탑건 잠바의 굴욕 (CNN)

사실에 대한 좁은 마음과 좁은 시각에 의한 왜곡이 옳은 선택 혹은 더 나은 선택이라고 믿는 것일까? 하찮은 한 마디와 작은 한 장면이라도 그들의 정치적인 입장을 거슬리는 것을 중국정부는 받아들이지 못한다.  검열을 통해 삭제하고 대체하고 이 후에도 계속적인 보복을 한다. 그런데 중국정부는 이런 자국과 타국을 가리지 않는 검열과 통제가 결국은 그들에 대한 부정적인 이미지라는 부메랑이 되어 그들에게 돌아온다는 것을 왜 알지 못하는 것일까? 아니면 알면서도 왜 반복적으로 이런 이슈들을 만드는 것일까? 이미 세계의 패권을 쥔 중국 정부가 세계의 정부가 되기라도 한 것으로 착각해서 안하무인의 오만함을 보이는 것인가? 탑건이 미국인의 이야기이며, 스토리상 그의 아버지가 일본과 대만과 훈련을 했던 것이며, 이는 역사적인 배경을 두고 설정이 된 것이다. 1928년 장제스가 제안했다고 알려진 대만의 국기는 실재로 그의 세력이 중국 본토에서 우위를 점하고 있을 당시에 사용되었던 국기이다. 심지어 중화인민공화국이 생기기 이전에 역사적으로 중국 대륙에서 사용되었던 깃발이다. 또 1986년에 탑건이 나와 세계에서 큰 인기를 얻은 당시부터 문제가된 국기가 있는 패치는 주인공의 잠바에 있었고, 2022년에 새롭게 나온 탑건의 주인공이 같은 잠바를 입고 있는 설정이라면 당연히 디테일이 같아야 된다. 영화의 완성도를 위해 부자연스럽게 다른 이미지로 바꿔서는 안되는 것이다. 잠바의 패치가 몇 장면에 나오는 지는 모르겠으나, 이런 작은 부분 하나 때문에 이 영화를 상영할 수 있게 하고 못하게 하고 한다는 것 자체가 중국 정부가 현대사회의 상식적인 그리고 합리적인 판단과 동떨어져 있다는 것을 잘 알 수 있게 한다. 세계적으로 왜 중국에 대한 반감이 지속적으로 커져만 가는지 그 것이 중국에 어떤 해악이 있는지, 중국 정부는 장기적인 시각으로 판단하는 상식이 생기길 바래본다. 

 

원문 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/02/media/top-gun-maverick-taiwan-flag-reinstated-intl-hnk/index.html

 

Hong Kong/Taipei (CNN Business)"Top Gun: Maverick" is now showing Taiwan's official flag after an outcry, putting its release in mainland China in jeopardy.

The box office mega-hit — which is by far Tom Cruise's biggest-ever commercial debut — now features his character sporting the flag on his iconic bomber jacket, including in the version shown in Taiwan.

Initially, the film's trailer in 2019 had shown otherwise. During the preview, the patches on Cruise's jacket, which originally bore flags that represent Taiwan and Japan, appeared to have been swapped out and replaced with two ambiguous symbols in the same color scheme.

That omission had angered some critics, prompting speculation that the change was made to appease Chinese censors and the film's Chinese backer, Tencent (TCEHY). At the time, Tencent Pictures, a subsidiary of the Shenzhen-based tech giant, was an investor of the highly anticipated sequel to the 1986 classic.

Now, however, the company has pulled out. The Wall Street Journal reported last week, citing unidentified sources, that Tencent had relinquished its role as a financier of the film in late 2019, amid geopolitical concerns between China and the United States.

The firm was worried about falling out of line with officials in Beijing for promoting a movie that celebrated the American military as US-Chinese relations soured, according to the report. Tencent and Paramount (PGRE) Pictures, the studio behind the film, did not respond to a request for comment.

A sensitive topic

China and Taiwan have a complex relationship. Beijing's communist leadership has long claimed Taiwan, a self-governed democratic island, as part of its territory, despite having never ruled over it.

As part of its campaign, the Chinese government has pressured multinational companies to refer to Taiwan as a Chinese territory, in exchange for accessing its lucrative market.

The drive has been largely successful, with players like United Airlines (UAL), Delta Airlines (DAL), Marriott (MAR), American Express (AXP), and Goldman Sachs (GS) falling in line. Hollywood films have also been increasingly censored over the years as China grew in importance to the global box office.

Chinese and Japanese relations have also long been fraught, with tensions flaring in recent years over disputed islands in the East China Sea.

In the trailer of "Top Gun: Maverick," two jacket patches that had originally shown the Japanese and Taiwanese flags (left) appeared to have been swapped out and replaced with two ambiguous symbols in the same color scheme.

Now, the film's update is likely to anger some fans and officials in mainland China.

"There's a high probability Beijing will ban the release and monetization of 'Top Gun' in China," said Chris Fenton, former president of DMG Entertainment and author of the book "Feeding the Dragon: Inside the Trillion-Dollar Dilemma Facing Hollywood, the NBA, and American Business."

"There's also a probability the Chinese government will blackball the studio, filmmakers, and actors from the market for an extended period of time," Fenton added. "We've witnessed similar punishments in the past."

Since 2020, China's strict "zero Covid" restrictions have left many cinemas shuttered for extended periods of time, including in Shanghai and Beijing. That's in sharp contrast with how moviegoers elsewhere have recently flocked back to theaters around the world.

Currently, "Top Gun: Maverick" has not been released in mainland China, and does not have a set opening date.

But Fenton noted "that may have been a forgone conclusion anyway," given the heightened geopolitical tensions between the world's two largest economies.

"A film strongly promoting Western ideals and US military hegemony probably never stood a chance for approval," he said.

He also noted that the Chinese film market has recently eschewed Hollywood movies in favor of other titles. In recent months, patriotic propaganda war movies have topped the box office domestically.

"That's a likely calculation that led to the decision [for producers to include Taiwan's flag]," said Fenton. "The global goodwill generated by reinstating the flags easily outweighs any potential revenues from China."

The move delighted fans in Taiwan: Social media users there cheered the decision online this week, with some calling it a "pleasant surprise."

"Top Gun: Maverick," in which Cruise reprises his role as Navy fighter pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, has already smashed box office records, taking in more than $300 million worldwide, according to IMDB's Box Office Mojo.

Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for Comscore, said that the latest round of blockbusters, including "Top Gun" and "Spider-Man: No Way Home," were still able to enjoy "massive international success" despite limitations from "some countries."

"Hollywood is starting to realize the aggravation of attempting to please China's fickle and unpredictable censors is no longer worth the potential payoff," said Fenton.

— CNN's Beijing bureau and Jessie Yeung contributed to this report.