China and its overbearing censorship tactics are at work again! As per widespread chatter on social media, the just-released fantasy film, ‘Fantastic Beasts: Secrets Of Dumbledore‘ has been shorn of every bit of gay talk in the film. Needless to say, the result is that a crucial part of the film’s storyline has been heartlessly done away with. The most surprising thing about the entire matter is that the censorship has happened on the editing table of Warner Bros, creator of the film, itself.
It is quite obvious that, given the clearly gay reveal of Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts: Secrets Of Dumbledore, the film would not have passed muster in its entirety in China. Rather than face the wrath of China’s notorious censors, Warner Bros thought it fit to agree to the Chinese government’s request amicably, and chop off the gay dialogue from the film before its release in Chinese cinemas. The censoring of the gay dialogue by Warner Bros came after the company received a request from the Chinese government regarding the same.
Fantastic Beasts: Secrets Of Dumbledore had fans of the franchise delirious with delight. The film finally and delicately broached the fact that Dumbledore was gay – something hinted at by J.K.Rowling, but never depicted on screen or in the books before. Until this, the third installment of the Fantastic Beasts film series. In Fantastic Beasts 3, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) accepts that he was once in love with the Dark Wizard, Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen). At one point in the film, Dumbledore says to Grindelwald, “I was in love with you”. At another point, he says, “The summer Gellert and I fell in love”, thus confirming that he is gay.
Both lines have been chopped off from the film in China. Warner Bros has clarified that they’ve indeed made the cuts “to comply with local requirements – but the spirit of the film remains intact”. Dear Warner Bros, we don’t think so.
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