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Subscribe to RSSBEIJING -- "Batman" star Christian Bale was roughed up by security guards who stopped him visiting a blind activist living under house arrest in China.
Video footage of the scuffle was shot by a camera crew traveling with the Hollywood actor as he promoted a film he has made in the country.
CNN posted scenes of the confrontation between Bale and the guards on its website Friday.
The run-in and publicity is likely to cause discomfort in China's government-backed film industry, which hopes Bale's movie "The Flowers of War" will be a creative success at home and abroad.
The star's actions are sure to focus attention on the plight of Chen Guangcheng, guarded around the clock by plain-clothed and uniformed workers who have blocked dozens of reporters and fellow activists trying to see him in the past.
Bale was to leave China on Friday and his representatives could not immediately be reached for comment.
Mark Ralston / AFP - Getty Images
Oscar-winning actor Christian Bale and his wife Sibi are escorted by security guards as they arrive for the premiere of the "Flowers of War" in Beijing on Dec. 12.
Bale, who won a best supporting actor Oscar for last year's "The Fighter," traveled Thursday with a crew from CNN to the village in eastern China where Chen, the blind lawyer, lives with his family in complete isolation.
They were stopped at the entrance to Dongshigu village in Shandong province by unidentified men.
'An inspiration'
The video footage shows Bale asking to see Chen, with a CNN producer providing interpretation, but being ordered by one of the guards to leave. He then asked why he was unable to pass through. The guards responded by trying to grab or punch a small video camera Bale was carrying.
"What I really wanted to do was to meet the man, shake his hand and say what an inspiration he is," Bale was quoted as saying by CNN.
Chen's case has been raised publicly by U.S. lawmakers and diplomats, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, all to no response from China.
CNN said Bale first learned of Chen from news reports when he was in China filming "The Flowers of War," China's official submission this year for best foreign language film Oscar.
"Chen Guangcheng is a newsworthy figure ... and as such it is in the interest of CNN's global viewers to hear from him," CNN said in a statement. "Mr. Bale reached out to CNN and invited us to join him on his journey to visit Chen."
Chen, a self-taught lawyer who was blinded by a fever in infancy, angered authorities after documenting forced late-term abortions and sterilizations and other abuses by overzealous authorities trying to meet population control goals in his rural community. He was imprisoned for allegedly instigating an attack on government offices and organizing a group of people to disrupt traffic, charges his supporters say were fabricated.
Although now officially free under the law, he has been confined to his home in the village eight hours' drive from Beijing and subjected to periodic beatings and other abuse, activists say.
While Bale's visit focuses new attention on Chen's case, CNN's role raises questions about activism and advocacy among reporters, said David Bandurski, editor of the China Media Project website at the University of Hong Kong.
"It made me instantly uncomfortable, wondering how it all came together. It raises questions about where the lines are drawn," Bandurski said.
Politically sensitive subject
The incident also drew strong interest — most of it highly positive — on social networking sites such as Twitter and its Chinese equivalent, Weibo.
Having their star's name pinging across the Internet in connection with such a politically sensitive subject puts promoters of "The Flowers of War" in a bind. The film opens in China on Friday and next week in the United States.
Directed by the renowned Zhang Yimou, it is also the most expensive Chinese movie ever made, at $94 million, some of which came from the state-owned Bank of China.
The movie centers on the 1937 sacking of the eastern city of Nanjing, a central event in China's pre-revolutionary "century of humiliation" and has been described by some critics as hewing to official propaganda portraying Chinese as heroic victims and Japanese as one-dimensional cartoon villains.
While China has the world's third-largest film industry — both in box office and output — it has made relatively little global impact. Story lines are often heavily influenced by the ruling Communist Party, whose culture commissars must approve scripts and have final say over whether a film gets released.
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The Associated Press and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
Leave a Comment:
Visit him at night and dress up like Batman! They'll never know what hit 'em...
