James Cameron’s ‘Titanic’ has returned to theatres with an extra dimension and a corrected star field. But some Chinese viewers are more focused on another change which reflects tightened media controls since the original release. From Ministry of Tofu:
… In 1997, the scene where Jack draws the nude portrait of Rose was completely uncut and displayed on a wide screen in China, which was deeply registered in the memory of Chinese. 15 years later, when Titanic sails into the cinema again, the nude scene was removed by Chinese censors.
Many moviegoers find censoring of the nude painting scene unacceptable and ridiculous, “It wasn’t deleted 15 years ago. Why delete it now?” “I didn’t wait 15 years to see a three-dimensional iceberg!” Net user “Cambrian” wrote, “I just want to use a cliché that so many people in their school days love to use, the wheel of the history is spinning, however, it turns out it is only backpedalling ….”
Some even lampooned the state watchdog with a satirical news story, “The State Administration of Radio, Film and Broadcast finally gave an explanation of its decision to remove the nude scene it OK’d 15 years ago: ‘In light of the specialness of 3D movies, we are concerned that viewers may extend their hands for a touch during the scene and hit heads of viewers sitting in their front, which may result in disputes. In consideration for building a society with spiritual civilization, we decide to remove the scene.’”
