Tandis qu’hier le blog Baladi a mis la lumière sur ce fait, photos à l’appui, et que plusieurs organisations se sont prononcées sur ce qu’elles qualifient d’ultime bêtise, les bandes ont été finalement décollées des affiches… sans pour autant apaiser le débat qui les entoure. [Full Article]
After the big fuss that the selective censorship at Cinemacity post did yesterday, L’Orient-Le Jour’s Sandra Noujeim investigated the issue further and showed in her report that the General Security had nothing to do with the matter.
As it turns out, it was a Cinemacity employee who took the liberty of covering Spielberg’s name, and not the General Security Directorate. Whether he did it with the administration’s consent or without it is still unknown.
Confirmant ces propos, une source de l’agence des films Sony, qui dispose du film en question, a renvoyé la responsabilité de cet acte à une erreur de gestion incombant au Cinema City, plus précisément à un employé qui a pris la libre initiative de biffer le nom de Spielberg. Comment donc ces bandes ont-elles été maintenues, si leur apposition n’a pas reçu le feu vert de l’administration ?
The funny thing is that the Cinemacity administration blamed the General Security for the decision, who in return denied any involvement. Nevertheless, what matters is that the name is no longer censored (even though I have to see it to believe it).
In other Tintin-related news, the Vatican “called Tintin a ‘Catholic hero’ and ridiculed suggestions he may be racist”. [Link]
Tintin is racist? Seriously?
Go read Tintin au Congo and tell me it’s not racist
Dude it was written in 1931. Ma badda hal2ad.
This is turning in a PR nightmare for Cinema City 🙂
Hopefully they’re not just picking a random scapegoat
in their staff.
Also Tintin has often been considered a bit racist because of the Tintin au Congo. We actually studied it in school.
It was just something taken out of its time context and the vision of the world of Africa at the time (1931). Plus people like to dramatize things (the Teletubbies that makes you gay?)
The “racist Tintin” bit is because of the simplistic stereotyping world view Hergé displayed in the first couple books, which nowadays would be viewed as racism. (Admittedly, in one instance it is outright racist – one panel showing two Jewish people behaving in stereotypical “cheap Jew” fashion in “L’étoile mysterieuse”, a panel which was subsequently altered.)
Hergé later on regretted his naïve depiction of different nations, and even made some alterations to his previous works. Avid readers can see his maturing, if still clumsy, worldview in his later works. I believe Hergé was mostly well-meaning, but simply did not know enough about the rest of the world when he started Tintin’s adventures and believed the stereotyped versions that are spread about each nation or race.
Uh… yeah. Tintin fan here.
PS. What did you think of the movie? So far I am not planning to see it, because everything I’ve seen of the movie just felt weird to me. The characters look kind of creepy, especially Haddock.
I haven’t seen it yet. Did you watch it in French or English Bassem?
Again, not seen it yet, only the trailers and previews. Good to know therms a french version, if I do see it, it will definitely be in French! Tintin is just not the same in English.
My bad, didn’t see the PS. It’s French for me as well. Can’t imagine Tintin in english.
I watched it here in Kuwait in iMax. It was a lot of fun and the best use of 3D in movies that I’ve seen. It’s also one of the best looking animated movies that I’ve seen.
I was never really into Tin Tin as a kid or a teenager so I can’t tell you how “authentic” it is, all I can say is that it’s a visually stunning movie that’s really entertaining to watch.
Back to the Cinema City employee issue, I’m not trying to point any fingers or anything but I bet that the employee is shiite, because anytime that I go to the movies I notice that the employees there (speculating from their names and surnames) come from a certain background… I do understand where people who did this are coming from, but it’s very idiotic and childish. There’s another thing though, let’s say this was done by one individual or two… three… Didn’t anybody passing by see or notice those coverings on Spielberg’s name? Why wasn’t it reported to a manager or a higher ranking employee? Something smells fishy…
Anyway, this is a big FAIL to Cinema City and the GSD since they won’t condone the actions and continue their lives of lassitude towards cultural censorship as always.
Why do people do that? Say “I’m not trying to [something], but…” and then do the exact thing they said they’re not trying to do.