Who the @!$%# is Christian Bale, and why didn't they kill him?
The Chinese are still pissed that he snuck into Hong Kong, grabbed Lau, and took him back to Gotham.
Great idea brain child....get in fight w/ gov security forces in communist China....I've been over there dozens of times...you respectfully let them do what they want and stay outa their way.
Had Christian Bale gone through the appropriate channels to visit a "criminal," I believe he would have been able to do so. As this circumstance has been reported, all that has been demonstrated is Mr. Bale's "arrogance." The "guards" were not ready for Mr. Bale, did not know (I presume) who he was or why he was there. The "guards" answer to people that could exile them to Siberia, Tibet, whatever. Mr. Bale put these "guards" into a potentially life altering situation.
Wow, so many friends to China's oppressive government. And the funny thing is how many people here probably call others communists.
So, try reading the article and finding out about this Chinese 'prisoner.' And then tell me with a straight face you are some sort of conservative or liberal. If you do, you'll be a bald faced liar because what you really are will just be a red-flag waiving, foaming at the mouth fanboi.
The Chinese didn't lock him up there because they don't want to start boarding the American Hollywood Rubbish in their jails. Just send them back to America and let them keep all the Hollywood pollution on their land fields..
I also sounds a bit like a publicity stunt. I can almost bet there's a moving coming out soon with this douche in it.
Arieus,
Yes there is a movie coming out with this douche in it as you would say. That is why he was in China in the first place. It's called the "The Flowers of War" as stated right in the article.
Thank you Think About It. Do people even read the articles anymore?
Speaking of douches, anybody who is all p.o.'d about Bale is probably too much of a douche to read this:
http://hrichina.org/sites/default/files/oldsite/PDFs/CRF.3.2006/CRF-2006-3_Chen-Guangcheng.pdf
But education hasn't been at the forefront of the American agenda for some time, so it shouldn't really be a surprise.
Ah, we Americans are so arrogant, we think we can just do whatever the hell we want, wherever we are.
LOL! Christian Bale is British. Maybe its we Americans are so arrogant we say stuff without knowing what we are talking about? :o
Hence the accent, idiots. Blame Americans for everything go ahead, then come on over because your own county sucks duck butter.
Ah, Skiddy is special. I sure hope he/she/it votes in the next election...
LOL, He's British, Derek thanks for pointing that out, good laugh. All the America haters please move to China where we and you will be protected from your own thoughts.
He has applied for American citizenship. Don't know if it's been granted yet. Guess he's just practicing.
Merlin-1111 banned, death wishing and personal attacks. No thank you.
yeah phillyfan its you...same 'ol i see....grumpy
Revolt China. Take the whips of your masters that run your country away from them....
yea, like we do here in the states... whoops, nevermind.
IF you think China and our government have anything in common you need to read a bit more of what it is like to live in a place like that. Notice what his crime was, blocking a street? And his current status is not a "criminal", he is supposedly free. And the reason was because the government was forcing late term abortions and sterilizing people, if our government was doing that what would the reaction be from the populous? Blood in the streets, guaranteed.
With the launch of the first Chinese aircraft carrier, the governent retaking of private industry, and finally the business class of this country beginning to push for less "free""trade with them, prepare for another cold war....Europe in their diar times have even refused their help, we need to get our economic house in order to prepare for this. Could be the best thing that has happened to us in a long time. Here's hoping they take Iran, Somalia and Afganistan.
China is really something! They do their own thing no matter what the rest of the world thinks.
Also, these days I frequently hear about the New World Order, is China a part of this wonderful arrangement? Or does the NWO only apply to western nations? How does it work?
wtw -"They do their own thing no matter what the rest of the world thinks." Similar to the U.S. Why? For the same reason a dog licks its balls.
@Purnell
So China does what it does so their collective balls stay clean? Hmmm.
I'm not so sure that's accurate.
Because they can and it feels good. If I could I'd never leave my house.
the reason a dog licks it's balls: because it can.
