Name: Was Doctor Strange Changed to Please China? | China Uncensored
Uploaded: 2018-01-05T04:33:34.000Z
Duration: 7 min 18 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Hi, welcome to China Uncensored; I'm your host Chris Chappell.

you should never talk about religion or politics over the dinner table.

Well, I would add to that one more highly sensitive topic—comic books.

More specifically, movie adaptations of comic books.

Nothing is more certain to generate a hellstorm on Internet forums

than minor changes made to beloved characters.

But the most recent atrocity to befall comic bookdom

was the decision to change the Ancient One,

a Tibetan male sorcerer in Doctor Strange,

for what's being called another example of Hollywood “whitewashing.”

But earlier this month, actress Tilda Swinton,

said there were “very great reasons” for the changes.

The greatest reason of all, it turns out, may have been money.

Doctor Strange movie writer C. Robert Cargill

explained why Tilda Swinton was cast as the Ancient One.

to make sure the Chinese Communist Party doesn't ban their movie.

The Thing with the Ancient Once is it is Marvel's Kobayashi Maru.

Hey, now, I don't believe in no-win scenarios!

so if you acknowledge that Tibet is a place and that he's Tibetan,

'Hey, you know one of the biggest film-watching countries in the world?

We're not going to show your movie because you decided to get political.'”

OK, I'm pretty sure the CCP is not arguing that Tibet doesn't exist.

“Tibetans now live a free, prosperous and civilized life,

and with the loving care and efforts of the Central Government.”

And besides, Cargill later hit Control-Z on that interview,

saying he wasn't representing Marvel when he said that.

But the problem is that Tibet is still a very politically sensitive issue.

And if you mention it in your very expensive movie,

to one of the world's most lucrative movie markets.

Brad Pitt still has trouble getting his movies shown in China

because he was in 7 Years in Tibet almost 20 years ago.

The Communist Party only allows 34 foreign films a year

and they have to get approval from censors.

Specifically, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television,

So it makes sense Marvel would alter their movie

And if this is Marvel kowtowing to the Chinese government,

For example, do you remember this scene from Iron Man 3?

See, Iron Man 3 was a co-production with a Chinese studio,

which means it didn't have to compete with other foreign films

for one of those coveted 34 film slots a year.

A foreign film studio can only get 25% of box office profits from China,

But that also means you have to shoot part of your film in China,

cast Chinese actors, have Chinese investors,

And that's why Marvel added several totally unnecessary scenes to the Chinese version

Marvel allowed censors to vet the script for the entire film.

and made an extra 95 million dollars there!

they changed the idealistic future from Paris to Shanghai.

than another 60-plus years of Communist Party rule?

the enemy that attacked America was China....

But after being criticized by a Chinese newspaper,

they reportedly spent a million dollars to digitally change the baddie in post-production

And they solved it by casting the spiritual teacher as a white woman.

A group known for their love of Asian temples and martial arts.

I mean, they could have cast a famous Chinese actor...as...a...Tibetan.

that whole all-Asians-look-the-same thing.

Hey, I got it! If you're going to change it to a Celtic woman,

why not just change the character from Tibetan to Han Chinese.

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Was Doctor Strange Changed to Please China? | China Uncensored

ancient

specifically

represent

stereotype