Karate Kid Artwork October 25, 2016 By Shane Austrie, Anthony Chawki, John Lyons Should freedom of expression be adjusted for the sake of money? Who: Sony Motion Pictures What: Karate Kid (2010) When: 2010 Where: China Why: Offensive portrayals of the Chinese characters It has become a trend for film companies to revitalize older movie franchises—from Superman Returns, to AVP: Alien vs. Predators, and even to Star Trek (Horn). Sony Motion Pictures has participated in this movement, releasing a 2010 remake of The Karate Kid, originally released in 1984. Because of the first film’s success, three more Karate Kid movies were made. Director Harald Zwart’s fifth rendition partnered with Overbrook Entertainment, Will Smith’s management company, and Sony Motion Pictures, to create the film.
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It starred Smith’s son, Jaden Smith (Horn). Inspired by the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Overbrook Entertainment decided to set the new movie in China (Horn). This decision was multifaceted, combining Sony’s desire to utilize China as a unique setting and to reach China’s larger entertainment market. The underlying reason why Sony Motion Pictures targeted China’s market was not just to create a more accurate movie but also to improve profit. This market grossed a net of 195 million dollars for Avatar and producers from The Karate Kid were not going to miss out on this opportunity.
However, to film and release in China, the movie would have to pay a price. Sony Motion Pictures was required to comply with China’s rules. The regulations and standards had to be met to put forth the movie into the market. With this compliance, the new movie, after production, was different in 75 pieces including a total of 19 parts with alternative footage and 3 scenes with censored audio tracks.
Together the difference between the two versions were 7 minutes and 48 seconds (movie-censorship). American citizens, such as Jaden Smith himself, were outraged that Sony Motion Pictures would compromise their product for a foreign demand. Nonetheless, Sony Motion Pictures went through with this collaboration, creating the biggest modern movie co-production between an American studio and China. Figure.2 Movie poster of The Karate Kid While China holds one of the largest money-grossing entertainment markets outside of the United States, their movie and media guidelines prove difficult. Not only do Chinese citizens prevent movies from being filmed in certain locations, China’s film industry also maintains the right to edit films to fit their standards. Media censorship in China is overseen by the State Administration of Radio Film and Television which includes a committee of 30 people (Cain). Robert Cain describes the main goal of the censorship committee as “ to promote Confucian morality, political stability and social harmony”.
Therefore anything that does not fit these guidelines is often censored. Controversial topics include sex, violence and obscenity (Cain).
As a result, it is normal for many films to be altered, including The Karate Kid. In the original cut, the movie focuses on the character of Dre Parker as he moves from the U.S. To Beijing, China. While in China, he comes across a kung fu master living his life as a maintenance worker.
Even though Karate is Japanese in origin, the remake chose to focus on an indigenously Chinese form of martial arts. In the film, this kung fu master teaches Dre the art of the discipline so that Dre can defend himself. Eventually, Dre enters a tournament where he uses the skills he learned. He becomes victorious as defeats his bullies, but in the ending the bullies show him respect by bowing and shaking his hand. Many pieces of the movie were morphed in the alternate version. The China Film Group Corporation removed important scenes, such as the kissing scene between Jaden Smith’s character, Dre, and a Chinese girl; as well as, several combative scenes that made Chinese citizens seem exorbitantly aggressive, racist, and xenophobic (Horn).
More specifically, the censored, Chinese version of the film reshapes the representation of the film’s American protagonist and Chinese antagonists. While in both films, Dre engages in fights with others, the censored version displays Dre instigating the conflicts rather than defending himself. The competing kung fu teacher is reduced from showing aggressive behavior, as a lower temper would create a character of higher respect(JiaYi). The films also include different endings. As Zhou JiaYi, points out, “the clever deletion of scenes managed to successfully change the story from that of an underdog story to one of self-discovery.” The Chinese board preferred such a story of self-discovery, in contrast to one where the protagonist had to learn a Chinese fighting style to defeat Chinese youth. The censorship of The Karate Kid is important to the Chinese government as it directly portrays Chinese culture.
Because the film characterizes the Chinese kids to be dishonest and manipulating, the censorship board had a motive keep this representation undisclosed in China. Known as the Information Age or Digital Age, media has been expanding to many new devices, such as small smartphones that can stream movies. Therefore, China watches these modes to guarantee that the data being transferred through them do not contain malicious influences.
Even as a family-friendly movie, The Karate Kid cannot go unlooked. Even though, many films go uncensored in China, so some reason why The Karate Kid was not. Reporters, such as Zhou JiaYiIt, believe it was the fact that the movie directly portrayed the Chinese culture in a negative Americanized light. Zhou JiaYi stressed this point by stating “it was definitely made for American audiences as it portrayed the Americans as the good guys and the Chinese as the bad guys”. Many do not have to question that China is one of the strictest countries in the world in terms of censorship. Censorship in China spans across all mediums, but the most prevalent concerns today are internet, filmmaking, and television. For example, Internet content providers employ a large number of censors to make sure their content follows the government’s guidelines.