Publicity stunt for his new movie. Nothing more.
More like the media fishing for clicks by making mountains out of mole hills. Successfully, in our case.
"Roughed Up?" Bale was slightly pushed on his way out, but that's about it.
Yep. He might claim it's to focus attention on Chen, but it's really about focusing attention on Christian.
Apparently you morons don't care about human rights and are more concerned with your cynical theory that famous people don't have hearts and are not courageous for standing up against the oppressive governments. You're f*#kin' trolls. Go back to your lo-wage job at WalMart, you hicks. Bvhaast344, flbikerchick, Eugene "been dead for a decade WWII vet" Sledge imposter, CLEAN UP ON AISLE 4!!!
bvhaast344:
Nailed it!!! Things I have read about Christian Bale seems to highlight the fact that he is an arrogant narcissistic pr!ck. I like his movies but what a jerk.
Christian Bale should remember a few things wherever he goes: Number One, he is a small man. Number Two, if the guy he is challenging isn't wearing a Stunt Man's Association badge/patch, he, Christian, ain't got no chance in hell of surviving a real fight. Number Three, well, he knows this one: "There is no such thing as 'bad' publicity as long as they spell your name right". However, he seems to have made 'bad' publicity into many things he's done, and even when they spell his name right, it still comes out as 'bad' publicity.
Stay the F out of RED CHINA
Another red commie trying PR to protect his evil red master.
edit: wrong reply
Good for him. I visited China a few months ago and one thing they feel very uncomfortable with is when individuals act independently from their regimented society.
Too bad it wasn't the Green Hornet. Then Kato would have kicked some a$$.
Publicity stunt? I saw attached to the back of his pants was transmitter it looked liked so he was probably wired with a microphone? Besides the fact when your in another country you shouldn't go playing around because you don't have any rights like you have in the US.
Maybe so, but if you're an A-list actor and you want to make a certain country look like idiots, you can pull a stunt like this and watch John Chinaman over react. Regardless of Bale's real intentions, it still puts this blind lawyer's ordeal back into the limelight. That's not a bad thing.
Two things....rights in America?...only in writing...go and try to exercise some of your rights and see which jail you end up in (especially in the big cities where the people live). The other thing is...most foreign countries will let Americans do whatever...they don't apply their laws as strictly on them as they do on their own subjects (because they don't want to be bothered by American publicity and the State Dept.).
If you are doing something that ends you up in jail in the US then chances are this action isn't a covered right even if you believe that what the action is a freedom. Take for example many times "yelling fire in a crowded theater" isn't covered by the 1st Amendment. Apparently you don't travel much or read alot of the stories where people do something stupid an end up in prison in another country. Take for example those hikers who were locked up in Iran for quit awhile.
Don't quit your night job, Bruce.
I'M BATMAN!
What is all this jibberish about red this and red that? Why can't we just ignore them and be prepared for the worst without belittling others with differing viewpoints? This is why everyone wants to destroy us...because we can't keep our collective traps shut.
Also, specifically to David of native America, Vietnam is no longer prevalent as an enemy, as well as China, so why are you being so thick? North Korea is a terrible place, but that's because of US!!!! Many thanks to MacArthur for pushing the limits like a greedy American would!
So what if they want to be Communists? How does that hurt us? We are the most sympathetic fascist nation and that sympathy is the only thing that separates us from the rest of them. Mark my words...EVOLUTION WAITS FOR NO ONE!
Ranger......North Korea is the way they are because THEY were greedy. They started the whole mess by breaking the agreed upon DMZ and pushing everyone down to Pusan. If you think North Korea could ever be a economic powerhouse like Seoul based on their current political structure then you are dreaming and you might need some brain evolution.
Why do we need to keep our "collective traps" shut?
If you were a real Ranger you would understand that there is a reason the First Amendment is the freedom of speech and the Second Amendment is the right to keep the tools to preserve the first. The military's job is to defend those rights... not to instill guilt over speaking our opinions.
