Source: China Real Time, WSJ (12/31/15)
Exorcising Ghosts: How Hit Film Cleared China’s Censors
By Lilian Li
A scene from the film “Mojin: The Lost Legend.” Wanda Pictures
As the rest of the world rushes to see “Star Wars,” Chinese audiences are flocking to see a homegrown domestic fantasy film based on books that censors once considered too sensitive for a movie-going audience.
“Mojin: The Lost Legend” [鬼吹灯之寻龙诀] is based on the fantasy novel series “Ghost Blows Out the Light,” which follows a trio of veteran tomb raiders and their underground, treasure-hunting adventures. The novels were bestsellers both online and in print, and as early as 2006 top Chinese directors expressed interest in turning the series into a movie.
Those efforts immediately hit roadblocks. Film industry figures told China Real Time that the effort couldn’t get past government movie censors due to supernatural elements such as evil spirits, which were regarded as sensitive by the film censors.
Wu Ershan, the film’s director, said he realized the problem when he first read the books in 2011. But he managed to get his work passed the censors by abiding by three key principles laid out by film regulators.
“The movie should not be named ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light,’” said Mr. Wu, citing what the officials told him before the film began shooting in 2013. “The leading characters should not commit crimes, and the spiritual phenomenon shown in the movie should have material explanations.”
To work out a script that met the censorship standard while capturing the essence of the eight-volume series, Mr. Wu and his team spent two years studying traditional feng shui, or the traditional Chinese system of harmonizing people and places with the environment. He also visited ancient tombs to learn traditional burial customs and hired historians as consultant. “The phenomenon described in the fiction can always be backed up by religious history, classic Chinese legends and science,” said the director.
For years, Chinese filmmakers have found stories about grave robbers or evil spirits hard to crack. Mr. Wu, whose previous credits include the 2012 fantasy film “Painted Skin: The Resurrection,” said communicating with top film regulators help him keep the production on the right track.
“Censorship should not be the excuse for making crappy films,” said Mr. Wu. “Either you accept the restriction or go find another job.”
The 250 million yuan ($38.51 million) film is backed by three major Chinese film studios, including Wanda Pictures, which is part of the Chinese entertainment conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group.
“Mojin” has so far grossed more than 1.3 billion yuan ($200 million) in the roughly two weeks since it opened in local theaters, which are crowded with other major local productions during the end-of-year holiday season.
Though the film opened on the same day in the U.S. as in China, the director doesn’t expect much from outside the country. “I don’t care about foreign audiences at all, as this is a film only for Chinese audiences,” he said. “The social phenomenon and changes described in the film can only can resonate only with Chinese people.” According to Box Office Mojo, the movie was released in 27 U.S. theaters.
A fan of “The Lord of Rings” film franchise, Mr. Wu said he is now working on another script based on “Investiture of the Gods,” a classic of Chinese fantasy fiction, hoping to make it a Chinese equivalent of those films.
However, like many in the country , Mr. Wu is not into another American epic film, “Star Wars”, which won’t come to China until Jan. 9. “Every time I watched ‘Star Wars’ I fell asleep,” said the 43-year-old. “The story is not interesting and the film’s style is a little bit outdated.”
–Lilian Lin. Follow her on Twitter @LilianLinyigu