From Telegraph.co.uk (link):
The only Asian entry for the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival is likely to be pulled from the competition before its first screening today after permission for it to be shown was refused by China’s powerful censors.
The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said Summer Palace (È¢êÂíåÂõ≠)failed to meet technical standards – the picture was “too fuzzy” and the sound quality poor.
But there have been previous rumours that the film was facing difficulties because of its content: a love story set partly against the background of the Tiananmen Square protests and the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.
See also “‘Palace’ in China’s doghouse” by Hollywood Reporter (link); – ” At Cannes, boring is out, political is in” by International Herald Tribune (link); – “China censors delay approval for Cannes contender” by Reuters (link); “Summer Palace rejected over aesthetic differences” from Danwei (link).
From The Washington Post (link):
Chinese director Lou Ye(®ÑÁÉ®) said on Thursday he would consider changing his new film “Summer Palace,” which features explicit sex and political drama, to meet censors’ demands in his home country.
“I will agree to remove any of the scenes they want,” Lou told reporters at the Cannes film festival.
“I would do just about anything to ensure the film can be seen in China. That is very important,” he added later, speaking through an interpreter.
