Ang Lee's new spy thriller 'Lust, Caution' gets strictest ra

[summertime]

Ang Lee's new spy thriller 'Lust, Caution' gets strictest rating in Hong Kong

HONG KONG: Oscar-winning director Ang Lee's new spy thriller "Lust, Caution" has received the strictest rating from Hong Kong censors, likely over its explicit sex scenes, after facing similar viewing restrictions in the U.S, a publicist said Friday.

Meanwhile, the movie's fate in mainland China, known for its prudish censors, remains unclear, another publicist said.

"Lust, Caution," which won the top Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival last week, has drawn attention because of its strong sexuality.

The movie, based on a short story by famed Chinese writer Eileen Chang, is about a group of patriotic students who plot to assassinate the intelligence chief in the Japanese-backed Chinese government during the World War II era.

Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai plays the intelligence official Mr. Yi, while newcomer Tang Wei plays the Chinese student Wang Jiazhi, who seduces Yi to pave way for the assassination. The movie also features Joan Chen from "The Last Emperor" and Chinese-American pop star Leehom Wang.

The sex scenes involving Leung and Tang have become a hot topic among movie fans.

Hollywood trade publication Variety reported earlier that the movie features lovemaking from "provocative" sexual positions, implied oral sex and full female frontal nudity.

"Lust, Caution" was rated "NC-17" in the U.S., where it will be released on Sept. 28, meaning it's banned from viewers younger than 17. In Hong Kong, censors have rated it "Category III," which bans viewers younger than 18, Cyrus Man, a publicist for the movie's Hong Kong and China distributor, Edko Films Ltd., said.

A spokeswoman for Hong Kong's Film Censorship Authority wasn't immediately available for comment on the reasons for the strict rating, although Man said the rating was expected. "Lust, Caution" is scheduled to be released in Hong Kong Sept. 25.

Zhang Hongyan, a spokeswoman for Edko's Beijing office, said the film has been submitted to Chinese censors but she hasn't heard about the result. She said a release date hasn't been set.

Director Lee, who won best director Oscar last year for the gay romance "Brokeback Mountain," likely faced a difficult editing process because he needed to provide a cut suitable for all ages. China doesn't have a ratings system.

"They (Chinese censors) didn't edit my movie. I edited it myself. They explained to me that everyone has to be able to watch the movie," Lee told Chinese reporters in Venice last week.

Meanwhile, actor Leung was quoted as saying Friday that he didn't hold back when shooting the sex scenes with Tang.

"These scenes are very important. They weren't designed to generate buzz. I portrayed those scenes as artistic performance. I couldn't hold myself back too much," Leung said, according to Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily.


http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/14/arts/AS-A-E-MOV-Ang-Lee-Censorship.php