Slash of the Titans
How government censors — not audience members — were the most annoying part of my first movie-going experience in China
I am somewhat of a movie buff, yet I waited 18 months to see a movie in the theater in Shanghai. Or perhaps it’s that I waited 18 months to see a movie in the theater in Shanghai because I am somewhat of a movie buff. Let me explain.
Generally an easy going guy, I am the anal retentive movie-goer. I hate when audience members talk. I hate when their mobile phones go off. I hate when they have annoying laughs.
In America, I would choose show times based on when the theater was likely to be at its emptiest. I would choose a seat far away from anyone else. If someone would come in late and sit near me, sometimes I would get up and move.
I figured China would be just about the worst place for a person like me to go see a movie because — and I know I am generalizing here — Chinese people have no problem talking during anything, Chinese people love their mobile phones and the Chinese language comes in two volume levels: loud an louder. The whisper, I’m convinced, is a Western innovation.
06.27.2004, 3:04 AM · Culture, Movies, Observations · Comments (13)