China even enlists 20,000-50,000 Chinese Internet police that monitor the internet landscape (King, Pan, Roberts, 1). With a population of over one billion people, film makers view the Chinese market as an ideal venue for increasing revenue. According to an article by Patrick Brzeski, there are 31,627 movie screens throughout the country. This number indicates just how high the demand for movies are in China. So high, in fact that China is expected to surpass North America as the largest movie market on Earth in terms of box office revenue (Brzeski). This also presents a bigger need for China to preserve what its viewers are exposed to.
Therefore, supporters of The Karate Kid uncensored should not be surprised by the alternate footage. In the novel “To Kill A Mocking Bird”, Atticus Finch says to Scout, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Harper Lee, 87). The same principle must be applied to understand this case. Most of the articles written about the censorship of The Karate Kid were composed by American journalists.
All the articles reflect biases in them that describe China in a negative light. Michael Cieply and Brooks Barnes report that China is “a country in which American notions of free expression simply do not apply” (1). In Americans’ eyes, the censorship of The Karate Kid is odd and frustrating due to the different roles that the government and policy making play in the freedom of expression. However, the culture is different and must be treated separate from America. In “Policy process, policy learning, and the role of the provincial media in China”, Yik Chan Chin discusses China’s process of forming policies. The main idea described was the process of policy learning in China.
Unlike the U.S. And Britain, China creates new policies on a regular basis to maintain its standards and preferred tastes. With film, China does this. 3 The Great Wall of China through the Ministry of Radio, Film and Television (MRFT).
Under the influence of the Chinese Communist Party, the MRFT makes its decisions. Chin states, “The hierarchical nature creates a close bond between media, regulator and government at the same administrative level” (4).
With the regulator distributing policies based off the government’s interests, policy making is born with the power coming from the top down (Chan Chin). China’s policy making does have some advantages. In the U.S., policy making is occurs more slowly; whereas in China, different sectors can influence the evolution of new policies (Chan Chin). In the U.S., it is possible for interest groups lobby on behalf of particular cases. The government does not control art, including film making.
Chin describes these interest groups as using “complaints about the inadequacies of laws, media exposure of mismanagement, legislative hearings, and citizens’ complaints to the authorities” in the censoring of media (4). Whereas in China, no lobbyists can influence their integrity to policy. The two countries represent two completely different cultures. Therefore, one must respect values and ideas that each culture present. The Karate Kid was not the first film to evoke censorship and it will not be the last. As the world becomes more globalized, influences from different countries will be harder to keep from flowing into China. Bounds will be tested and China’s movies censorship committee will have a larger task at hand.
To keep relations positive and tranquil, countries and companies will have to create compromises for each other. In this case, Sony Motion Pictures sought an opportunity to film in China to expand its market for The Karate Kid, but to do so they had to follow China’s rules.
Compliance allowed their government to alter the film to ensure it would not adversely affect Chinese culture or politics. And with an ever increasing flow of new media and movies, artists and actors should expect censorship in China.
The system developed in China has been in place for decades and will still be for decades to come. Works Cited Brzeski, Patrick. “China Box Office Grows Astonishing 48.7 Percent in 2015, Hits $6.78 Billion.” The Hollywood Reporter.
N.p., 31 Dec. Cieply, Michael, and Brooks Barnes. “To Get Movies Into China, Hollywood Gives Censors a Preview.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 Jan. Chan Chin, Yik. “Media, Culture & Society.” Policy Process, Policy Learning, and the Role of the Provincial Media in China (2011): n.
“‘Karate Kid’ Update Breaks down Some Chinese Walls.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2010. “Chinese Censoring of the Karate Kid.” Shandongxifus Blog.
N.p., 13 Oct. Lee, Harper., and Sally Darling. To Kill a Mocking Bird.
N.p.: Recorded, 1988. Olson, Kathy. “First Amendment Site.” Web log post. First Amendment Site. Lehigh University, 2009. “Health Nutrition and Population Statistics: Population Estimates and Projections World DataBank.” Health Nutrition and Population Statistics: Population Estimates and Projections World DataBank. World Bank Group, 2016.
Keywords: China, Censorship, Karate Kid, Alternate Film, Government Policy, Jaden Smith, MPAA, MRFT, Culture, Kung Fu Cain, Robert. “How to Be Censored in China: A Brief Filmmaking Guide.” IndieWire. Keywords: China, Censorship, Karate Kid, Alternate Film, Government Policy, Jaden Smith, MPAA, MRFT, Culture, Kung Fu.
In Columbia Pictures' The Karate Kid, 12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's (Taraji P. Henson) latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying - and the feeling is mutual - but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng.
In the land of kung fu, Dre knows only a little karate, and Cheng puts 'the karate kid' on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.