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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: What would Joseph McCarthy think of the Communists dictating to Hollywood?
Once upon a time, Hollywood blacklisted people for "being communist." Now, the communist party dictates to Hollywood what should be in a movie, and how it should be made.
Has Hollywood sacrificed its integrity to keep China happy?
10 years 47 weeks ago in Arts & Entertainment - China
I've had that thought as well. The Hollywood elite has always been very good at being on the front line when it comes to protecting animals against cruelty, saving nature, helping in disasters. But it appears to be no problem to suck up to a regime that is cruel to it's own people, that commits countless violations of human rights, that is flooding the planet with pollution and garbage.
Traveler:
Let's not forget they will be blacklisted by China if they even mention the name of the Dalai Lama, a favourite cause of Hollywood celebrities in the past.
No, why? IT's called business either you do as they say or the movie won't be played in the theaters and that means no revenue from China......I love it when I'm right!!! (!
Amonk:
I like how you're assuming economic principles which require a relatively free market. In China's film industry. Ha.
Scandinavian:
99 My friend. We are many that are rooting for you to one day be right about any topic. I am sure many people will tell you when this happens. This answer does not make that happen.
McCarthy would have thought that he should die in a fire, because, for real, that guy should have died in a fire. Black listing people for having political opinion that have fallen out of favor has nothing to do with integrity.
About what hollywood does, its about getting the largest audience possible to recoup their initial investment and then turn a profit. Most of the studio execs know that the only chance to get that money out of China, which is potentially a huge market, is to put it in theaters. To do that they have to keep the pooh-bahs in the propaganda office happy, but even if they didn't they would be alienating a huge portion of their potential audience.
I'm very concerned that Hollywood will not stand up to China's bullying. The American film industry is in its golden age, and now Stalin, I mean XiJinPing, is able to 'harmonise' films outside China.
Hollywood needs to consider that, in all its 'culture' and 'glory', the mighty China is unable to produce anything worth seeing*. This is because of the ludicrous restrictions created by little men with tiny xiao di di's and fragile egos. When you submit to China's demands, they won't reward you for it - they will just increase their demands.
That said, Hollywood didn't ever have much integrity. The move Milo and Otis was produced just before animal welfare became a public concern. The producers went through about twenty Milos, most of which were lost over cliffs and waterfalls. The Disney documentary White Wilderness was responsible for loads of lemmings being launched over a cliff. They had to do this manually, after discovering that the lemming mass-suicide thing was a myth.
Hollywood supported animal welfare when animal welfare became popular, just as it is supporting China now that China has become a huge, dangerous and bad-tempered baby.
* China was very vocal in taking credit for TAIWANESE director Ang Lee FROM TAIWAN, after he won an academy award for Life of Pi. If Ang Lee was Chinese, he wouldn't have been allowed to make this movie.
GuilinRaf:
I remember that!
Many of my students were annoyed that the star of the movie was a "black" (their word, not mine). I had to explain that he was Indian. Still, they did not understand why he couldnt be Chinese....
To give Hollywood credit, it is a fantastic PR machine for the US. It's why American English is often demanded here, because most of the films and music they see and hear are from the US. In fact, they (Chinese) are quite ignorant to the fact that anything else/anywhere else exists, with the exception of the odd film such as Avatar and the odd musician such as Adele.
Now, the fact that Hollywood, as big as it is, falls to it's hands and knees to be successful here is a disgrace.
I watched an interview on the BBC a few weeks back which was from a UK director. It was a fantastic interview. I will try and find it and add it here.
GuilinRaf:
What many people forget is that Hollywood is a business, and they will do what they can to maximize profits.
Just because many actors and stars promote and support noble causes, that does not necessarily translate to the "Establishment".
As to the effect of Holliwood movies and v shows in China, indeed! Many of their views about the USA and the world (both accurate and inaccurate) do come from Hollywood rather than the "domestic" brand.
CARLGODWIN1983:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-22552460
Hollywood can munch on my nuggets. They are behind all the sopa and pipa bills trying to sensor the Internet. No wonder they bow down to China, they both want to censor the Internet.
No why, I don't have an answer, just want the points. I need more flashlights. I sell them claiming they are vibrators.
I got to say, Hollywood and Integrity in the same breath is funny all by itself.