Imagethief finds few things more entertaining than ironic PR suicide.

Well, strictly speaking that's not true. Imagethief finds many things more entertaining than ironic PR suicide, and he'll send you a list if you're interested. But it's generally good for a chuckle nonetheless.

Ironic PR suicide is easy to spot. There comes a moment when, upon being confronted with some embarrassment, a person or organization needs to make the call: is it better to let this go by quietly in the hopes that it will be unnoticed, or should I succumb to my outrage and protest publicly/condemn/sue?

It's staggering how often people confronted with this choice choose wrongly. This instinct to publicly right a perceived slight almost always causes more problems than it solves. This is especially true in situations where people attempt to control popular culture that they feel offends some belief or self-image. This is a cold fact that the city of Shanghai is about to discover.

Via Danwei and Asiapundit, Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday that the city of Shanghai, offended by what it felt was misrepresentation, was moving to block distribution of the Tom Cruise McBlockbuster Mission Impossible III. According to Xinhua:
BEIJING, May 15 -- The much-anticipated film "Mission: Impossible III" may be kept out of China for "tarnishing the image of Shanghai," Shanghai-based newspaper Xinmin Evening News reported over the weekend.

With 20 percent of its scenes shot in China, the action-thriller starring Tom Cruise has been expected to achieve box office success here.

Cruise shot part of the film in Shanghai last year, and his Shanghai press conference attracted nearly 100 reporters from different media.

The film could well have offended the Shanghai authorities. In the film, when Cruise stepped into the metropolis, he saw rags and underwear drying outdoors in side streets, rather than views of Shanghai's shining skyscrapers. Shanghai's image was further tarnished by the film's awkward and slow-moving "Shanghai police," according to the Xinmin Evening News.

Industry insiders told the Xinmin Evening News the authorities were yet to make a decision on allowing the film into the mainland. The film's import has been delayed indefinitely, industry insiders said, adding that the ban was probably caused by the "negative Shanghai image."

"Mission Impossible III," which is being screened worldwide, has been delayed on the mainland for "technical reasons," earlier reports said.
Personally I've never been able to forgive the Mission Impossible movie franchise for the intolerable sin of making Mr. Phelps (Peter Graves in the original series) the villain in the first picture, and for framing his villainy in a harebrained scheme unworthy of Mr. Phelps' manifest genius. But that hardly seems like a reason for banning the film.

If the Shanghai government is worried about the perception that will be created by images of underwear drying on bamboo poles, then it must not think of much of Singapore. Singapore is infinitely more developed and pleasant than Shanghai, but poles full of underwear festoon every HDB housing block. Furthermore, if they're worried about portrayal of police competence, they've obviously not come to grips with the workings of a modern film industry. Incompetent, corrupt or just plain goofy cops are as much part of the life-blood of Hollywood as heroic ones (usually, of course, moody lone-wolf types). Heaven knows what they would think if you tried to make Police Academy or The Blues Brothers in Shanghai.

Still, if the Shanghai municipal government wants to lobby for the movie to be blocked because they think it's going to give people a negative impression of Shanghai that's their privilege. However, Imagethief is willing to bet --sight unseen-- that almost any moviegoer, Chinese or otherwise, who goes to see MI3 will leave the theater with the following thoughts in their head:
  • That sucked.
  • Sure was a loud movie.
  • I liked Philip Seymour Hoffman better as Capote.
  • That Tom sure looks great in a black T-shirt.
  • I can't believe he's actually shat short.
  • Dude! Explosions!
  • I wonder if she'll let me get into her pants tonight?
  • The popcorn was stale. I wonder what I should have for dinner?
Notice that "Shanghai sucks" is nowhere on this list. However, in attempting to suppress distribution of the movie in China, the Shanghai government has generated news coverage in Chinese and, critically, in foreign media. As of today, Google News returns over forty citations, including Times Online, Reuters, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Washington Post, etc. (many running the Reuters wire report). Smooth work, guys. I'm sure that public display of pettiness won't influence anyone's opinion of Shanghai. Of course, one assumed they hoped not to be caught.

It is also possible that the whole thing is rumor and innuendo, at least where Shanghai is concerned. More recent reports kick the football upstairs to SARFT, currently giving the film its third review. But its not hard to imagine the fevered hand of the Shanghai government working behind the scenes.

And of course, it's all pissing into the wind anyway, since only .0001% of the Chinese population will bother to see the film, edited or otherwise, on the big screen. All the rest will watch the uncensored and unregulated pirate DVD, already available for a pittance out of a suitcase at a subway stop near you.

Enjoy.

The Xinmin Evening News article that spurred the Xinhua report is here (Chinese).