"Lust, Caution" gives way to "Sun" in Na

[summertime]

"Lust, Caution" gives way to "Sun" in National Day holiday


2007-09-01 17:38:57 CRIENGLISH.com

The mainland public release date for Ang Lee's spy epic "Lust, Caution" will be postponed by one month to October 26, which means that it won't attend the National Day Holiday box office competition with "The Sun Also Rises", scheduled to be released on September 21.

The Sohu Entertainment quoted Gao Jun, chief of the Beijing New Film Association, as saying that the production company of the film has informed them of the postpone. But it didn't give the exact reason for it, according to Gao.

The latest opus of Ang Lee, "Lust, Caution", held its world premiere in Venice on August 31, and won unanimous applause from the media and the audience. It has recently been given an NC-17 rating in the United States, signifying that admission to the film will not be granted to anyone under the age of 17. And some reports have suggested that some of sex scenes would be cut when it opens in Chinese theatres.

Meanwhile, actor-turned-director, Jiang Wen's third directorial work "the Sun Also Rises", will be screened during Golden Week, along with many other domestically-produced movies, such as "Invisible Wings" and "Hu Tong Li De Yangguang" or "Sunshine in the Alley".


http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/09/01/63@268779.htm

[summertime]

Ang Lee film 'censored for China'

Film director Ang Lee's Venice Film Festival contender Lust, Caution will be cut for audiences in China, according to a report.
The Taiwanese film-maker will remove sex scenes from the thriller ahead of its release there, says Screen Daily.

The movie has already been given a restrictive NC-17 rating in the US, where it hits cinemas later this month.

Lee is hoping to scoop the prestigious Golden Lion at Venice, two years after winning with Brokeback Mountain.

'Not pornography'

Critics at the festival, where Lust, Caution premiered last week, said the film is "too cautious" and "risks leaving audiences cold".

It has a gradual release in the US and is expected to make only modest box office returns.


Lee defended his film's explicit sex scenes

Lee said that the film is "not pornography", but admitted it is "unsuitable for children".

He added that the NC-17 rating was a "respectable category" and hoped it would not discourage audiences.

The category bars under-17s from seeing the film.

The film, based on a novella by Eileen Chang, follows a Chinese woman in Japanese-occupied Shanghai during World War II, who finds herself in the centre of a plot to seduce and kill a married enemy collaborator.

It caused controversy ahead of its Venice debut when it was billed as a film from Taiwan, China in the festival programme - implying that the island state is part of the mainland.

"I think it is more important to show the movie. I leave it to the politicians and the festival," Lee reporters.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6975722.stm

[summertime]

Jacky Cheung Sings for "Lust, Caution"

2007-09-08 19:14:00 CRIENGLISH.com

Veteran Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung has been selected to sing the Chinese version of the theme song for the film "Lust, Caution".

The film is one of the contenders for the Golden Lion award at the ongoing 64th Venice Film Festival.

Jacky Cheung was invited by Ang Lee, Taiwan-born director of the film, also a reported fan of his songs, Taiwan local media reports.

Alexander Desplat, Golden Globe winner for "The Painted Veil" (2006), wrote the music score for the film.

The 46-year-old singer is now busy with his "Long Time No See" world tour, which started in February in Las Vegas, and will end in December. More than thirty cities around the world are on the pop star's tour schedule.



http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/09/08/1301@271648.htm

[summertime]

Cutting of "Lust, Caution" renews calling for film rating system in China

www.chinaview.cn 2007-09-10 23:59:34

BEIJING, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- "Lust, Caution", the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion winner for best picture, will be cut by 30 minutes for audiences on the Chinese mainland, renewing debate about the adoption of film rating system.

With a original running time of two hours and 36 minutes, the film was to have a large number of sex scenes excised to become "relatively clean", said the film's director Ang Lee.

Lee's film, called "Se, Jie" in Chinese, set in Japanese-occupied Shanghai in 1940s, contains bold sex scenes between a young woman spy played by novice actress Tang Wei and powerful political figure played by Tony Leung, and has been given the restrictive NC-17 label in the United States, banning viewers under 17.

"Authorities told me that there was no film rating system on the mainland so they let me cut it," said Lee.

"Children are able to watch it on the mainland," he added.

Chinese director Jia Zhangke, last year's winner of the award for "Still Life", considered it's "a pity" to cut, saying the mainland urgently needed a rating system so as to "enable audiences above 18 to enjoy full-version films".

Chinese film star Gong Li, a long-time advocate of film rating, submitted a proposal to China's top political advisory body at its annual session in March that outlined the development of such a system.

But the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television refuses to introduce the rating system under its several-decade-old belief that "films not suitable for children are not suitable for adults, either."

Lee's film received a warm response in Venice, but a large number of sex scenes aroused worries that the film might meet obstacles on the mainland.

Cinema sources said the film would open on the mainland on Oct.26, a month later than the original schedule for a simultaneous opening around the world late September.

Online discussion about the film has been unexpectedly hot. Thenews.nen.com.cn website commented that mainland audiences could simply watch the full version on pirated discs, and it doubted whether the cinema version could attract audiences without the sex scenes. The beelink.com website said the film should be treated as "art" and not as "pornography".

Lee said he was going to respect the official advice, "cutting the film himself" and protecting its integrity. He said he "took pains to cut it" because he attached much importance to the Chinese market.

"The spirit of the film remains despite the cutting and the fluency will not be affected," said Lee who believed that the film still "looks nice" after surgery.

"For a viewer who has not watched the full version, the short version remains reasonable," Lee said, adding mainland audiences might not feel "so uneasy" and "shocked" about the film.

Besides cutting the sex scenes, some violent scenes are also to be cut, which made Lee "feel more pity".

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-09/10/content_6700355.htm