Censored version of Skyfall opens in China

A re-edited version of Bond film 'Skyfall' has launched in China with parts of the film censored.

A pivotal section of the film is set in Shanghai and Macau, but one short scene has been removed, while elsewhere Chinese subtitles have muddied other potentially sensitive issues.

[Related story: Skyfall becomes most successfull British film ever]

The scene removed was that in which a Chinese security guard is shot dead by Patrice, the French hitman played by Ola Rapace, while being trailed by Bond.

Later, during the sumptuous casino scene in Macau, when Bond grills Severine (Berenice Marlohe) on whether her tattoo tells of how she was forced into a prostitution ring at a young age, the subtitles are mistranslated to remove the prostitution reference, though the line is still spoken on the audio track.

Then the backstory of Javier Bardem's character Raoul Silva, where he reveals that he was tortured at the hands of the Chinese authorities and tried to kill himself, is also 'fudged' in the subtitles, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Many films are subject to cuts when released in China to avoid cultural or political sensitivities.

'Men In Black 3' had scenes in which aliens were disguised as Chinese restaurant workers removed completely before release.

'Mission: Impossible 3' also removed scenes of men playing mahjong in a room next to where a hostage is being held in Shanghai, while Chow Yun-Fat's character in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End' was removed entirely, after it was deemed a racial caricature.