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China At The Movies: Lust, Caution, And Jackie Chan
By Paul Midler | November 15, 2007
Jackie Chan has to be a little pissed off these days. Ang Lee’s sexy film “Lust, Caution” has pulled in over US$11,000,000 playing in China in just two weeks, which is a lot of cash in this new market. Chan is a prolific talent, having made between “Rush Hour 1” and “Rush Hour 3” no fewer than 16 full features. His American co-star from the series, Chris Tucker, in the same period made only one other film - “Rush Hour 2″. And yet Chris Tucker signed onto “Rush Hour 3″ for a much better deal, getting 20% towards a max payout of $20mn, while Chan got only 15% towards $15mn. To balance things out, Chan was supposed to have distribution rights in China and Hong Kong, but the Chinese government nixed those plans when it refused to show “Rush Hour 3″ in theaters. The claim was that the film was rejected for commercial reasons, though everyone knows that Chan’s name on anything sells tickets. The real reason behind rejecting Chan was censorship.
Bear in mind that the steamy “Lust, Caution” had over 13 minutes removed by censors, and it still may not have been enough to clean up the movie as audiences reportedly rushed home to try exotic sexual positions introduced by the film. Even if Chan’s film had missed the mark, you have to wonder about the value of certain portrayals in this new film by Lee.
Rather than criticize the Chinese government for its nonsensical censorship policy, Chan’s response was curious. When his film was rejected, he railed against the Rush Hour series, saying that he had signed on only for the money, and that in the end he didn’t even get the humor. I don’t understand: Why attack the franchise when it was the Chinese government that ruined his day?
When we see American Hollywood stars getting behind a social cause, we roll our eyes, but here was a missed opportunity. A film star known for his on-screen heroism left us high and dry in real life. What he might have done was raise awareness on censorship and heavy-handed government policy in China. The lesson for those of us doing business in China are obvious: If your plans depend upon approval by whimsical government officials, be sure to make a proper assessment of the risks involved, and do not count chicks before they hatch.
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Topics: China |
November 15th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Maybe Jackie Chan didn’t pay off the right peopel and the other guy did. probably has to do with money.
November 15th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Here’s one who wasn’t happy about the cuts in “Lust, Caution” - a law student in China sues because he felt cheated out of the more complete version of Ang Lee’s movie:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/15/arts/AS-A-E-MOV-China-Lust-Lawsuit.php
November 15th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
Jackie Chan has always been a bitch stooge for the thugs running China and his comments mocking Taiwan’s democracy a few years ago were the decisive factor in my boycotting ANYTHING associated to this little lapdog. He is an unfunny and pathetic little clown.
November 15th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
Way too harsh. Anyway, if he’s such a stooge of the Communist Party, why didn’t they bring his movie into China? And if he’s such a stooge, why did he participate in the film (which was seen as portraying an unfavorable image)?
November 15th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Actually, during years Jackie Chan commented he wanted to do a third “Rush hour” movie but Tucker was reluctant because the proposed script was not good. Jackie mentioned in the media he was happy when Tucker signed for a third one.
I agree with Paul, money is probably the reason beyond that!
November 15th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
I stand by my statement. He’s got his head so far up the party’s ass, he tickling Hu’s tonsil. Look a his pathetic shilling for the upcoming “games” in Peking…
November 17th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
If you’ve followed either his non-Hollywood movie career or his public utterances (in Cantonese or Mandarin) in the Far East, you’ll know that he’s basically a Chinese xenophobe through and through. But you kinda have to be, in order to be successful in the concert market where the audience is primarily Chinese-speaking (Cantonese or Mandarin).
November 17th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Zhang Fei - Welcome and thanks for multiple comments on multiple posts. You mean that JC fears the Chinse government?
November 18th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
PM: You mean that JC fears the Chinse government?
I meant that his work and personal utterances have always played up the West as the personification of evil, long before China became a significant market for his work. A lot of the Hong Kong film industry is pretty bolshie at heart, with a healthy dose of Chinese superiority complex built in.