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tive would announce a surefire plan to win the Chinese box office by making
a film with an American male star — who they’d insist was “big in China”
— and casting a Chinese actress as his love interest. I couldn’t help but won-
der: Had they never stopped to consider how they’d react if an Italian movie
producer proffered this scheme to make hit movies for the American audi-
ence? Had they walked blindfolded through the airport terminals in Beijing
or Shanghai, and missed all the billboards for international brands that used
American celebrity endorsements in the United States, but Chinese movie
stars in China? Had anyone thought to run this idea past a decent sampling of
Chinese moviegoers?
And it seemed as if every month, yet still another executive would show up,
trying to make the case for raising the Chinese foreign film quota, proclaim-
ing that “everyone” in China was watching Netflix’s House of Cards, and that
there was a “huge” Chinese market for small, independent American movies
— formerly known as art-house films. Once again, I couldn’t help but wonder:
If French art-house films struggle to find an audience in America, why would
American art-house films suddenly be huge draws in China? And was that tout-
ed “everyone in China” House of Cards audience more accurately counted as “ev-
eryone” the executive had dinner with in Shanghai last night?
Then there was the dinner party in Santa Monica, Calif., where a film pro-
ducer by virtue of his trust fund — someone who’d never set foot anywhere
west of Hawaii — lectured me about why the Chinese government wouldn’t
raise the quota on foreign films: “They’re scared. Terrified. They’re frightened by
American movies. They know that once the Chinese people see our culture and
our lifestyles, they’ll topple the government.” I’m not sure if he saw my eyes roll
in response to this, but when I shared it with my snarky Chinese colleague on
Skype a few hours later, he thought it was hilarious. “Actually, we’re doing you
a favor by keeping your movies out,” he joked. “Otherwise, we’d think you were
more decadent and depraved than we already do.”fea
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