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"Red Carpet: Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy"

Aired on Thursday, February 10th.
Aired on Thursday, February 10th.

"[An] accomplished account of how soft power -- namely, entertainment -- helped China become one of the most influential players on the global stage.... An illuminating look at what China learned from Hollywood, and why Hollywood needs China to survive." -- Publishers Weekly

On this edition of ST, we look at a facet of US-China competition that doesn't get much attention, yet this facet is clearly getting more intense and more pervasive: the worldwide film industry. Our guest is Erich Schwartzel, who has reported on the movie industry for The Wall Street Journal since 2013. His very interesting new book is titled "Red Carpet: Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy." As was noted of this work in The New York Times Book Review: "[This] is the story of the nexus that formed when Hollywood realized it needed China's cash, and China realized it could first manipulate -- and then appropriate -- Hollywood's special gifts for enchantment, coercion, lifestyle control, and inducing audiences to tear up by means of orchestral swells and Tom Hanks talking earnestly to small children.... The two stories, the humbling of Hollywood and the swelling of Chinese soft power, twist and combine across Schwartzel's masterfully organized book.... This is a fascinating book. It will educate you. Schwartzel has done some extraordinary reporting, and a lot of legwork."

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