 Warner Independents and Yari Groups brought in a Chinese production  company to help finance the film. The Chinese partner was granted  approvals over the script and the finished film. It was concerned  about the films depiction of the uprising during the Chinese  Revolution as well as the choleras victims and asks for these  contents to be reduced, something Edward Norton (I) (qv) and  John Curran (II) (qv) disagreed upon. In the end, about 38 seconds  of footage were removed.