While the issue has simmered for nearly a year, primarily over Disney's Martin Scorsese-helmed Kundun and Sony's Brad Pitt-starrer, Seven Years in Tibet, both of which tell stories of China attacking a peace-loving Tibet, the recent action seems to be a direct result of Richard Gere's recent high-profile attacks on the Chinese government. Gere's campaign has been closely tied to this weekend's release of his latest film, Red Corner, which, not coincidentally, is about an American lawyer brutalized by an oppressive Chinese justice system.
The latest Chinese action could affect the three studios' filmmaking efforts, including a Shanghai studio that dubs Disney's animated films into Chinese, as well as larger, on-going business projects that Disney and the Chinese have long been discussing. Testament to the high stakes involved, Disney recently contracted with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to consult on how to defuse the situation.
While the Los Angeles Times reported Friday that representatives of the three studios said they had no knowledge of contact from the Chinese government nor of any curtailed business practices, the whole thing may just blow over: Seven Years has done only moderate business, Red Corner opened this weekend to tepid reviews and Kundun is a modestly budgeted art film with no big stars. The Chinese may ultimately learn that a free-market economy can squelch a film faster than any official political action.