And, sorry, I had to post this pic...
Posted on 08/30/2003 10:38:59 PM PDT by El Conservador
HONG KONG (AFP) - Chinese authorities have banned the second Tomb Raider blockbuster starring Oscar-winner Angelina Jolie after complaining that it portrays the country negatively, it was reported here.
Andrew Cripps, president of United International Pictures, the movie's Asian distributor, told the South China Morning Post Friday that 'Lara Croft Tomb Raider -- The Cradle of Life' had failed to win approval from China's censors.
"We are very disappointed but I cannot say we are surprised," Cripps was quoted as saying. "We have to abide by decisions of national censorship bodies."
Cripps said China was the only country to ban the new film, which had been scheduled for release on the mainland in the autumn.
The report said censors had axed the film because it damaged China's reputation, giving the impression of a country in chaos, with no government and over-run by secret societies.
"After watching the movie, I feel that the westerners have made their presentation of China with malicious intention," an unidentified official was quoted as saying in media reports.
"The movie does not understand Chinese culture. It does not understand China's security situation. In China there cannot be secret societies," he said.
Ironically, the movie was partly shot in Hong Kong, with several sequences showing relic-hunting action hero Lara Croft, played by Jolie, parachuting into the city's famous Victoria Harbour.
The first Tomb Raider rang up 14.41 million yuan (1.76 million US dollars) in box office receipts in China out of worldwide takings of nearly 300 million dollars.
And, sorry, I had to post this pic...
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