Stunned at how censor 'destroyed' erotic movie
I recently purchased a Video CD entitled Romance, by the famous artistic director Catherine Breillat. To my annoyance I found it had been censored by hazing the sexual scenes.
This arrangement might be welcomed by ignoramuses. To 'destroy' a movie in this way is not very professional and harms the image of Hong Kong as a city that prides itself in diversity but shows the opposite is the case.
Watching a movie is a wholehearted activity. Many elements in a movie including the scenes, the feeling, the sound and the characters all make it delicate. Even though there are some sexual scenes, I believe that every step a director takes would be good for the movie, no matter how much eroticism is included.
Such treatment not only shows a lack of respect for the director's work, but also the audience's right to enjoy a good full-length movie.
Before I made the purchase, there was no indication on the cover that this VCD version of the film would be censored. As a consumer, I feel cheated.
Hong Kong will never be accepted by the artistic world if it maintains this over-sensitive narrow-mindedness.
CHRIS CHEUNG
Lam Tin
