Lust, Caution (film)

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For the novella by Eileen Chang, see Lust, Caution.
Lust, Caution
Directed by Ang Lee
Produced by Ang Lee
William Kong
James Schamus
Written by Eileen Chang (story)
Hui-Ling Wang
James Schamus (screenplay)
Starring Tony Leung Chiu Wai
Tang Wei
Lee-Hom Wang
Joan Chen
Tou Chung-Hua
Chu Chih-Ying
Chin Kar Lok
Anupam Kher
Music by Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography Rodrigo Prieto
Editing by Tim Squyres
Distributed by Focus Features
Release date(s) 24 September 2007 (Taiwan)
25 September 2007 (HK)
28 September 2007 (USA, limited)
1 November 2007 (China)[1]
4 January 2008 (UK)
16 January 2008 (France)
1 February 2008 (Sweden)
Running time 158 minutes
Country U.S. / China / Taiwan
Language Mandarin
Cantonese
Shanghainese
English
Japanese
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Lust, Caution (Chinese: 色，戒; pinyin: Sè, Jiè) is an espionage thriller directed by Taiwanese director Ang Lee, based on the short story of the same name published in 1979 by Chinese author Eileen Chang. Lee, an Academy Award winner, won his second Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival with this film. The story is mostly set in Hong Kong in 1938 and in Shanghai in 1942, when the city was occupied by the Japanese and ruled by a puppet government of Wang Jingwei. It depicts a group of Chinese university students who plot to kill a high-ranking Chinese collaborator using an attractive young woman to lure him into a trap.

The film adaption and the story are loosely based on events that took place during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai. The film's explicit sex scenes resulted in the film being rated NC-17 in the US.

Contents

[edit] Plot

In Japanese-occupied Shanghai in the 1940s, a well-dressed, attractive young Chinese woman named "Mrs. Mak" (Tang Wei) is sitting in a café in a posh neighbourhood. When she makes a call to a male friend, her innocuous comments are a coded signal that prompts a cell of young resistance agents to load their weapons and spring into action. The film then goes back in time to the events in 1938 that led up to the transformation of the shy, inexperienced university student Wong Chia Chi into the glamorously-dressed and seemingly well-to-do Mrs. Mak, her cover role in the Chinese resistance. Chia Chi had been left behind in China by her father, who escaped to England. While in her freshman year at her university in Hong Kong, a male student named Kuang Yu Min (Wang Leehom) invites her to join his patriotic drama theatre group. Chia Chi becomes a leading lady, inspiring both her audience and her new-found friend Kuang.

Fired up from the drama troupe's patriotic plays, Kuang urges the group to make a more concrete contribution to the war against Japan. He devises a plan to assassinate Mr. Yee (Tony Leung), a high-ranking official in the collaborationist government headed by Wang Jingwei, who was widely denounced as a national traitor. The attractive Chia Chi is chosen to penetrate the security surrounding the Yee family. In the guise of the elegant Mrs. Mak, she insinuates herself in the social circle of Mrs. Yee (Joan Chen). She catches the eye of Mr. Yee and tries to lure him into a location where he can be assassinated. When Mr. and Mrs. Yee move away, the plotters are almost exposed, and they are forced to go into hiding when they kill a collaborationist government agent.

In Shanghai, three years later, Chia Chi again encounters Kuang, who is now part of an organised underground resistance group seeking to overturn the Japanese occupation. He enlists her into a renewed conspiracy to kill Yee. By this time, Mr. Yee has become the head of the Nanjing regime secret police working for the occupation to hunt down Kuomintang resistance agents. Eventually, Chia Chi becomes the mistress of Mr. Yee. Their first encounter is sadistic and violent, but over the weeks that follow their sexual relationship becomes very passionate and deeply emotional, but also very conflicted for both of them, especially for Chia Chi, who is setting her lover up for assassination.

When Mr. Yee sends Chia Chi to a jewellery store with a sealed envelope, she is surprised to discover that he has purchased a large and extremely rare 6 carat pink diamond for her, to be mounted in a ring. This provides the Chinese resistance with a chance to get at Mr. Yee when he is not accompanied by his bodyguards. When Chia Chi reports to her superior officer in the Chinese resistance, she exhorts him to carry out the assassination soon, so that she will not have to continue her sexual liaisons with the brutal Yee, but the officer argues that the assassination needs to be delayed for strategic reasons. Chia Chi describes the inhuman emotional conflict she is in, on one hand sexually and emotionally bound to Mr. Yee and on the other hand part of a plot to kill him.

