a bit outdated but........
Sep 26, 2007
Shorter version of Lust to
be shown here
Lee Ang's thriller is rated NC 16 and will most likely show fewer
sexy scenes than the original
By Douglas Tseng
THOSE waiting to catch Lee Ang's erotic espionage thriller Lust,
Caution when it opens next Thursday will get to see a shorter
version of the film.
Instead of the 157-minute original that won the Golden Lion for
Best Picture at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month and
made news for its sex scenes, the one that will be shown here will
be 148 minutes long.
It comes with an NC 16 rating which means those under 16 cannot
watch it. The Board of Film Censors gave it that rating because of
'scenes of intimacy'.
The film, set in Japanese-occupied Shanghai in the 1940s, is based
on a short story by Chinese writer Eileen Chang. It is about a
group of patriotic students who plan to assassinate the
intelligence chief in the Japanese-backed Chinese government during
World War II.
As China does not have a ratings system, Lee had to cut a version
deemed suitable for general viewership there.
This means that the much-hyped love scenes between the leads - Tony
Leung Chiu Wai, who plays an influential political figure, and
newcomer Tang Wei, who plays a resistance fighter - have been
abbreviated for the Chinese market.
It is understood that this is the same version Singapore will be
getting.
Lee Ang had said in interviews that the trims did not compromise
the plot of the movie and character development, although they do
dampen some of its emotional intensity.
On the intense love scenes, Leung told Hong Kong newspaper Apple
Daily: '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.'
In Taiwan, a five-member government committee voted that the film
be released in Taiwan uncut under an R rating which bars viewers
under 18.
The Government Information Office has also hailed Lee as the 'Glory
of Taiwan' and has picked the film to be the country's candidate
for the 2008 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
In Hong Kong, the drama, which is reportedly uncut, got a Category
III rating which bans viewers younger than 18.
Some Lee Ang fans here are disappointed by the version Singapore
will get.
Teacher Shirley Lee, 37, said: 'I would prefer to see the un-edited
version of any film that I watch. I don't like it when movies are
cut to meet marketing, distribution or censorship needs.'
At press time yesterday, Lust's Singapore distributor could not be
reached for comment.
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Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
