Chinese Whispers: Hollywood's complicated love affair with China
Best of the Spectator
The Spectator
4.4 • 785 Ratings
🗓️ 3 April 2023
⏱️ 32 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Hollywood is desperate to crack the Chinese market – after all, it’s a country with a fifth of the world’s population and a growing middle class. But there’s just one problem – the small issue of the Chinese Communist Party, which tightly controls the films people can see.
Since the success of Avengers: Endgame, Marvel films had effectively been blacklisted until earlier this year, with other Hollywood blockbusters failing to break through either. This episode is about the complicated love affair between Beijing and LA.
Cindy Yu is joined by Wall Street Journal journalist Erich Schwartzel, author of Red Carpet: Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy; and Chris Berry, Professor of Film Studies at Kings College London – you might remember him from a previous episode discussing the golden age of Chinese films.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Spectator magazine combines incisive political analysis with books and arts reviews of unrivaled authority. Absolutely free. Go to spectator.com.uk forward slash voucher. |
| 0:31.4 | Hello and welcome to Chinese Whispers with me, Cindy Yu. Every episode, I'll be talking to |
| 0:36.3 | journalists, experts and long-time China I'll be talking to journalists, experts, |
| 0:41.9 | and long-time China watchers about the latest in Chinese politics, society and more. |
| 0:45.5 | There'll be a smattering of history to catch you up on the background knowledge and some context as well. |
| 0:47.5 | How did the Chinese see these issues? |
| 0:51.1 | Until a few years ago, Hollywood dominated Chinese cinemas. |
| 0:54.7 | In the People's Republic, Marvel's superhero romps were the people's favourite, |
| 0:58.4 | with Avengers Endgame taking in over £500 million at Chinese box offices. |
| 1:03.3 | In China, Hollywood has identified a golden goose, |
| 1:06.5 | after a country with a fifth of the world's population and a growing middle class. |
| 1:11.3 | But that's just one problem, the small issue of the Chinese Communist Party, which tightly controls the films |
| 1:15.8 | people can see. After the success of Avengers Endgame, Marvel Films had effectively been |
| 1:21.0 | blacklisted until earlier this year, with other Hollywood blockbusters also failing to get |
| 1:25.9 | permission from Beijing to be shown in China. |
| 1:28.8 | On this episode, we'll be talking about that love-hate affair between Beijing and L.A. |
| 1:33.4 | I'm joined by Eric Schwartzell, who is the Hollywood Reporter for the Wall Street Journal |
| 1:37.2 | and his recent book is all about this called Red Carpet, |
| 1:40.5 | and Chris Berry, Professor of Film Studies at King's College London. |
| 1:44.4 | You might remember him from our previous episode discussing the golden age of Chinese films. |
| 1:49.0 | If not, the link is in the description. |
| 1:51.5 | Chris and Eric, welcome to Chinese Whispers. |
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