The next time Chia Chi and Mr. Yee meet, she asks him to go to the jewellery store with her to collect the diamond ring. As they enter the shop, she notices several resistance agents waiting to spring the trap. But when she sees the magnificent ring, and experiences Mr. Yee's love for her, she is overcome by emotion and breaks down and urges him to flee. Mr. Yee runs out of the shop and is rushed away by his driver, and escapes the assassination attempt. By the end of the day most of the resistance group including Kuang and Chia Chi herself are captured. It is revealed that Mr. Yee's deputy has been aware of the resistance cell, but did not inform Mr. Yee, both because of Mr. Yee's relationship with Chia Chi and because the deputy had hoped to use this opportunity to catch the resistance cell leader. Mr. Yee, emotionally in turmoil, signs their death warrants and the resistance group members, including Chia Chi, are led out to a quarry and executed. In the last scene, Mr. Yee sits on Chia Chi's empty bed in the family guest room, and informs his wife that their house guest is gone, and that she should not ask any questions.

[edit] Cast

  • Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (梁朝偉 pinyin: Liang Chaowei) ... Mr. Yee
  • Lee-Hom Wang (王力宏 Wang Lihong).. Kuang Yumin
  • Tang Wei (湯唯 Tang Wei) ... Wong Chia Chi / Mrs. Mak
  • Joan Chen (陳冲 Chen Chong) ... Mrs. Yee
  • Tou Chung-Hua (庹宗華) ... Old Wu
  • Chin Kar Lok (錢嘉樂) ... Assistant Officer Tsao
  • Chu Chih-Ying (朱芷瑩) ... Lai Shu Jin
  • Kao Ying-hsien (高英軒) ... Huang Lei
  • Ko Yue-Lin (柯宇綸) ... Liang Junsheng
  • Johnson Yuen (阮德鏘) ... Auyang Ling Wen / Mr. Mak
  • Fan Kuang-Yao (樊光耀) ... Secretary Chang
  • Anupam Kher ... Khalid Said ud-Din
  • Shyam Pathak ... Jewellery shopkeeper
  • Akiko Takeshita ... Japanese Tavern Boss Lady
  • Hayato Fujiki ... Japanese Colonel Sato

[edit] Releases and awards

Ratings
Australia:  R
Canada (Ontario):  18A
France:  12
Germany:  16
Hong Kong:  III
Ireland:  18
Malaysia:  18PL
Singapore:  NC16 (cut), R21 (full)
United Kingdom:  18
United States:  NC-17

The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion, the second such award for Ang Lee. It was released in U.S. theaters on September 28, 2007, where it has been rated NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association of America due to graphic sexual content. Lee has stated that he will make no changes to attempt to get an R rating.[2] After the movie's premiere, director Ang Lee was displeased that Chinese news media (including those from Taiwan) had greatly emphasized the sex scenes in the movie.[3] The version to be released in the People's Republic of China has been cut by about 7 minutes (by the director himself) to make it suitable for younger audiences, since China has no rating system.[4][5] The version released in Malaysia is shortened by 15 minutes and is rated 18PL - 18 and above. It swept the 2007 Golden Horse Awards by winning seven Awards, including Best Actor, Best Feature Film and Best Director.

The film was nominated for the Best Film in a Foreign Language Bafta in 2008.

[edit] Controversies

[edit] Sex scenes

In its uncut form, Lust, Caution features three episodes of graphic, rapacious sex, with full-frontal nudity. The ten minutes of sex scenes reportedly took a gruelling 100 hours to shoot, and it has never been clarified by the film makers whether or not the sex scenes were simulated.[6] In a number of countries, notably the People's Republic of China, Malaysia and (initially) Singapore, much of the sex scenes had to be cut before the film could be released.

[edit] Country of origin

The film was coproduced by the American companies Focus Features and River Road Productions, and Chinese companies Shanghai Film Group Corporation and Haishang Films and the Taiwanese Hai Sheng Film Production Company. The director is Ang Lee, who is a naturalized US citizen, and the actors/actresses are from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan as well as the United States. It was shot in Shanghai, the neighboring province of Zhejiang, Hong Kong (at Hong Kong University), and some locations in Ipoh, Malaysia disguised as 1930/40's Hong Kong.

Originally, the movie's country was identified as 'China-USA' by the organizers of the Venice Film Festival, but after a complaint from Ang Lee's office, it was changed to 'Taiwan'.[7] However, a few days later, the Venice Film Festival changed the film to "USA-China-Taiwan, China" on its official schedule.[8] When the movie premiered at the event, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council protested the Venice event's use of "Taiwan, China" to identify movies from the island and blamed China for the move.[9][10]

After the premiere of the movie, Taiwan submitted the film as its best foreign film Oscar entry. However, Oscars asked Taiwan to withdraw the film because some key crew members were not locals. Oscars spokeswoman Teni Melidonian said in an e-mail organizers refused to accept the movie because "an insufficient number of Taiwanese participated in the production of the film," violating a rule that requires foreign countries to certify their locals "exercised artistic control" over their submission.

