It seems digital video maker Hu Ge is in hot water, or steam as the case may be. For those of you who missed the news Hu Ge simply took director Chen Kaige’s movie “The Promise”, and made a parody of it. Simply re-cutting it, dubbing over some scenes, created an immensely popular 20 minute piece entitled “The Bloody Case That Started from a Steamed Bun”.
The basic plot of Chen’s film is thus: A poor girl suddenly became rich and powerful, but she was doomed to a life without love unless time moved backwards. Then a humble man appeared and was able to run fast enough to beat time and bring her back to love. In the process, the lady’s husband was killed and more than one guy fell in love with her.
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While the bun was not the major element in the original film, Hu sarcastically reduced the whole film to the gratuitous killing over a bun.
This has caused immense outrage by director Chen Kaige. One might speculate it is because this was one of the most expensive films ever made in China, totalling over US$43.2 million. So now he is suing Hu Ge for “copyright violation”.
Shang Jiangang, a lawyer had this to said “The economic loss for the original film, he says, is hard to calculate.” I have no idea what this guy is talking about. Where I come from, parody films are a tribute to the original, only adding to the popularity of the original film. Though, we must remember we are here in China, the land of the backwards thinkers where you mus not think outside of the boundries that the motherland has set for you.
Rather than looking at poor innocent Hu Ge, take a look at your own government and it’s poor controls on piracy, and how that is the greatest economic loss to your film? No, you can’t speak out against the government, so it’s the little guy who gets stuck with it!
You can download the controversial bun movie here.
Update Feb 19: Apparently director Chen Kaige is being mocked for his narrow minded lawsuit against Hu Ge. Probably because He Ge’s movie is far more popular than the original movie which it spoofs.