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This column is for self study or classroom use and gives guided help with reading the wide variety of writing styles and topics that appear as feature articles in the Bangkok Post. The lessons include background information, skill building practice and vocabulary explanations. February 13, 2007   Bond in China INTRODUCTION

We all know James Bond, and many of us have grown up with him. He's one of these internationally recognised movie characters that have been on the cinema screens of every possible country. Well, except in the world's most populous country. Casino Royale, with the new James Bond, Daniel Craig, is actually the first James Bond movie that has officially been shown in China. And strangely enough, this first Bond movie didn't run into any problems whatsoever with the Chinese censor, unlike in both England and America. The Chinese censor passed it without cutting away any violence, or raising any objections towards the political or moral content. Can the same openness be seen in Thailand. I'm not so sure about that. Do you all remember The Da Vinci Code? officially approved by the government or someone in authority moral content the information or ideas that are talked about relating to the standards of good or bad behaviour, fairness, honesty, etc

OUR STORY FROM THE BANGKOK POST

Bond arrives in China, not shaken not stirred BEN BLANCHARD Beijing — Hundreds of screaming Chinese fans turned up on Monday to see actor Daniel Craig at the premiere of the first ever James Bond movie to be shown at theatres in China, which is screening uncut and uncensored. Ling ling qi - Chinese for 007 - has never before been officially released in the world's most populous country, and new James Bond Craig and leading lady Eva Green flew in especially for the event. ''It's been an ambition of mine to get here, and I wish I had more time,'' a casually dressed Craig told reporters while sipping coffee in a five-star hotel ahead of the premiere. Craig chatted with fans and signed autographs at the cinema in Beijing's fashionable Wangfujing shopping district, which laid out a red carpet welcome for him and Green, who plays Vesper Lynd, a prickly official at the British Treasury. Poor quality pirated DVD versions of Casino Royale have been available on China's streets for weeks, costing a little more than $1 (34.1 baht) and underlining the risk movie makers face in the world's most populous country. ''It hasn't premiered here yet, but I think it's been seen here,'' Craig lamented. ''I understand the reality of the situation and it saddens me, not just because of the effect it has on the movie industry, but because going to the cinema is a great experience,'' said Craig, referring to copyright piracy. ''You're missing out by watching a bad copy of a DVD with no sound and bad picture quality. As far as I'm concerned, cinema is a collective experience and you get 50 percent more by going to the cinema.'' Executives expect the film - in which a moodier, more chiseled Bond battles an evil banker to the world's terrorists - to be the biggest grossing foreign movie ever in China, with receipts seen exceeding 100 million yuan ($12.86 million). It has already earned some $350 million worldwide. Director Martin Campbell admitted he was unsure of the reaction the film would get in China, but said he was pleased Chinese would finally get a chance to see Bond up close. ''After 21 films, it's obviously very significant, given that we are the first Bond film to be shown here,'' he said. ''The fact that we got it through without any censor cuts at all seems to me to be some kind of achievement.'' China only permits a small number of Western movies to be shown at cinemas every year, and even then films can run into problems with the Chinese censors for political or moral content. But not Casino Royale. ''I don't think they mind the violence. It's interesting that we had a tiny bit cut in England, and we had a little bit of the violence trimmed in America,'' the New Zealand-born Campbell said. The full, original version is being shown in China both dubbed into Chinese and in the original English. REUTERS premiere the first public performance of a film, play, etc uncensored when books, documents, or films have been checked and no parts of them have been cut out or removed leading very important or most important ambition something you want to achieve in your life casually dressed dressed in a relaxed and comfortable way sipping drinking only a small amount at a time chatted talked with someone in a friendly and informal way a red carpet welcome a kind of welcome that is usually reserved for very important people prickly a person that is unfriendly or difficult to deal with the British Treasury the British government department that controls the country's money supply and economy pirated illegally copied and sold music, films, etc available something that you can use or get easily underlining emphasising the importance or truth of something lamented said when you are disappointed about a situation collective experience an experience that involves many different parts and aspects moodier somewhat unfriendlier than usual because the person might feel angry or unhappy chiseled muscular and with attractive body features grossing total money earned before taxes or other costs are deducted receipts money a business gets from selling things exceeding being more than a particular number or amount admitted agreed with something or someone pleased happy or satisfied obviously in a way that is easy to understand or see significant important or noticeable achievement when you succeed in doing something good, usually by working hard permits allows something trimmed cut or removed parts of something dubbed changed the language in a film or television programme into a different language Read our other instant lesson here. Return to our home page. | ? The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. All rights reserved 2006 | Last modified: February 8, 2007