ons stival . - California Film Institute

Tribute to Ang Lee
Lust, Caution
tribute to ang lee
Friday, October 5, 7:00 pm
Christopher b. Smith rafael Film Center
reception to follow at the Outdoor Art Club
TrIbuTe ANd reCePTION $60 TrIb05P
TrIbuTe ONly $25 TrIb05r
The Tribute program to Ang lee begins
with a selection of film clips, followed by
an onstage interview conducted by Festival
programming director Zoë elton, and the
presentation of the MVFF Award.* After
the program, the evening will continue with
a dinner reception in the director’s honor
at the Outdoor Art Club in Mill Valley, with
authentic Italian cuisine from popular Mill
Valley restaurant Piazza d’Angelo, and fine
wines from Sonoma County’s Verité
Winery.
sponsored by
Christopher b. and
Jeannie Meg smith
*See page 41 for more information about the Mill
Valley Film Festival Award.
Cautionary tales
My 15 Minutes With ang lee
By Zoë Elton
It’s September, four days since Ang lee
won his second Golden lion at the Venice
Film Festival—his first was for the muchawarded
Brokeback Mountain in 2005—
and I have 15 minutes of his time on a day
full of interviews for him. The award for
Lust, Caution (page 98), his erotic thriller
based on eileen Chang’s story set in
World War II Shanghai, comes as a relief.
“It does one good thing,” he says: “I don’t
have to explain to people that this is not a
porno film. It’s a drama!”
I am a little stunned. When I saw the film
several weeks ago, the very explicit sex in
it didn’t make me think it was porn; it made
me curious about what lee was exploring—
eroticism, sex and power, profound
intimacy coming unexpectedly out of a
secret liaison. Over the years of watching
his work, I trust lee implicitly as a director
and filmmaker, and trust his thoughtfulness
and his sense of responsibility. lee’s films
generally reveal and explore his characters’
stories and their themes with an incredible
compassion for the universality of the
online | mvff.com
human experience. So, not only do I trust
lee, but I feel that I can give myself over to
the experience of his films: I know I am in
good hands, and I know I am in good
company.
The intense sexual content in the film has
generated lots of comment—plus an NC-17
rating in the uS and a half hour excised for
viewing in China. before the award helped
legitimize it, interviewers grilled lee about
his intentions, and he found himself having
to explain a lot and steer the conversation
toward art. “It takes a lot of effort, so [the
Golden lion Award] shortened a lot of the
conversation in interviews . . . and saved
me a lot of energy!”
Although there is levity in his voice, lee
emphasizes the work it takes to execute, in
an art film, scenes of incredible intimacy.
“To me,” he says, “It’s the ultimate acting
job, the ultimate performance. So to go
through that actual act of filming, and carry
such intense motivation—acting skills and
technical aspect—it’s quite exhausting.” The
preparation for his actors—in this instance,
Tony leung and newcomer Tang Wei—
involved “a long education and research
period. Information, films and then just the
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