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Taiwan applauds controversial film by local hero Lee
2007-09-25
Movie Lust, Caution still: Tang Wei |
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Moviegoers in director Ang Lee's native Taiwan gave a thumbs-up to his prize-winning "Lust, Caution," appearing unfazed by the controversy surrounding it or the steamy sex scenes. The film, the surprise winner of this year's Golden Lion award at the Venice film festival, played to full houses on its Monday night premiere at several Taipei cinemas, which have given it an adult rating and are showing it uncut. "Lust, Caution," a spy thriller set in World War Two Shanghai, got generally negative reviews at Venice and was panned by critics who said it was long and tedious. "Awesome," one viewer described the 156-minute movie, which is punctuated by explicit and sometimes violent sex. "There was a little bit too much sex in a few points, but overall it was okay," said another movie goer, Shen Yun-hsi. "I'm still thinking about it. A lot happened." The film will open in China this week but only after Lee himself excised a lot of the on-screen sex and other scenes Beijing deemed inappropriate. Lee, back home after a global tour, was especially nervous about the premiere of his film in Taiwan, due to the graphic sex, his brother told local media. But the audience at one Taipei cinema, mostly in their 20s and 30s, gasped louder at a scene featuring a large diamond than at any of the sex scenes. "I feel good when I come back to Taiwan. When I make a Chinese movie, I can examine my growth and have a new start again," Lee told a media briefing on Tuesday. "Every time when I come back, I review the past and it gives me the feeling that I will have a brand new start and keep going forward," he added. "Lust, Caution" was being screened at 107 venues in Taiwan, a record for an adult-rated film, according to one media report. The movie was expected to gross T$3.5 million ($106,000) initially, and eventually break the T$50 million record for a Lee film pulled in by his gay cowboy drama "Brokeback Mountain," which won him an Oscar for best director. Lee made a number of Chinese-language movies in his early career, but for the most part has made English-language movies since gaining international acclaim. One notable exception is his China-based martial arts movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." (Additional reporting by Baker Li)
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