China & Hollywood: ‘Red Carpet’ Author On Communist Party’s Leverage Over Studios And Whether Middle Kingdom Mayhem Is Worth It
deadline.comWall Street Journal reporter Erich Schwartzel’s book, Red Carpet: Hollywood, China and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy, warns in its prologue: “China’s pressure on Hollywood and its own entertainment industry have the potential to challenge the American film industry as the chief narrator of the twenty-first century.” The book overall looks at the history — and sometimes shocking vagaries — of the Chinese film industry through to the modern era.
Schwartzel’s lens takes in political and cultural ambitions as well as the rise and fall of some prominent players.Red Carpet is also a cautionary tale for doing business with the Chinese film industry.
A coveted market for Hollywood with its 1.4 billion population, it’s also become increasingly thorny to navigate as it turned more inward-facing over the past year and allowed fewer studio movies onto its screens.
With turnstiles under the strict control of a Communist government that puts patriotism and towing the party line above all else, it can also be a minefield that controls its internal messaging by making examples of stars, such as Fan Bingbing, who have fallen foul of the authorities.
Read more on deadline.com
