Pay-per-view pirates slice up "The Promise"
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-12-24 09:22

Hollywood has long complained about the fake DVDs hawked on Chinese street corners, but now pirates are attacking the most expensive movie ever made by China.

A television channel in northern China's Inner Mongolia has been airing "The Promise," the latest and largest film by director Chen Kaige, as a 16-part series -- and charging viewers two yuan ($0.25) per show, the Beijing Times reported on Friday.

In this undated photo released by Edko Film Co, from right, Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, Hong Kong actor Nicholas Tse and Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung perform in the Chinese mainland's director Chen Kaige's latest film 'The Promise.'[AP]

"This isn't the same as previous piracy cases. The pirates are charging for pay per view. This is a provocation," a man surnamed Huang, who represented the film's crew, was quoted as saying.

The serial was being broadcast by a channel run by a state-owned coal company in the city of Chifeng with an audience of 30,000 viewers, the report said.

Chen made his debut on the world stage with his 1993 hit "Farewell My Concubine." "The Promise" is the most expensive film in Chinese history with a budget of $35 million and is China's official entry in the best foreign film category at the Academy Awards in March.

The film, part love story, party kung fu epic, debuted in Chinese theatres last week and has already been nominated for a Golden Globe as "Master of the Crimson Armor," its U.S. title.

But it has opened to mixed reviews at home, with the China Daily calling it a "lame movie with more dazzling special effects but a less convincing, less interesting story."