[IMG:L]In Lust, Caution, Wong Chia Chi [Tang Wei] lives a modest life as a young girl attending a Chinese university–while World War II rages around her. With the Japanese occupation in full force, Wong and her theater friends mastermind a plot to help their country by assassinating a top Japanese collaborator named Mr. Yee (Tony Leung). Out of their league, the group takes on fake identities, sending their leading lady Wong to seduce the traitor.
Ang Lee, Lust, Caution‘s director, said he was drawn to Chinese author Eileen Chang‘s story because of its “female psychology and patriotism.” None of her stories, Lee notes, are as “beautiful or cruel” as this one.
The Oscar-winning director sat down with Hollywood.com to discuss his new erotic thriller.
Hollywood.com: What was it about this story that made you choose it as your next film?
Ang Lee: The way I was brought up, you never questioned something glorious. Then the journey that actress goes through, I very much identified with. Only by playing [the seductress] did she touch the true self and find her strength. She really got to exercise her female power, talent–and everything. She stayed more away from reality and less thinking about consequences. What she embodies is someone else. It’s a strange thing as a filmmaker. When I was young I had the same experience.
HW: Will the sexuality and graphic love-making scenes be controversial to the Chinese?
AL: Yes–if they get to see it. I think that’s the controversy aspect there. Why don’t we have a rating system? Why do we have to watch like a kid? That’s going on right now. I think the subject matter is very attractive to them. It’s a big country of patriotism. What about that little tingle or feeling of human nature? I think it would be quite welcome there.
HW: Could moviegoers take this film the wrong way? I say that because of the sex, violence and graphic nature fo the film…
AL: I don’t know. Who is to say what is the right or wrong way? I don’t expect the movie to be appreciated by everyone. It did concern me that, when you have to do subtitles, you miss a lot of the little nuances when you are not familiar with the experience they experience. I hear people say that the movie is long, whether they like it or not. For the Chinese viewer, it’s too fast. They know that I’m stuffing a lot into the screen to try and catch everyone. It’s just too busy for them to follow. Different cultural backgrounds make for a different way of viewing. There is no unifying test here either. Some people say it’s just fine.
[IMG:R]HW: Is it true the sex scenes were edited out in the Chinese version? As a filmmaker, how do you react to that?
AL: It’s the same story. You get the same meaning, but it feels different. To me, it’s the best part that they cut out. It weighs differently. I think you get a flow, the nuances of the time and of the story.
HW: You chose an inexperienced actress, Tang Wei, to play the lead role…
AL: It takes a very short time to figure out the known actresses. Nobody came close to the character. Then we screened over 10,000 actresses to get to her. She was the second one who came in, second or third, so quite early in my game. When she walked in, I had a feeling it was her… hold on, I’m not sure, and it was weeks into shooting I’m still not sure [laughs].
HW: Is that uncertainty common?
AL: It’s quite common. When you have someone new playing a big part, let alone carry the movie, it’s very scary. Even though everything looks right to you, you don’t know the fate of the movie when you face the audience and whether they agree or not. You can check everyone else around you and say, “What do you think?” But there is no telling the end result. What is the outcome going to be?
HW: Were you concerned about showing Japan in a bad light or going too far with it?
AL: No, I think what I portrayed is what we need for the movie. Actually, it’s just a wide shot of the Japanese … that is the time period. I think that my description is not propaganda and it’s not political–it’s just the life that they lived back then. I didn’t show any atrocity … It’s to know why she wants to kill this guy.
HW: You seem to lean toward adaptations from short stories. Why do you think you connect with those?
AL: I wrote my first three movies because, back then, nobody gave me scripts. I don’t enjoy writing. I’m a filmmaker and I’m running out of things to write very quickly. I like to be stimulated. I like to react to the material. Literally, it’s the elements. It’s not the story, it’s not the character, and it’s not even the texture or period. They tag along with my interest of the elements of the material. But like I said, debating which one is real, lust against patriotism, then I got into it. After I was done with the movie, I forgot most of it.
HW: You have tackled so many different genres. Is there one you are very excited to work with in the future?
AL: When I get done with something, then I get tired of it and it’s not fresh or scary enough for me. I move on to the next one. No, there is not a specific genre. Sometimes I mix them a lot. To me, Hulk is really a horror film, and it’s a psychodrama to me. But unfortunately, it has to be sold as a comic book movie like Spiderman. Although it is comic book related, in my mind, it’s a film drama, it’s a psychodrama and it’s a horror film. Horror film is like Hong Kong Martial Art. That was something I had in mind. Other than that, I just do what comes naturally. I had never done a pornographic kind [laughs], and what is that like, but I think I’m done with that before I do it again.
HW: You haven’t decided on your next project yet. Are you leaning towards a Hollywood studio film or another film from Asia?
AL: Film in Asia is passé for me. I can write a Chinese film like this and it is like making three American movies. I don’t know if I can do it back to back. If I do, I need to take a very long break. No, I don’t have a checklist that shows what I have not done.
[IMG:L]HW: Why is it so much more difficult to make films in China?
AL: Working in production in China. That’s half of what I said, and the other is mentality. I think I feel responsible. Each one of them is like making history or something, some missionary, and I’m very demanding. Also, American texture is something I adapt. It’s easier for me to see through it and make art out of it. See through it and figure out the subtext. I can do that very quickly. I’m more like an artist and I get a lot of the support. Whether it’s information or technical, in China it seems I have to do everything. From top down, I push everyone. It is very demanding, the texture I used is from my personal experience. It’s just a lot more personal. The social responsibility is much larger. Here, I am just one of hundreds of directors. There I get all the attention so I can’t really get a breather.
HW: Do you get a lot of Chinese media or paparazzi following you around?
AL: Yeah, you have to deal with them. Imagine how we do those sex scenes in a period of two weeks. [Laughs] protection.