FRANCE: Chinese director Lou Ye says he would consider changing his new film "Summer Palace", which features explicit sex and political drama, to meet censors' demands in his home country

Record ID: 860867

  • Title: FRANCE: Chinese director Lou Ye says he would consider changing his new film "Summer Palace", which features explicit sex and political drama, to meet censors' demands in his home country
  • Date: 25th May 2006
  • Summary: CANNES, FRANCE (MAY 16, 2006) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CANNES/ FRENCH FLAGS
  • Embargoed: 9th June 2006 13:00
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  • Location: France
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  • Country: France
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  • Reuters ID: LVA5HM8EAZR0Y2U7FG1V9ZM4XIK7
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  • Story Text: Chinese director Lou Ye said on Thursday (May 19) that he would consider changing his new film "Summer Palace", which features explicit sex and political drama, to meet censors' demands in his home country.
    "I will agree to remove any of the scenes they want," Lou told reporters at the Cannes Film Festival.
    "I would do just about anything to ensure the film can be seen in China. That is very important," he added later, speaking through an interpreter.
    "Summer Palace," set against the backdrop of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, has caused a stir in China where government censors refused to approve it before its premiere on Thursday at the festival.
    They cited flaws technical with film print that was submitted to them, according to the producers.
    Approval by China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television is pivotal for Chinese filmmakers because, if a movie is shown outside the country before it has their approval, the board may try to block its release in China.
    "Summer Palace" follows a 16-year romance that begins in 1987 when a young woman, Yu Hong, moves to Beijing to attend university. She falls in love with Zhou Wei, but their affair is threatened by personal emotions and rival lovers.
    Lou said he was a student in Beijing and involved in a love affair when the Tiananmen protests sparked cultural change in China, but gave no further details.
    Tiananmen is just one of several social and political conflicts in "Summer Palace". The demolition of the Berlin Wall is touched upon, as is the fall of the Soviet Union.
    The movie also shows explicit scenes of sex and nudity.
    With its Chinese status unclear, "Summer Palace" was shown to the media on Wednesday and remained set for its Thursday premiere in competition at the world's top film festival.
    Lou told reporters it was important to him that audiences saw his actors' work in the global spotlight of Cannes, and that was one reason for going ahead with the screening.
    "I want to present the film in the best possible circumstance," he said.
    Asked whether sex or politics was the more problematic for the Chinese censors, Lou said: "It's on the same footing."
    Actor Guo Xiaodong said what mattered to him was the sincere way that the sex scenes were part of the love story.
    Hao Lei said most important to her was that the actors were asked to play real people experiencing the joy and tragedy of love, and were not asked to mask human flaws.
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