. Warner Bros. agreed to China’s demand to cut the lines “because I
>> was in love with you” and “the summer Gellert and I fell in love.” The two
>> men are seen as having a very close intimate relationship, but without these
>> lines it’s never made clear that their feelings for each other were romantic
>> in nature.
>>
>> “As a studio, we’re committed to safeguarding the integrity of every film we
>> release, and that extends to circumstances that necessitate making nuanced
>> cuts in order to respond sensitively to a variety of in-market factors,”
>> Warner Bros. said in a statement. “Our hope is to release our features
>> worldwide as released by their creators but historically we have faced small
>> edits made in local markets.”
>>
>> “In the case of ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,’ a six-second
>> cut was requested and Warner Bros. accepted those changes to comply with
>> local requirements but the spirit of the film remains intact,” the statement
>> continued. “We want audiences everywhere in the world to see and enjoy this
>> film, and it’s important to us that Chinese audiences have the opportunity to
>> experience it as well, even with these minor edits.”
>>
>> The movie was released in China on April 8, one week ahead of the American
>> release on April 15. Variety reported that “Secrets of Dumbledore” earned
>> $9.7 million (per current exchange rates) in the first three days.
>>
>> This obviously isn’t the first time American films were edited for release in
>> other countries, including China. Earlier this year, some Chinese viewers had
>> harsh criticism for a completely rewritten version of the 1999 cult classic
>> “Fight Club” released on China’s streaming platform Tencent Video.
>>
>> The original version ended with massive explosions that signified the triumph
>> of anarchy. Meanwhile, the censored version available in China cut off before
>> the bombs went off because police managed to ruin the main character’s plan.
>> Instead, the screen faded to black and showed the text, “The police rapidly
>> figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully
>> preventing the bomb from exploding.”
>>
>> After intense backlash, Chinese censors restored the original version.
>>
>> --
>> Let's go Brandon!
>
> I agree with China on this.

Really? You think "Let's go Brandon" is an important slogan too?