It is indeed weird that nobody in management noticed any of this.
Cause that’s the polite way to do the thing, it’s like you’re foreshadowing your reader/addressor that the thing you are going to say may be taken as offensive. But again, I did not mean it in a bad way when I speculated that the person in question might be shiite, and I truly believe that they will/are not going to be offended too anyway, for them it’s an act of heroism and cultural resistance…
Well guess what, you are pointing fingers. Stop being so racist and get over yourself. We’re all Lebanese regardless of religion.
How am I racist, shiite is not a race! You get over yourself! And stop that crap about how we’re all Lebanese regardless of religion, that shit is old and we all know it’s not even close to being true! It was just a speculation, and I’m sticking to that idea.
” . . .stop that crap about how we’re all Lebanese regardless of religion, that shit is old and we all know it’s not even close to being true! . . .”
It’s statements & beliefs such as this that keep Lebanon from truly progressing. If you focus on what makes you different from one another and ignore what unifies you, then how can you expect to get anywhere (as a Nation).
Sorry for this rude reality check, but without a sense of Nationalism and Nationalistic Pride, then Lebanon will remain a superficial crap shoot.
Can you guide me to a time period or an era where all Lebanese people were united under one national identity?
This is an illusion. There is no one unified national identity in Lebanon, what seems to be a crucial point for the Maronite may not be considered that way by the Shiite, Sunni, Druze, Orthodox …. the list goes on! Even the people that claim to be secular and “progressive” attack the other religious groups under cultural pretexts…
We’re not living in a lalaland where every Lebanese agrees with the other, that will never happen anytime soon at least. You can’t change people by posting smart remarks on blogs.
you’re doing nothing with your rants but proving my point. How about focusing on the fact that you’re all Lebanese and you’re all dealing with the same shitty problems (economy, corruption, brain drain, increased cost of living, etc). The cycle needs to end at some point. If the Lebanese want to get anywhere and get a functioning government (one that isn’t based on the same old cast of characters from the same old “clans” that everyone is always complaining about but always reelecting) then they need to start waking up and looking past one’s religion & clan affiliation.
It’s true that such a change may not be possible with the elders, but there’s no need to continue to perpetuate the same nonsense by teaching children to ask each other what religion they are when they first meet at the playground! What’s the point of teaching your 5 year old to ask such a question? How does dividing your Nation into subcategories benefit the country (as a whole) in anyway? Such divisions only breed discrimination, hatred and distrust.
I actually find it amusing at times when I see & hear so many Lebanese speak so highly of Lebanon & it’s people . . . going on about how progressive the country is and all that other crap. If the Lebanese want true progress, they need to remove their blinders and realize that roof top bars, beach parties, and nose jobs don’t equal progress when divisional sentiments such as those you voiced continue to thrive.
As they say, if you don’t learn from history, then you are destined to repeat it.
If I won’t teach my children to go and ask the other’s religion, then they will learn it from others by just the way they walk/talk/eat/dress… every thing is stereotyped in Lebanon, we have these prejudices that are very difficult to erase. Yes, corruption is everywhere but there are some factions that live, breath and enjoy corruption as its their only means to prey on the other. The whole country is decaying, and people like you come and preach about ideas of an unreachable utopia! Would you Allow your daughter to marry a person from an other religious community, would you sell your land/apartment/house to a muslim if you were a christian and vice versa? This is not a homogenous society, and it will never be one.
So your logic is “if the others don’t do it then I won’t”?
That’s not a really strong argument.
Am on “A Voice from NY”‘s side here, thinking as sub casts instead of a nation is not going to help this country move forward.
It’s also kind of scary that you would think about checking someone’s religion before selling your land/apartment/house.
That’s not being a really good salesperson.
@voice from NY , thank you i could not agree more , @ Moses do u really think we r gonna get anywhere with these thoughts , we keep nagging that we have a corrupted government , and yet we reelect them only because they represent our RELIGIONS not thoughts , its a pity that’s such a country cant have a brighter future cause unfortunately majority of Lebanese care about the religion more than there country
And oh for your questions yes for both of them
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/steven-spielberg-censored-in-lebanon/2011/11/09/gIQAmQ7j5M_blog.html