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Ang Ang Ang
Kd5000:
I had seen this in the Wall Street Journal at the end of September. Since this is an Ang Lee thread, I thought I would share it.
Curiously I had just rented Double Indemnity for the first time a few days before this article. It was quite enjoyable. He seems a big fan of film noir.
Hit List: Ang Lee
The Oscar-winning director on his favorite dark romances
By ANTHONY KAUFMAN
September 29, 2007; Page W2
Ang Lee has filmed love stories in a variety of genres, from the cowboy drama "Brokeback Mountain" to the period piece "Sense and Sensibility" to the martial-arts fantasy "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." In his newest film, the NC-17-rated "Lust, Caution," the Taiwanese director offers a spy romance set in World War II-era Shanghai. According to Mr. Lee, the movie borrows much from America's film-noir tradition. Below, his favorite dark film romances.
'The Letter' (1940)
Based on a play by W. Somerset Maugham, this melodrama stars Bette Davis as a rubber-plantation owner's wife in Singapore who commits a deadly crime of passion. "It's not politically correct," says Mr. Lee, referring to the Asian stereotypes. "But sometimes you need exotic elements to get into that core of darkness."
'Laura' (1944)
In Otto Preminger's celebrated mystery, a police detective falls in love with the dead woman whose murder he's investigating. "You don't know where it's going and it's so less predictable than today's movies," says Mr. Lee. "And when you get to the end, it's not really about darkness, but about romance."
'Double Indemnity' (1944)
Nominated for seven Academy awards, this Billy Wilder film follows Fred MacMurray's insurance investigator as he falls for Barbara Stanwyck's femme fatale. "I just love the way they talk and the music and the use of shadows," says Mr. Lee. "Growing up in middle school in Taiwan, I was such a big fan of Billy Wilder."
'The Big Sleep' (1946)
Howard Hawks's legendary detective story stars Humphrey Bogart as the tough Raymond Chandler private eye Philip Marlowe, who is hired by a rich family under false pretenses, and Lauren Bacall as the heiress he can't resist. "It's great writing," says Mr. Lee. "I didn't realize 'dirty' could be used in such an effective way."
'Chinatown' (1974)
Though Roman Polanski's thriller was filmed in the 1970s, it played off the tropes of 1940s film noir, with Jack Nicholson as a troubled detective and Faye Dunaway as his abused paramour. "It's just a great movie," says Mr. Lee. "So well-written, so smart, and it deals with our mysterious innermost fears and desires."
Meryl:
Thanks to John Gallagher for the link, and for giving me a reason to find this thread. 8)
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1667513,00.html
Q & A with Ang Lee
by Rebecca Winters Keegan
for Time Magazine
Ang Lee has made a habit of teaching Hollywood how little it knows about audiences, proving broad crowds would embrace a gay Western (Brokeback Mountain) and show up for a subtitled martial arts flick (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). With his new film, the NC-17-rated, Mandarin-language spy thriller Lust, Caution, the Oscar-winning director is once again ignoring the rules of commercial filmmaking.
TIME: You've said the three sex scenes in the film were harder to shoot than the martial arts scenes in Crouching Tiger. Why?
Lee: I'm a shy human being. I don't make pornos so I'd never done that before. To verbalize the feelings and lead the actors through those acts and witness how much they devote to it, it's very painful. Usually we don't go there. I don't intend to go there again. After half a day's shooting we had to stop, it was so exhausting. You're so hyper... emotionally, sexually, everything is so charged up.
Porn is plentiful, so why are scenes depicting sexuality with emotion so rare in films?
Most sex scenes are about covering things up, rather than exposing. It's very technical. It's a function you have to get over with so you can get on with the story. We give our best shot in digging into what the characters are going through. The sex scenes are pivotal parts of the story.
Did you ever consider altering your film to avoid the NC-17 rating?
When I was making it, I didn't really care. After the film was done, [Focus Features CEO] James Schamus explained to me what NC-17 means, the distribution, the advertisement, what you're gonna lose. He explained it and that was that. He never said anything else. Everybody at Focus got kind of excited about taking on the battle. They kept saying this year we have other films that will make money.
Is it possible people will go see this film because they're titillated by the rating?
There are people who know about me who will be curious. That's a plus, but the plus is 10 points and the minus is 80 points.
The film takes place in Shanghai during World War II. It's based on a short story by Eileen Chang which is much more subtle in describing the relationships between the characters. Why did you choose to be so explicit?
I'm not a translator of the author. I took a hint from her. To me the boldness of the story was unprecedented, particularly against the backdrop of the most macho, glorious, patriotic war against the Japanese. It was very daring.
This was your lead actress Tang Wei's first film. Were you concerned by the demands of the role?
Yes and no. The thrill actors get, the liberation, to reach the other side of themselves, it's very exciting, very liberating. They learn a lot about themselves. So often Tang Wei said to me when I asked her is she was OK, "What are you talking about?"
If making this movie was so emotionally taxing, why did you do it?
Because you're not supposed to. Truth can be painful and frightening. Lots of people, whether you're making a movie or doing a painting, you feel compelled to be honest. It's uncomfortable, but I feel compelled to communicate with other people.
TOoP/Bruce:
http://www.forbes.com/digitalentertainment/2007/02/02/cx_mf_0202varietyfilm2.html
Variety
Focus' Schamus Brings Back 'Game'
Michael Fleming and Diane Garrett 02.02.07, 6:00 PM ET
Focus Features Co-chair James Schamus has revived A Little Game--months after the project imploded--and brought in frequent collaborator Ang Lee to direct.
Project is expected to be Lee's next project after Lust, Caution, his World War II-era pic set in Shanghai. Game will mark his third straight pic for Focus after Brokeback Mountain and Lust, Caution.
Schamus is rewriting the romantic comedy, an adaptation of a French play called A Little Game of Consequence. It centers on a happily engaged Brooklyn couple who decide to play an experiment on their friends; when a rumor goes around that they have broken up, they play along to find out what their pals really think of their coupling.
WAM Films is producing the pic, with Alain Chabot and Stephanie Danan as producers and Bruno Pesery as exec producer. Jean Dell and Gerald Sibleyras penned the French play.
Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz had been set to play the leads, but they abruptly exited the project weeks before it was set to begin lensing in early October amid concerns about the quality of the script.
Focus dismissed helmer Gabriele Muccino ( The Pursuit of Happyness), but Schamus remained committed to getting the project off the ground ( Daily Variety, Oct. 4).
Project reps the 11th collaboration between Lee and Schamus. Besides Brokeback and Lust, Caution, they worked on The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hulk.
Meryl:
Thanks, Bruce, that sounds interesting! Reminds me of another Brooklyn couple who recently split up. ;)
I'm glad Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz left the project, since neither of them particularly appeal to me. Let's hope it's another winner for Ang. 8)
Lynne:
Thanks, everyone, for posting so many interviews with Ang Lee. There's so much insight into him, the man, if you read carefully. Why haven't I seen The Hulk yet?
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