If Django Unchained wants to invade one of the movie industry’s biggest markets, they’re going to have to get by the Chinese government first. The Quentin Tarrantino film was set to debut in China this week but was pulled over “unspecified technical problems. ”
Officials in the country screens movies before allowing them in their theaters, and may have pulled Django over it’s heavy violence and brief nudity.
Prior to it’s Chinese debut, the movie was adjusted to fit the country’s standards. “What we call bloodshed and violence is just a means of serving the purpose of the film, and these slight adjustments will not affect the basic quality of the film — such as turning the blood to a darker color, or lowering the height of the splatter of blood,” explained Sony Pictures director in China, Zhand Maio. “Quentin knew how to adjust that, and it’s necessary that he is the one to do it. You can give him suggestions, but it must be him.”
Sony Pictures said Thursday (April 11) that they are working to get the film back on screen. “We regret that ‘Django Unchained’ has been removed from theaters and are working with the Chinese authorities to determine whether the film can be rescheduled.”
Django has gone through a fair share of controversy since its domestic debut last Christmas. Much of the outrage stemmed from the storyline, but those action figures didn’t help either.
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Photo: Columbia Pictures
