Movie lovers around the world are protesting against the Chinese action that set fire to the famous climax of David Fincher’s classic psychological thriller Fight Club (1999). China has transformed the film by deleting the anti-capitalist final scene and replacing it with a positive message.
It has been 22 years since the release of a film that touched the hearts of film lovers and students. The modified copy is now on display on the Chinese online streaming platform. In the film’s true climax, Edward Norton’s character kills the devastating character Taylor Durden, played by his own counterpart, Brad Pitt. Then with the heroine, he sees the skyscrapers outside collapsing.
It is considered to symbolize the collapse of modern culture. This scene, described as anarchic and anti-capitalist, was cut from the Fight Club on display in China. Instead such a message is written in that position. -Police who knew in advance that the blast was going to take place rushed in, apprehended all the culprits and defused the bombs. This led to Taylor being tried and admitted to a mental health center. In 2012, he was discharged from the hospital.
It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. The original makers of the film, 20th Century Fox, did not respond to a request for comment. The Tencent platform that displays the image is also silent. China’s reform of the Fight Club conveys the message that no such great revolution can take place without the eyes of the government.
All crime and violence films and serials released in China completely eliminate the scenes in which the government stands helpless. Last December, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Chinese artists to strengthen their cultural confidence and contribute to their ‘socialist cultural power’. China’s Cyberspace Administration has called for a month – long mission to clean up cyberspace to create a modern and healthy environment on the Internet.
Things that the government does not like are being removed from the internet as part of this campaign. It is estimated that the burning of the Fight Club was also part of this. Right now, foreign films, including those from Hollywood, are being released with the exception of scenes that are suitable for China. Since China’s large population is the backbone of world trade cinema, producers cannot help but compromise. Since the 1990s, only 34 foreign films have been allowed to be screened in China each year.
Of the 26 films that won the Oscar for Best Picture between 1994 and 2019, only 9 were screened in China. The Lord of War is another important film that fell victim to Chinese scissors even before Fight Club. The climax of the film is that the character of the arms dealer played by Nicholas Cage goes back to the same profession after his release from prison. The film also states that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including the US and China, are the largest arms suppliers. But in the Chinese version of the film, instead of such a climax, it is written like this. The hero confessed to all the crimes officially charged against him in court, and was eventually sentenced to life in prison.
When Iron Man 3 lands in China, the producers only include the scene where the superhero in the movie is rescued by a Chinese doctor. Movies about Tiananmen Square and heterosexual issues are strictly controlled by the Chinese government in movies.
The Bohemian Raspedi (2019), a biography of the famous singer Freddie Mercury, has been released in China with a number of changes. With this, the Chinese audience missed many of the crucial events of his life, which were sexually explicit. In 2019, China blocked the screening of the Joker movie due to the prevalence of violence. Chinese director Chloe Shao’s reference to the Chinese government has led to the banning of her popular English film Nomadland.