It is an integral part of Dumbledore’s secrets which give its title to the film, and yet Warner removed the dialogues referring to the hero’s homosexuality, so that it escapes total censorship from the Chinese government.
The long-awaited reveal of Albus Dumbledore’s (Jude Law) and Grindelwald’s (Mads Mikkelsen) romantic past is well and truly censored, but the studio says the film’s “spirit remains intact,” The Hollywood Reporter reported on Tuesday (April 12). .
(Spoiler alert). In the film, the relationship between the two men is notably mentioned during a dialogue that Chinese spectators will therefore not see.
The lines “I was in love with you” and “the summer Gellert and I fell in love” are the first official mention in the Harry Potter franchise that the beloved Hogwarts professor is gay and had a romantic relationship with the black magician.
The previous Fantastic Beasts movie, The Crimes of Grindelwald, vaguely hinted at the relationship, but it wasn’t until the new movie that the wizard made it clear.
Before that, the film’s producer and co-writer JK Rowling surprised fans by revealing in 2007 that Dumbledore was gay, at an event held after the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Six essential seconds in the film
The cuts would represent only six seconds out of 143 minutes of film, “but are rather essential to establish the characters”, specifies THR. An argument that Warner does not accept, at the risk of arousing controversy (and the anger of LGBT defense associations).
“As a studio, we are committed to protecting the integrity of every film we release, and this extends to circumstances that require making nuanced cuts in order to respond sensitively to a variety of factors in the marketplace,” said a Warner Bros spokesperson quoted by the magazine.
“Our hope is to release our works worldwide as made by their creators, but historically we have faced small changes made in local markets. In the case of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, a six-second cut was requested and Warner Bros. accepted these changes to comply with local requirements, but the spirit of the film remains intact. We want audiences around the world to see and enjoy this film, and it’s important to us that Chinese audiences also have the opportunity to experience it, even with these minor changes.