Call me skeptical you were a Ranger at all.
Sorry Ranger but North Vietnam is the way it is because of those that run the country, not because of the USA. Their problems started long before we ever were involved there. With all the faults we have as a country still there is no where else in this world I would rather live. If you think this nation is so awlful, please feel free to leave. Why dont you try North Vietnam, I am sure they would welcome you with open arms.
Just think you live in a place where you can bad mouth the President, the government, and everything about this country and still wake up in your own bed in the morning, not some sweat hole with Bubba beating you with a club.
It could hurt us because they are taking all our jobs from out sourcing and buying up our country. Rich Chinese are having babies over here so they become "instant Americans", which could burden our welfare sys. further than it already is. The Chinese Gov has the philosophy "the West will give us the rope too hang them with" and the Dept of Defense Indicates in foreign threats China and Russia tops the list as far as countries that could conquer us if a War broke out. So?????
Sabot...lol...our "freedoms" are protected by harassing other countries that are a world away and have little if any impact on the US? Also, if you read US news you'll see that many people here really believe you need to "shoot up the place" to protect their freedoms...happens everyday in the Wild West. Go out and enjoy all your fantastic American "rights", then get beat up and thrown in jail by the cops.
PSSCI...America is a paranoid schizophreniac.....it thinks everyone is soo interested in it and is out to get it. Then, it expresses an altruistic mission statement, but then is all about conquering things gloriously. You'd be amazed...a lot of these countries only pay attention to the US because they see it as an obvious threat as a war-mongering country. China is big enough to be content with itself...it is usually the smaller countries that aren't...I don't think the Chinese are rushing to become US citizens....they just like US university degrees.
American, that's funny I thought most people came here for our freedom and opportunity's , most people I've met on my trips to foreign countries say the US is one place they've always wanted to visit you sound a bit jaded. I've enjoyed my American Rights and have yet to visit a jail.
@ American Pauper
Your sensationalism is pathetic and your knowledge of American rights is vacant.
Police. Jail. Firearms. Military. All concepts covered by our Constitution. Welcome to the real world Neo.
Enjoy your mothers attic.
@ Ranger Combat Vet
Here's your comment from today, 16 DEC 11-
North Korea is a terrible place, but that's because of US!!!! Many thanks to MacArthur for pushing the limits like a greedy American would! So what if they want to be Communists? How does that hurt us? We are the most sympathetic fascist nation and that sympathy is the only thing that separates us from the rest of them.
Here's your comment from 7 MAR 11-
Go back to Iran/Yemen/Somalia or wherever it is that you came from (I'm assuming this based on the rhetoric in your hate speech) if you don't like it here. This is America and we will not tolerate the mosquitoes of the world like North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, blah blah... much longer.
Here's another comment from 16 DEC 11 This is why everyone wants to destroy us...because we can't keep our collective traps shut.
I think that religious ideals are whats fueling the anti-American sentiment Here's your comment from 9 MAR 11.
Pretty sympathetic.
I smell a poser.
Wlee...."most people I've met on my trips to foreign countries"....exactly, those people have only heard the propaganda and do not know what this country really is. America has limited opportunity...it has been that way for a long time...there is only opportunity for debt...debt for house...debt for car....in the end, everything here is owned by the bank.
Sabot...you are a joke...guess you are enjoying your mum's attic...as you are posting on here in the middle of a work day.
American, I work as a state worker and own everything I have, it's called education and move up the ladder using credit as a last option. There is a long line of people wanting to immigrate here and quite a few illegals coming here for work. Sounds like you have become bitter and fail to see the good things all around you.
AmericanPauper, I hope you're right.
@ American Pauper
-SabotAndHeat: Enjoy your mothers attic.
-American Pauper: enjoying your mum's attic
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Your welcome.
As far as the "middle of the work day" is concerned... you might want to engage your brain prior to posting. In the real world, people work different shifts that span over 24 hours.
