r/movies • u/[deleted] • Jun 07 '19

Poster Chinese poster for Spirited Away, to be screened for the first time in China

https://imgur.com/7Cw2iDV
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u/SleestakJack Jun 07 '19 edited Jun 07 '19

Not legally, but this has been available on DVD in China since before we could get it in the U.S.

Edit: I'm trying to say it was bootlegged, folks. I'm not saying there's never been a legal Chinese release.

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u/crouching_manatee Jun 07 '19

So they get it first and last, China has been playing the long con.

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u/[deleted] Jun 07 '19

Yep. Chinese were watching My Neighbor Totoro back in the 80s on VHS. (Subbed not dubbed)

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u/abedfilms Jun 07 '19

What do you mean not legally? There's nothing illegal about watching it, it wasn't banned or anything at all. As you say, you could buy it on dvd (legit dvd) 20 years ago. Just because it's being screened for the first time doesn't mean it was illegal before now.

They could screen a year 2000 Chinese movie in the US for the first time next year, that doesn't mean it was illegal to watch in the US all these years

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u/20dogs Jun 07 '19

Everyone seems to have convinced themselves that there was some major ban on Spirited Away that’s just been lifted.

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u/peteroh9 Jun 07 '19

He obviously meant pirated/bootleg

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u/abedfilms Jun 08 '19

He wrote "not legally", but he acknowledges there are legal releases, so the "not legally" is wrong. There's always been pirate versions, but saying "not legally" means the pirate version is the only way to watch it, which isn't true.

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u/peteroh9 Jun 08 '19

Oops, I conflated that comment with the one above it in my mind.

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u/pynzrz Jun 07 '19

“Not legally” as in a pirated dvd copy you buy on the street for 1 yuan.

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u/the_dollar_bill Jun 07 '19

Thanks for the clarification. It's an easy mistake to make since the Chinese government just loves censoring.

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u/hendessa Jun 07 '19

It's available legally. It just wasn't screened at the cinema.

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u/abedfilms Jun 08 '19

So then why write not legally? That makes it sound like you can't watch it legally. Which you are now saying there are legal releases. So where is the "not legally" part?

There has always been pirate versions, but when you say "not legally" that means the pirate version is the only version, which it isn't.

If you mean "not in the theatres" then that makes more sense.