NK References Taken Out in 'Stealth'
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By Kim Ki-tae
Staff Reporter
Sony Pictures has omitted references to North Korea from the Korean edition of its blockbuster military film, "Stealth," in order not to provoke audiences here, its local subsidiary said.
In a press release by Sony Pictures, scenes showing North Korea's national flag and a map of North Korea were omitted.
"It was done in order to avoid stirring up any unnecessary emotions while the two Koreas are making efforts toward reconciliation," the subsidiary's official told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity.
The filmmaker also intentionally replaced a direct reference to the communist nation in a line by the character George Cummings (Sam Shepard) with a vague expression meaning "a country with no diplomatic ties with the United States."
A few lines in Korean language by the North's soldiers as they chase down the film's heroine, Lt. Kara Wade (Jessica Biel), were also edited out.
This is the first time for a U.S. major moviemaker to produce a tailored edition to avoid cultural or political provocation among Koreans.
"When you see the edition without prior knowledge, you may guess it is just one of the Asian nations, not North Korea," an official at the subsidiary said.
However, he failed to confirm how many scenes or how much of the original version has been reedited or removed for the Korean version. "We have yet to compare it to the original version," he said.
The filmmaker produced the tailored edition since the subsidiary asked for the readjustments of the storyline three months ago, when it saw the rough cut of the film.
According to the local firm, the movie drew around 260,000 viewers within the first four days of its release here last Thursday, ranking third at the Korean box office.
In the U.S., the $100 million film opened fourth with sales of just $13.5 million over the weekend.
"Stealth," directed by Rob Cohen and starring Jamie Foxx, Josh Lucas and Biel, tells the story of three pilots who try to stop newly developed Stealth fighters equipped with artificial intelligence after they go out of control. The original cut also contains scenes of the fighters attacking Myanmar and Tajikistan as well as North Korea.
Staff Reporter
Sony Pictures has omitted references to North Korea from the Korean edition of its blockbuster military film, "Stealth," in order not to provoke audiences here, its local subsidiary said.
In a press release by Sony Pictures, scenes showing North Korea's national flag and a map of North Korea were omitted.
"It was done in order to avoid stirring up any unnecessary emotions while the two Koreas are making efforts toward reconciliation," the subsidiary's official told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity.
The filmmaker also intentionally replaced a direct reference to the communist nation in a line by the character George Cummings (Sam Shepard) with a vague expression meaning "a country with no diplomatic ties with the United States."
A few lines in Korean language by the North's soldiers as they chase down the film's heroine, Lt. Kara Wade (Jessica Biel), were also edited out.
This is the first time for a U.S. major moviemaker to produce a tailored edition to avoid cultural or political provocation among Koreans.
"When you see the edition without prior knowledge, you may guess it is just one of the Asian nations, not North Korea," an official at the subsidiary said.
However, he failed to confirm how many scenes or how much of the original version has been reedited or removed for the Korean version. "We have yet to compare it to the original version," he said.
The filmmaker produced the tailored edition since the subsidiary asked for the readjustments of the storyline three months ago, when it saw the rough cut of the film.
According to the local firm, the movie drew around 260,000 viewers within the first four days of its release here last Thursday, ranking third at the Korean box office.
In the U.S., the $100 million film opened fourth with sales of just $13.5 million over the weekend.
"Stealth," directed by Rob Cohen and starring Jamie Foxx, Josh Lucas and Biel, tells the story of three pilots who try to stop newly developed Stealth fighters equipped with artificial intelligence after they go out of control. The original cut also contains scenes of the fighters attacking Myanmar and Tajikistan as well as North Korea.
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