Walt Disney has pulled Beauty and the Beast from cinemas in Malaysia in a stand-off with authorities that underlines how multinationals are increasingly coming into conflict with conservative hostility to homosexuality in Asia.
在与马来西亚当局的一轮对峙中,沃尔特?迪士尼公司(Walt Disney)从该国电影院撤下了《美女与野兽》(Beauty and the Beast)。这一冲突凸显出跨国公司正越来越多地与亚洲保守的反同性恋态度发生冲突。
Malaysia’s film censorship board said the film had been approved following a cut to remove a so-called “gay moment”. However, Disney said in a statement that “the film has not been and will not be cut for Malaysia.”
马来西亚的电影审查委员会曾表示,在剪掉了所谓“同性恋片段”之后,该电影已获批上映。然而,迪士尼却在一份声明中表示,“该电影未曾也不会为了马来西亚而加以剪辑”。
The decision to withdraw the film rather than submit to censorship comes amid a growing determination on the part of multinationals to resist illiberal rules in the markets in which they operate.
迪士尼决定撤下电影而不是提交审查之际,越来越多的跨国公司决定对抗所运营市场中的偏执规定。
“They are showing that they believe in artistic integrity,” said Eugene Tan, associate professor at Singapore Management University. “They will know what the consequences are, and will have done their calculations.”
新加坡管理大学(Singapore Management University)副教授陈庆文(Eugene Tan)表示:“它们是在证明它们信仰艺术上的正直。它们将深知这么做的后果,也已对此做过评估。”
The live-action adaptation of the 1991 animated musical is the first Disney film to feature a gay character. It includes a brief scene in which LeFou, played by Josh Gad, dances with another man.
这部对1991年动画音乐片的真人版重拍片,是首部有男同性恋角色的迪斯尼电影。片中出现了由乔什?盖德(Josh Gad)饰演的乐福(LeFou)与另外一名男子跳舞的短暂一幕。
The commercial consequences for Disney will be slight, given the size of the Malaysian box office. However, the stand-off is the latest sign of mounting tension between Southeast Asia’s increasingly vocal gay community and religious conservatives, with multinationals caught in the crossfire.
考虑到马来西亚票房的规模,这一决定对迪士尼的商业影响不大。不过,这次对峙是东南亚日益直言的同性恋社区与宗教保守主义者间越来越激化的紧张局面的最新表现,跨国公司也被置于风口浪尖。
Both Malaysia and Singapore ban sex between men and censor media content that portrays homosexuality in a positive light.
马来西亚和新加坡两国均禁止男男性行为,并会审查正面描写同性性行为的媒体内容。
Beauty and the Beast has been approved for release in Singapore but the city-state’s Anglican bishop warned clergy last week to alert congregations to its “homosexual content”.
《美女与野兽》在新加坡已被批准发行。不过,新加坡圣公会主教曾在上周提醒神职人员,要他们就电影的“同性恋内容”警告信众。
“Disney films for children’s entertainment are usually associated with wholesome, mainstream values,” Rennis Ponniah, bishop of Singapore, said in a statement. “But times are changing at a foundational level.”
新加坡主教伦尼斯?庞尼亚(Rennis Ponniah)在一份声明中表示:“以儿童娱乐为主题的迪士尼电影通常都带有有益身心的主流价值观。然而,时代已发生根本改变。”