Other Ang Lee Films

[Front-Ranger]

I would like to see a discussion of Lee's other films and the parallels with Brokeback Mountain.

Let's start with The Hulk! I was just thinking this morning that I need to view that movie once again because it was Ang Lee's movie prior to BBM, and in some ways he purged himself of the Hulk with BBM. As I recall, the Hulk's problems had to do with his father, no??

[Front-Ranger]

Tonight I watched "Ride With the Devil", Ang Lee's historical tale from the U.S. Civil War. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow. At the library, I checked out a book about the making of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

[Front-Ranger]

I started reading a book "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: A Porttrait of the Ang Lee Film" and I'm looking forward to it. But I had a mind block early on, I kept thinking, why isn't there a book like this about Brokeback Mountain? The book has introductions from both Ang Lee and James Schamus. I'm reading the piece authored by Ang Lee, and it is very insightful.

[opinionista]

The only Ang Lee movie I relate somehow to Brokeback Mountain is The Wedding Banquet also known as Hsi yen, even though it is very different just like the others he has made.

For those who haven't seen it, be aware that there are spoilers below.


What I remember about it (I saw it a long time ago), it is about a gay couple, Simon and Wai Tung, who have been living together for sometime, when they receive the unexpected visit from Wai Tung's parents, who don't know their son is gay. The problem begins when they force him to marry a girl and give them a grandson. The entire plot is about Simon and Wai Tung trying to conceal their relationship for the sake of Wai Tung's dad, and going ahead with the wedding. I'm not going to spoil the ending, but this is a beautiful tale about accepting your gay son as he is. It has hilarious scenes and highly emotional ones. I remember I loved it. I highly recommend it.

[Lumière]

The only Ang Lee movie I relate somehow to Brokeback Mountain is The Wedding Banquet also known as Hsi yen, even though it is very different just like the others he has made.

Yes, I recommend it too!  It is a very good film, good story and good performances!

Another Ang Lee movie I've watched:  The Ice Storm
It is good but not on the same level as the WB or BBM.

[Shakesthecoffecan]

On these DVDs, does he do a version with commentary? I know he does on Hulk, which I have seen along with Crouching Tiger and Wedding Banquet, both of with I thought were great.

[Front-Ranger]

An interesting point in the book I'm reading is that Ang Lee "secured his early fame with the so-called 'Father Knows Best' trilogy (Pushing Hands, The Wedding Banquet, Eat Drink Man Woman)" The father also played a pivotal role in The Hulk. This makes me want to reexamine the role of fathers in Brokeback Mountain. And we also know that Lee’s father died during the filming and he dedicated the film to him.

[belbbmfan]

I saw The Wedding Banquet a couple of years ago on TV and really liked it. And I have Sense and Sensibility on dvd. Both of these movies, and BBM, are about how circumstances, traditions or society can prevent people from finding love or being able to chose the person they love.

Sense and Sensibility has a happy ending, Mariane Dashwood in the end gets her hero, Edward Ferrars. And the commentary by Ang Lee and James Schamus on the dvd is very good.

[Front-Ranger]

There are indeed many parallels among his films and finding them is a lot of fun because at first it seems like they could not be more different than each other, being set in different times and locales and even different languages! However, The Hulk is considered a deviation but, I suspect, upon closer inspection many parallels could be found there too.

[Front-Ranger]

This book points out that the "Green Destiny" sword that is stolen early in the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is what Hitchcock called the McGuffin, the object that kick-starts the adventure and puts everyone in motion. What is the McGuffin of Brokeback Mountain?