Again, welcome to the real world.
The guards better watch out! Bale will toss on some Huey Lewis and go crazy on them with his axe.
HEI!
I wonder what business this guy has with a blind activist in China?
Its China what else is there to say?! We all know how China is! Its probably a publicity stunt but its also not hard at all to anger them over there. Its like me going to a bad neighborhood in NY, hmmm weird I found trouble here.
who really cares???? really
We should be isolating China the same way we were all supposed to do not so long ago with South Africa, and for morally comparable reasons.
And if the so-called "pro-choice" movement were not fundamentally a lie even in the label they've hidden behind, they'd be leading the effort.
That we don't do that is thanks to two things: the almighty dollar; and intellectual/moral degenerates who say "So what if they want to be Communists"--assuming that 1) the PEOPLE of China WANT the murderous regime that forces them to slaughter their own infants, and 2) being communists is the totality of the problem.
Isolate China? What, and shut down Wal-Mart?!?!
flbikerchick:
You are too funny!
Not sure why any American would want to travel to China, unless maybe they want a look at what this country is becoming, with the patriot act and all the other illegal unconstitutional acts the gov. has came up with to strip are rights in return for a false sense of protection. Or maybe it's because our politicians have done such a great job selling our country to China for their own personal gains that we are being absorbed by their police state and becoming one ourselves while we just follow along like cattle without a clue, in denail until it is to late.
Notice the picture of Bale and his wife surrounded by the Chinese??? Is it me or do the Chinese all look alike??? No common ground there...
LADYBUGS - Contratulations! There are MANY ignorant comments on here, but you take the lead! They look alike just like you and a bunch of other fat white people all look alike.
Seriously, how can a thought like that vomit from your brain and actually make it to the keyboard without you realizing that you sound like a total tool. Please tell me you haven't contributed to the gene pool.
Way to go kid, I hope you got a few good punches in. F. the "chinese authorities".
This is news......NOT.
what an idiot bale is, he should've gotten the crap kicked out him right then and there! he's got no business messing around with these people on their own turf, china is a marxist communist repressive society, unfortunately so is ours becoming with this pig obama in office, anyway, if bale had a functioning brain cell left in his leftist looney head he'd walk away quick!
Actually Merlin China would fit with the other communist at OWS
You wouldn't know a marxist from the Pope.
Only after they opened their mouth Gene.
Still the boy that wants what he wants as in Newsies, Jack ? But a good cause you go after this time to prove that china isn't all it seems, but yet big business would rather support them over their own people, This is what they want for our future people. A Govenrment that can lock us down wothout any freedoms.
SUPPORT AMERICA TELL WALMART TO SELL IT WHERE IT'S MADE, AND THE SAME FOR MANY OTHER BUSINESS'S.
what makes him think he can go to another country and do whatever the f*ck he wants? He's why other countries think Americans are arrogant. So what, he's an actor, the chinese folks don't care.
No need to go to China to learn what a large propagandized government will do. There are many people in America that you can not visit. Just try and see what happens. Problem is, no American Hollywood types ever try to visit. They don't give a damn because they are getting rich here. How come you don't see any "Hollywood types" at an OWS protest? see them get beat down by American Thug cops?. Why do you think the world hates America.. total hypocrisy. Arab Spring good, "democratic uprising" Obama states. American spring bad, shutting down the port of Oakland "domestic terrorism" Obama's cabinet states. At least China's big bad government is intent on controlling the world economy while our government is intent on spending us into oblivion.
Glen, actually there has been some Hollywood types at OWS protest.
I believe the incident was a typical hollywood ploy to get media attention. Bale is well known for his temper and ego and the "no press is bad press" attitude most of the industry has. Whether you agree or disagree with China's policies is not the point. Why was Bale carrying a small camera, knowing he wouldn't be admitted to an interview.? Do you think his trip to China would garner any media attention had he not attempted the interview?