Lust.Caution
Went to watch Lust.Caution with Nat and Karin on saturday night...
Movie tickets are damn expensive on Saturdays lah......
Lust.Caution is Ang Lee's latest directorial effort, his first chinese language film after 2000's sleeper hit 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' which ignited the world's craze for martial arts period films....
It is based on the short story by Eileen Chang, still considered as China's most authoritive female writer of her time, condemned by some of her countrymen as a writer with a narrow perspective that perpetuates from her novellas and essays, including Eighteen Springs which has already been adapted on the silver screens by other auteurs like Ann Hui
Against a political backdrop of the Japanese Occupation period of China, it is essentially about love, passion, emotion and lust, just like 'Lan Yu' by Stanley Kwan. The tumultous times was just a tool to tell the story about a young lady (Tang Wei) caught between love and honour, and between two important yet cruel men (Wang Leehom and Tony Leung) in her life.
It was never meant for the turbulent period to be the centrepiece of the entire narrative.
As with other Ang Lee films, Lust.Caution was seemingly quiet and slow on the surface, even bland, yet beneath the benign pacing and low volume of the film were intense powerful undercurrents that provided much of the dramatic tension that was required to lend the film weight and solidity.
Innocent mahjong games were infused with motives held subtly by each of the mahjong players, and everyone in the game had their own agenda. This brings the true spirit of the mahjong game, 各怀鬼胎 to life.
However, unlike other Ang Lee films like the aptly named Pushing Hands, Eat Women Drink Man and even Brokeback Mountain, Lust.Caution can be considered a personal groundbreaking film by the director as he negotiates and confront the dirty and dark side of life, violence and extreme passion being his centrepieces for this film.
He does not shy away from the topics, taking them head on and deconstructing these thematics bravely.
For this, I applaud him.
Tang Wei will not be the next Zhang Ziyi, because she has a much wider emotional range. She will only be Tang Wei.... and no next this person or next that person.
And she act well.
Tony Leung turned in yet another stellar performance. It is considered a breakthrough performance for him.
It was apparent that Wong Leehom put into much effort into his character, under the terrific guidance of Ang Lee. Unfortunately he appeared stiff at times, inable to inject a certain degree of flexibility in dictating his lines.
The by-now famous edited version of the film, which I watched, unfortunately couldnt convey the required amount of emotional intensity to the audience. Even if it was personally edited by Ang Lee, it felt as if it a very important ingredient was missing from the whole film, preventing it from becoming the masterpiece that it was supposed to be
It was like a toothless tiger, without bite in other words.
The censored version came about because the film would not have been passed through the conservative Chinese authorities and Ang Lee wanted the Chinese to still be able to watch the film.
I feel sad that art had to be compromised because of backward conservative people who couldnt accept confrontation of the darker side of reality and life.
Movie tickets are damn expensive on Saturdays lah......
Lust.Caution is Ang Lee's latest directorial effort, his first chinese language film after 2000's sleeper hit 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' which ignited the world's craze for martial arts period films....
It is based on the short story by Eileen Chang, still considered as China's most authoritive female writer of her time, condemned by some of her countrymen as a writer with a narrow perspective that perpetuates from her novellas and essays, including Eighteen Springs which has already been adapted on the silver screens by other auteurs like Ann Hui
Against a political backdrop of the Japanese Occupation period of China, it is essentially about love, passion, emotion and lust, just like 'Lan Yu' by Stanley Kwan. The tumultous times was just a tool to tell the story about a young lady (Tang Wei) caught between love and honour, and between two important yet cruel men (Wang Leehom and Tony Leung) in her life.
It was never meant for the turbulent period to be the centrepiece of the entire narrative.
As with other Ang Lee films, Lust.Caution was seemingly quiet and slow on the surface, even bland, yet beneath the benign pacing and low volume of the film were intense powerful undercurrents that provided much of the dramatic tension that was required to lend the film weight and solidity.
Innocent mahjong games were infused with motives held subtly by each of the mahjong players, and everyone in the game had their own agenda. This brings the true spirit of the mahjong game, 各怀鬼胎 to life.
However, unlike other Ang Lee films like the aptly named Pushing Hands, Eat Women Drink Man and even Brokeback Mountain, Lust.Caution can be considered a personal groundbreaking film by the director as he negotiates and confront the dirty and dark side of life, violence and extreme passion being his centrepieces for this film.
He does not shy away from the topics, taking them head on and deconstructing these thematics bravely.
For this, I applaud him.
Tang Wei will not be the next Zhang Ziyi, because she has a much wider emotional range. She will only be Tang Wei.... and no next this person or next that person.
And she act well.
Tony Leung turned in yet another stellar performance. It is considered a breakthrough performance for him.
It was apparent that Wong Leehom put into much effort into his character, under the terrific guidance of Ang Lee. Unfortunately he appeared stiff at times, inable to inject a certain degree of flexibility in dictating his lines.
The by-now famous edited version of the film, which I watched, unfortunately couldnt convey the required amount of emotional intensity to the audience. Even if it was personally edited by Ang Lee, it felt as if it a very important ingredient was missing from the whole film, preventing it from becoming the masterpiece that it was supposed to be
It was like a toothless tiger, without bite in other words.
The censored version came about because the film would not have been passed through the conservative Chinese authorities and Ang Lee wanted the Chinese to still be able to watch the film.
I feel sad that art had to be compromised because of backward conservative people who couldnt accept confrontation of the darker side of reality and life.
Labels: Movie Review
posted by Kian Tong at 3:43 AM
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