MovieChat Forums > Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) Discussion > Being gay without losing the Chinese mov...

Being gay without losing the Chinese movie market?

posted 6 years ago by BrunoAntony (1198)
16 replies | jump to latest

The "Harry Potter" films make massive money from the Chinese box office.

China's censors are notoriously strict on what foreign films they allow to be show in the country.

China is against depiction of homosexuality in the media.

Warner Bros are never going to run the risk of losing China's money on one of its biggest film series just to appease an LGBTQI audience.

We are not going to see a gay Dumbledore.

I think JK Rowling tried to recton her own work for virtue-signalling purposes without actually thinking ahead.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

I agree with you about the retcon stuff. I think Rowling likes to say a lot of stuff just to get brownie points with the media and her more liberal fans. I don't know how they will handle Dumbledore, but I assume his sexuality just won't be mentioned or touched on. The closest to gay he might get is having a really close male "best friend".

[–] PaladinNJ (21510) 6 years ago

Just like it was handled in the original series.

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

My guess is that Dunbledore is going to discuss his past with Grindelwald in the extremely polite terms appropriate to the era. So polite that kids won't understand what he really means, and the Chinese interpreters and dubbers can change the dialogue to refer to a past friendship.

Because the studio doesn't want to offend either the western LGBT population or the Chinese censors, so they'll tread such a delicate middle path that the end result will be dull and satisfying to no-one.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Dumbledore is NOT gay. And Hermione married Ron. End of story. I don't like revisionism in literature, and Rowling's liberal bullshit is NO exception.

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

No, Dumbledore's gayness was there in the text, if you weren't too young to understand what you're reading or deliberately ignoring it because you don't like the idea.

Same for Rowling's liberal bullshit.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Do you have some examples where his gayness in the text was obvious?

I wasn’t young when I read the books, but can’t remember it being obvious.

Maybe I missed it as I did skip some parts as I was listening on audiobooks and sometimes would get distracted but couldn’t be bothered to rewind.

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

I'm referring to the descriptions of young Dumbledore's intense relationship with young Grindlewald. It was described as a "friendship" in the text, but not even the closest of friends get so into the other person that they abandon their principles and let the other direct their core beliefs, not even at the impressionable age of seventeen. That's how people behave when they're madly, passionately, irrationally in love and the other person becomes their entire world, not when they've found a true friend.

Anyway, as expected, Rowling's script didn't just dance around the issue, it did a full pas de deux with encores and a stunt move during the curtain calls. I'm very disappointed by that, but not surprised.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Thank you for the clarification and I must say that I agree with your statement.

I haven’t yet seen the movie.

[–] Tyalt (304) 6 years ago

"but not even the closest of friends get so into the other person that they abandon their principles and let the other direct their core beliefs, not even at the impressionable age of seventeen"

Yes they do; happens all the time.

[–] MovieFan00 (211) 6 years ago

Yes, he’s gay. It’s weird to be so uptight about it.

[–] chilone (17864) 6 years ago

Just the unnecessary forcing of an agenda.

[–] MovieFan00 (211) 6 years ago

What agenda?

Gay people existing?

The nerve!

[–] QuickieCalzone (378) 6 years ago

I didn´t even know China allows any Harry Potter movies because they are against witchcraft.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

China's weird, and getting weirder with Social Credit, which sounds terrifying. Look it up.

[–] QuickieCalzone (378) 6 years ago

Already heard about it. Scary stuff.

[–] captainbucky (15252) 6 years ago

You missed tha point login