|
Media and Advertising
Tom Cruise tarnishes Shanghai's image?Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn, May 15, 2006 11:29 AM
Xinhua reports on Mission Impossible III and Shanghai's hypersensitivity: Cruise's "Mission: Impossible III" may find it impossible to enter China market |
Partner Links
Jobs in China
Recent Comments
lyl on
The cult of a Super Girl
Jeremy Gol on
Danwei Canteen: Chestnut Chicken Stew
Gareth on
Gamble your life away in ZT Online
Inst on
The Mouse looms over Shanghai
Anonymous on
Giant Mao Zedong stands alone in the autumn cold
Joel Marti on
A centenarian monk reads the newspaper
China Media Timeline
Major media events over the last three decades
Danwei Model Workers
![]() Recommended blogs and new media
Books on China
Xujun Eberlein's Apologies Forthcoming: Hong Kong's Blacksmith Books has published a short story collection by Xujun Eberlein.
Princess Der Ling: Two Years in the Forbidden City: Two years in the Forbidden City is largely a reminiscence of the minutiae of life for one of history's most powerful women, by one of her court attendants, a Manchu noble's daughter by the name of Der Ling.
Carl Crow's The Long Road Back to China: In 1939 Carl Crow - an American journalist, advertising executive and author who had lived in Shanghai for 25 years until forced out by the Japanese - travelled up the Burma Road from Rangoon to Chongqing on assignment for Liberty magazine - 'the most interesting assignment I have ever been given'.
Front Page of the Day
A different newspaper every weekday
From the Vault
Classic Danwei posts
+ New Years Past: Other Spring Festivals by Geremie R. Barmé (2007.02): Sang Ye interviews two people about their experiences during Great Leap Forward-era Spring Festivals. Translated and annotated by Geremie R. Barmé. + Trend-spotting in online fiction (2007.06): An interview with Daniel Dan Fei (丹飞), publisher of Notes on Graverobbing (盗墓笔记), Rear Palace (后宫), and Those Ming Dynasty Things (明朝那些事). + China's 50 Most Beautiful People (2005.03): The Beijing News borrows a picture of Maggie Cheung from Cosmo for the cover of today's Entertainment insert, "50 Most Beautiful People in China". Ms. Cheung takes the top spot, with Takeshi Kaneshiro, Little S, Zhang Ziyi, and Liu Ye rounding out the top five in this exercise that is a conscious imitation of People magazine's yearly rundown.
Danwei Archives
Danwei Feeds
Via Feedsky
or Feedburner |





Comments on Tom Cruise tarnishes Shanghai's image?
Every city has its poor parts of the town.
Why would a villian hold a hostage at a 5-star hotel, of course it would be in the slums.
The hostage was held in a neighborhood "family planning" clinic, where pro-single child propaganda banners were still on the walls.
In communist China... er, never mind. Let's just say that the irony here is that the ban will promote an even greater "negative Shanghai image" abroad.
I saw the movie and all it did was make me pine for Shanghai. The filming of the city was incredible. The shots of Pudong and an old section of the city were excellent and inviting. The Chinese authorities are dead wrong on this.
How strange for the ban to be in China, because if anyone would know what Shanghai REALLY looks like - it would be the Chinese citizens - of which the film is banned. Therefore, China must ban the rest of the world from the movie if it does not want to "look bad". My guess is that somebody should have paid that "extra $$$" when they had the chance.
This is such a puff piece, come on Danwei. I thought you are meant to see through the garbage on Xinhua.
a) its not up to the Shanghai authorities
b) When was the original decision due?
c) Which media company representing the film has APPLIED for release of the film?
d) Is the above even journalism?
I know a bit about the MI3 shoot in Shanghai. Usually foreign films in China have to go into uncomfortable co-productions with local studios. But MI3 was such a bloomin' big production that they just brought in EVERYONE they needed from LA - from caterers to set runners. I'm sure they had to pay someone handsomely for this privilege..would I be cynical to think that this someone was in Beijing, thus some folks in Shanghai feel a bit left out, hence the piece in Xinmin?
Either that or it's just the usual civic sensitivity mixed with utter idiocy...
Why are the Chinese people so insecure about themselves and so low on self-esteem??? It seems like anything and everything offends them, regardless of how insignificant and/or benign it is. These people need to get some confidence.
One can see laundry airing outdoors on streets around the world, including some of the more glamorous ones. Chinese can't handle anything less than fake representations of reality.
All the dominator in China would follow one rule,not matter present or past age: I AM ALWAYS RIGHT. If lost this rule, then he lost the justification for govern.
There is no such a thing of tarnishing Shanghai's image. That is what Shanghai looks like. If the authorities donot happy with that then stop drying rags and underwears outdoors in side streets.
In Vancouver, I see people hang drying their underwear and bra at their home back yard all the time.
It is all the "low self-esteem", believe me. Just look Taiwan and Hong Kong Chinese, they never ban foreign movies for some ridiculously lame reasons.(well, maybe not Taiwan)
Well, I think its the real issue is that the chinese feel the western world sees them as straw-hat wearing farmers. the last scene in the movie(where Tom Cruise saves his wife) was shot in a sightseeing village(one thats preserved like the amish country). Tomb-raider had a similar scene where they portray shanghai as an area with broke down shacks and junk boats. In Indiana Jones, the city was portrayed exactly the same(should be the 40's shanghai in the movie), as if it has not progressed in the past 60yrs. The image of the city was just butchered in the movie. If i didn't know any better, I would've thought the city was full of rivers and lil fishing boats full of ragged clothed farmers, far from the 100million dollar(usd) condominium neighborhood that actually took place. How would you feel if people think your home city is like a backward fishing village.
Leon makes a good point, Western films often do portray China with an inaccuracy that borders on painful. I get annoyed too when I see modern Shanghai depicted as some kitsch Chinatown with extras speaking Cantonese (or gibberish). Passing off a Disneyland like Zhouzhuang as Shanghai is almost as bad. What upsets the censors, apparently, is that MI3 depicts Shanghai too accurately. Plenty of Shanghainese are proud of the city as it is, drying skivvies and all; I just wish the authorities could be so too.
Funny seeing all the white kids comment on "being offended"