[edit] Defamation charge

On 13 September 2007, an elderly lady Zheng Tianru staged a press conference in Los Angeles, claiming that the movie was about real-life events that happened in World War II, and wrongfully portrayed her older sister, Zheng Pingru, as a promiscuous secret agent who seduced and eventually fell in love with the assassination target Ding Mocun (she alleges that the characters were renamed to Wang Jiazhi and Mr. Yee in the movie).[11] Taiwan's investigation bureau confirmed that Zheng Pingru failed to kill Ding Mocun because her gun jammed, rather than developing a romantic relationship with the assassin's target.[citation needed] Director Ang Lee maintains that Eileen Chang wrote the original short story about herself, not about a real historical event.[12]

[edit] Critical reception

As of January 17, 2008 on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 69% of all critics gave the film positive reviews, while scoring 75% among RottenTomatoes-designated "Top Critics."[13] On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 60 out of 100, based on 34 reviews.[14]

Jack Mathews of the New York Daily News named it the 5th best film of 2007.[15]. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times named it the 6th best film of 2007.[15]

[edit] Anachronisms

It has been noted by critics (including Bryan Appleyard[1]) that the Hong Kong sequences in the film set in the late 1930s (for example, from the film distributor's website: Windows Media file 5.2MB), include "London taxis" of two types (FX3, FX4) that were only manufactured from 1948 and 1958 onwards respectively. [2]

[edit] Box office

Lust, Caution was produced on a budget of approximately $15 million.[3]

In Hong Kong, where it played in its full, uncut version, Lust, Caution grossed $6,249,342 USD (approximately $48 million HKD) despite being saddled with a restrictive "Category III" rating (the Hong Kong equivalent of NC-17). It was the territory's biggest-grossing Chinese language film of the year, and third biggest overall (behind only Spider-Man 3 and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix).[4]

The film was also a huge success in China, despite playing only in a heavily-edited version. It grossed $17,109,185 USD, making it the country's sixth highest-grossing film of 2007 and third highest-grossing domestic production.[5]

In North America, the NC-17 rating which Lust, Caution received is traditionally perceived as a box office "kiss-of-death". In its opening weekend in one US theatre, it grossed an excellent $63,918.[6] Expanding to seventeen venues the next week, its per-screen average was $21,341, before cooling down to $4,639 at 125 screens.[7] Never playing at more than 143 theatres in its entire US run, it eventually grossed $4,604,982.[8] It is currently the fifth highest-grossing NC-17 production in North America.[9]

Worldwide, Lust Caution grossed $64,574,876.[10]

[edit] DVD sales/rentals performance

In the United States, two DVD versions of this film were released: the original NC-17 version and the censored R-rated version.[11]

This film has generated more than $24 million from its DVD Sales and Rentals in the United States;[12][13] It is a very impressive result for a film that only grossed $4.6 million in in limited theatrical release in the United States.[14]

[edit] Etymology

  • In the Shanghainese dialect, the words "lust" (色) and "lost" (失) are homophones.
  • The translation of the Chinese title 色、戒 as "Lust, Caution" loses the pun it has in Chinese. The first character 色 can mean "color", second character 戒 can mean "ring", so the first and more apparent meaning of the title is "The Color Ring", referring to the precious color-diamond ring that at the last moment doomed the heroine's mission. 色 can also mean "lust", and in Chinese more specifically referring to sexual desire. In its other meaning, the second character 戒 is closer to "warning" or even "renunciation" than "caution". So, the second and more implicit meaning of the title is close to the English "Lust, Caution".

[edit] References

  1. ^ Coonan, Clifford (2007-10-17). China delays embattled 'Lust'. Variety.
  2. ^ Goldstein, Gregg (2007-08-24). Focus won't sweat NC-17 for 'Lust'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2007-09-09.
  3. ^ 媒體猛炒性愛 李安痛心
  4. ^ "No sex scenes in China's version of Lust, Caution". Retrieved on 2007-09-13. 
  5. ^ ""Lust" to be shown in China after cuts". Retrieved on 2007-09-13. 
  6. ^ 'Fang' Lee: cruel but true - Film - Entertainment - theage.com.au
  7. ^ 威尼斯影展將《色‧戒》當大陸片經李安抗議後改為台灣代表. Retrieved on 2007-09-09.
  8. ^ 64th Venice Film Festival - In Competition. Retrieved on 2007-09-09.
  9. ^ Taiwan protests Chinese credit for Ang Lee's movie at Venice festival. Retrieved on 2007-09-09.
  10. ^ Venice Film Fest faces faux pas over Taiwan. Retrieved on 2008-02-09.
  11. ^ 「色‧戒」影射鄭蘋如？鄭家人不滿
  12. ^ 湯唯情欲戲被指褻瀆烈士 <色戒>遭原型家人聲討
  13. ^ Lust, Caution - Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2007-10-30.
  14. ^ Lust, Caution (2007): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2007-10-30.
  15. ^ a b Metacritic: 2007 Film Critic Top Ten Lists. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Films Directed by Ang Lee
Pushing Hands (1992) • The Wedding Banquet (1993) • Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) • Sense and Sensibility (1995) • The Ice Storm (1997) • Ride with the Devil (1999) • Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) • Hulk (2003) • Brokeback Mountain (2005) • Lust, Caution (2007)
Preceded by
Still Life		 Golden Lion winner
2006		 Succeeded by
n/a