It’s official! The ending of the cult classic movie “Fight Club” has finally been uncensored in China in the wake of massive backlash in what has been called a rare reversal of the censorship policies of the communist nation.
“A key tenet of China’s usual film censorship system is that criminals must always be punished for their crimes onscreen and societal harmony restored — especially in local Chinese movies. So, before the 20th Century Fox film began airing in the country, Tencent dramatically altered Fight Club’s ending,” The Hollywood Reporter stated in a release this past Sunday.
The censored changes reportedly ended up leading to a far more concerning ending for the classic film starring Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, and Edward Norton.
“But it would appear that the backlash has been deemed more troublesome than the fictional film’s ending, as Tencent has now restored 11 of the 12 minutes it originally cut from the 137-minute movie. The minute still missing is mostly comprised of brief nude sex scenes between Pitt’s and Bonham Carter’s characters,” added on The Hollywood Reporter.
The original, iconic ending of cult US film Fight Club has been restored to screens in China after a censored version that brought all criminals to book sparked outrage onlinehttps://t.co/wVWnXXG5ux
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 7, 2022
In a response that shocked quite a few, Chuck Palahniuk, the author of “Fight Club” novel, claimed that the new ending was far more close to the original story.
“Have You Seen This S***? This is SUPER wonderful! Everyone gets a happy ending in China!” tweeted out Palahniuk in January.
Have You Seen This Sh*t?
This is SUPER wonderful! Everyone gets a happy ending in China!https://t.co/saVA2yro9B pic.twitter.com/20UzTi1nyI
— Chuck Palahniuk (@chuckpalahniuk) January 25, 2022
In another interview held with The Hollywood Reporter, he stated, “The irony is that the way the Chinese have changed it is they’ve aligned the ending almost exactly with the ending of the book, as opposed to Fincher’s ending, which was the more spectacular visual ending,” he stated. “So in a way, the Chinese brought the movie back to the book a little bit.”
As reported by The Daily Wire:
The author continued, “What I find really interesting is that my books are heavily banned throughout the U.S. The Texas prison system refuses to carry my books in their libraries. A lot of public schools and most private schools refuse to carry my books. But it’s only an issue once China changes the end of a movie?”
Palahniuk also jumped on Twitter to butt heads with Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz about why his novel and many other books are outright banned from circulation within the Texas prison system.
“Dear Ted Cruz, Why is the novel Fight Club (as well as all my books) banned in the Texas prison system? Is that censorship? Or can only China censor things? Please hit me back,” he quipped in his tweet.
Ephemera: TMZ
Dear Ted Cruz, Why is the novel Fight Club (as well as all my books) banned in the Texas prison system? Is that censorship? Or can only China censor things? Please hit me back.https://t.co/6ZoO38W5pM pic.twitter.com/kZKoO7dkai
— Chuck Palahniuk (@chuckpalahniuk) January 27, 2022
“Fight Club” is most certainly not the only censored film on Chinese streaming platforms.
“Previous guidelines for film have banned depiction of ghosts, organized crime, pornography, sexual violence, time travel and non-approved interpretations of Chinese history. Recently, however, greater emphasis throughout Chinese public life is being placed on conformity with Chinese socialist ideals and national security concerns,” stated Variety in a report.
“That has led to instructions for cissy idols and effeminate men to be banished from the airwaves and to football players being told to remove their tattoos,” concluded the report.
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