Lou Ye
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This is a Chinese name; the family name is Lou.
| Lou Ye 娄烨 |
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| Born | 1965 Shanghai, China |
| Occupation | Director, Screenwriter |
Lou Ye (Simplified Chinese: 娄烨; Traditional Chinese: 婁燁; pinyin: Lóu Yè; Wade-Giles: Lou Yeh), born 1965, is a Chinese film director who is commonly grouped with the "Sixth Generation" directors of Chinese cinema.
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[edit] Films
Born in Shanghai, Lou was educated at the Beijing Film Academy. In 1993, he made his first film Weekend Lover, but it was not released until two years later in 1995. Lou, however, did not gain international prominence until his second film, the neo-noir Suzhou River. That film dealt with questions of gender identity and proved quite controversial upon its release in China. Upon its release, international audiences praised Suzhou River, which several critics felt evoked Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, particularly in how both films focus on a man obsessed with a mysterious woman.[1][2]
In 2003, Lou Ye made the film Purple Butterfly starring Zhang Ziyi. The film, which took place during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, with its tale of revenge and betrayal, as well as its complex narrative structure again borrowed heavily from the film noir tradition.
Lou's most recent film, Summer Palace which deals with two lovers in the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, is the first Chinese Mainland film that features both male and female full frontal nudity.
[edit] Controversy
Lou Ye's films have proven controversial in their content, and often deal with issues of sexuality, gender, and obsession. PRC censors banned his first film Weekend Lover for two years, while his breakout film Suzhou River is still banned (with Lou receiving a 2 year ban from filmmaking).
Most recently, Summer Palace led to Lou's second ban from film-making, this time for five years. Indeed, though Lou submitted the film to the 2006 Cannes Film Festival as the only Asian film in competition for the Palme d'Or, he and his producers had not received approval from Chinese censors, thus instigating his official censure. The longer term of punishment is indication that it is Lou's second offense.[3]
[edit] Filmography
- Weekend Lover, 1995.
- Suzhou River, 2000.
- Purple Butterfly, 2003.
- Summer Palace, 2006.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Film Festival Review; A Chill Scene for Shadowy Characters. New York Times (2000-03-25). Retrieved on February 23, 2007.
- ^ Think Global, Act Local. The Village Voice (2000-03-20). Retrieved on February 23, 2007.
- ^ Variety Staff (2006-09-04). China gives 'Palace' pair 5-year bans. Variety.com. Retrieved on February 20, 2007.
[edit] External links
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- Lou Ye at the Internet Movie Database
| Films directed by Lou Ye |
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| Weekend Lover (1995) • Suzhou River (2000) • Purple Butterfly (2004) • Summer Palace (2006) • |
 Cinema of China |
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Actors • Directors • Films A-Z • Film chronology • Cinematographers • Festivals • Producers • Screenwriters • |
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