‘DRAGON’ TO GET A DISCLAIMER

Citing a moral responsibility to those “we have obviously offended,” MGM/UA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Frank Rothman announced on Thursday that the film studio will add a disclaimer to its controversial movie “Year of the Dragon.”

The disclaimer, at first, will be sent to Los Angeles and New York area theaters, where projectionists will be asked to screen it immediately preceding the film’s opening credits. Delivery of the disclaimer is expected for Labor Day weekend showings. Rothman said it is being produced at a “substantial” cost, but he would not disclose a specific figure. (The studio will decide whether to send the disclaimer to other theaters next week, Rothman said.)

MGM/UA’s disclaimer decision was prompted by vociferous attacks from and demonstrations by a number of Asian-Americans, who have labeled the movie “racist” because of its depiction of Asian-Americans. “Year of the Dragon,” which opened Aug. 16, tells the story of the bloody battle between a police captain and a violent youth gang in contemporary New York’s Chinatown. The $20-million film was directed by Michael Cimino, who has so far refused to discuss the controversy.

Rothman made the announcement at a joint press conference with Los Angeles City Councilman Michael Woo, who initiated negotiations with Rothman about a possible disclaimer last week. Woo called the decision “historic.” “It is rare for a movie studio to acknowledge its mistakes in such a forthright manner,” said Woo.

“The film makers did not intend to offend,” said Rothman. “All of us are sorry.”

The disclaimer, Rothman said, is the first that has been appended to an MGM/UA release during his three-year tenure at the studio. The disclaimer, as reported in The Times Wednesday, will read as follows: “This film does not intend to demean or ignore the many positive features of Asian-American and specifically Chinese-American communities. Any similarities between the depictions in the film and any association, organization, individual or Chinatown that exists in real life is accidental.”

Rothman, asked if he thought the film was racist, said, “When I saw ‘The Godfather,’ I did not conclude that it was demeaning to the entire Italian community. . . . When I looked at ‘Year of the Dragon,’ I did not look at it as a film that was demeaning to a specific society of people. But that is not to say, or to even suggest, that somebody of Chinese descent might look at the very same film and come to a different conclusion. Obviously, Councilman Woo explained that to me.

“If you’re going to have a picture that is going to tell a controversial story,” Rothman continued, “you are going to find that you are going to offend somebody. We will not tolerate people telling us what we can or cannot do in the making of films. But when we have offended somebody, as we obviously have in ‘Year of the Dragon,’ we have a moral responsibility to try to explain to the public that we didn’t intend to do that. Then, to have learned by that experience, we can avoid that happening in the future.”

According to Woo, the disclaimer is just the first step in a multitiered campaign to improve the depiction of Asians in the entertainment industry. “Today we have accomplished much more than the addition of a disclaimer into a film with racist overtones,” Woo said. “We have begun to seriously discuss a longer-term program which could prevent the distortions and stereotypes in ‘Year of the Dragon’ from recurring in future productions.”

Woo said he will continue to discuss with Rothman the establishment of an Asian review committee, which Woo said might offer advice on movies relevant to the Asian community. Woo added that he will press for the development of motion pictures that portray Asians in “non-stereotyped ways.”

Stewart Kwoh, a spokesman for the Asian Pacific American Media Watch, organizers of local protests against “Year of the Dragon,” said, “We still cannot justify this film in any way, and we will continue a public awareness campaign.”

“Year of the Dragon” has performed solidly, if unspectacularly, at the box office, grossing about $10 million in its first two weeks of release, according to Rothman. He said he did not know if demonstrations against the film have affected its business.

Rothman said the flap over the film will not deter the studio from making films about Asians in the future. “But, if we do,” he said, “we’ll remember ‘Year of the Dragon.’ ”