Unsatisfied with the Lust, Caution edits? Sue!

SARFT was here.

The version of Ang Lee's Lust, Caution that is showing on the mainland is 13 minutes shorter than the version seen by most of the rest of the world. As with all edits made to pass the SARFT censors, cuts to Lust, Caution are not supposed to affect the film in any material way.

That claim would be debatable, except for the fact that a directive was handed down ordering the media not to debate it. However, one man is not taking things lying down. Dong Yanbin (董彦斌), a PhD student at the China University of Politics and Law, is suing UME International Cineplex and SARFT over the edited version of Lust, Caution. He says that by showing a cut version of the film, UME infringed on his rights as a consumer; SARFT earns his ire for refusing to implement a ratings system that would allow adult films to be treated separately from children's movies.

Coincidentally, UME International Cineplex is run by Ng See Yuen, a Hong Kong producer who has been a tireless advocate of a film ratings system for the mainland. Perhaps not so coincidentally, there was also a directive handed down ordering the Chinese media to "avoid hyping Lust, Caution and the film ratings system."

Here's how the Beijing Times describes Dong's case:

Dong Yanbin said that on 9 November, he paid 50 yuan to watch Ang Lee's Lust, Caution at the Beijing UME International Cineplex. "I was extremely disappointed when it was finished. Compared to Eileen Chang's original, the version of Lust, Caution that was shown was structurally incomplete and there were gaps in the portrayal of the leading lady's psyche. This made it hard for the audience to appreciate the true artistry of the film."

Dong said that the full version of Lust, Caution shown in countries and regions around the world has won widespread acclaim. As consumers of cinema products, Chinese audiences are not lacking in their judgment or aesthetic sensibilities, and they have the right to fair consumption. UME, which showed the film, should have presented audiences with a complete movie: "The capacity to make judgments about a film's plot elements rests primarily with the consumer, or at least with the adult consumer, not with the theater. Moreover, SARFT ought to bring out a film ratings system as quickly as possible in order to improve the system for supervising the showing of movies."

Dong had his lawyer file the suit yesterday. He alleges that the theater infringed on the public's rights, and that SARFT's delay in setting up a film ratings system violates the public's interests. He wants an apology, 500 yuan for emotional damages, and screenings of the uncut version of Lust, Caution "for adults like [him]."

UME argues that it has no control over which version of Lust, Caution it is able to show: "All showings of this film nationwide are of the cut version. We wanted to show the complete version, too, but it's up to SARFT whether it gets cut." The UME manager also pointed out that Ang Lee himself made the cuts in order to get the film certified for distribution in the mainland.

And it turns out that Dong Yanbin's suit may be impossible to file. According to the Beijing Times article, the Xicheng court said that Dong would have to provide an uncut version of the film as evidence before it would register his case.

UPDATE: At Global Voices Online, Meng Zhang translates some online reactions to Dong's suit.