China / 2007
Language : Mandarin
Director : Ang Lee
Sè, Jiè is an erotic espionage thriller directed by Academy Award-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee, based on the short story of the same name published in 1979 by Chinese author Eileen Chang. The film is Lee's second to win a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
The film adaption and the story are said to be loosely based on an actual event that took place in 1939-1940.
The film adaption and the story are said to be loosely based on an actual event that took place in 1939-1940.
Ang Lee underlines his ability to master any genre with Lust, Caution, a sexually explicit tale of wartime romance, intrigue and betrayal that’s based on a short story by renowned Chinese author Eileen Chang.
But anyone anticipating Lee’s version of Basic Instinct or The Lover had best think again, as the director has once again woven a deeply complex tale around a pretty straightforward narrative device.
It’s Shanghai, 1942, and a society woman (Tang Wei) walks into a cafe and makes a phone call. Events immediately cut back to 1938 when we see that the woman is actually a drama student named Wong Chia Chi who has been recruited by her patriotic colleagues to help with the assassination of a top Japanese collaborator, Mr Yee (Tony Leung), who has been responsible for the deaths of countless Chinese rebels.
Wong must therefore become Mrs Mak and gain Yee’s trust by befriending his wife (Joan Chen) and then draw him into an affair. But events don’t quite go as planned and the plot takes a number of years, before culminating in a shocking decision.
Lee maintains that he was drawn to the project because of the way the source material placed female sexuality against patriotism – and he explores this in a number of fascinating ways.
The central relationship between Wei and Leung is therefore extremely compelling, as each attempts to gain the upper hand at a time when no one can be trusted and attitudes are constantly changing.
For Wei’s character in particular, her blossoming sexuality gives rise to unexpected power and it’s how she uses it that gives the film its dramatic thrust late on.
Both Wei and Leung are excellent – the former making one of the boldest screen debuts you’re likely to witness in a long time, while the latter (a Hong Kong acting legend) displaying a hitherto untapped darkness to his on-screen persona. The sex scenes between them are extremely explicit, but far from erotic, and seldom make for comfortable viewing – merely adding to the heightened state of tension that exists throughout.
As with many of Lee’s films, however, there’s a tendency to over-indulge and the generous running time (in excess of two and a half hours) will certainly deter some from seeing it, as will some of the extreme content.
But anyone anticipating Lee’s version of Basic Instinct or The Lover had best think again, as the director has once again woven a deeply complex tale around a pretty straightforward narrative device.
It’s Shanghai, 1942, and a society woman (Tang Wei) walks into a cafe and makes a phone call. Events immediately cut back to 1938 when we see that the woman is actually a drama student named Wong Chia Chi who has been recruited by her patriotic colleagues to help with the assassination of a top Japanese collaborator, Mr Yee (Tony Leung), who has been responsible for the deaths of countless Chinese rebels.
Wong must therefore become Mrs Mak and gain Yee’s trust by befriending his wife (Joan Chen) and then draw him into an affair. But events don’t quite go as planned and the plot takes a number of years, before culminating in a shocking decision.
Lee maintains that he was drawn to the project because of the way the source material placed female sexuality against patriotism – and he explores this in a number of fascinating ways.
The central relationship between Wei and Leung is therefore extremely compelling, as each attempts to gain the upper hand at a time when no one can be trusted and attitudes are constantly changing.
For Wei’s character in particular, her blossoming sexuality gives rise to unexpected power and it’s how she uses it that gives the film its dramatic thrust late on.
Both Wei and Leung are excellent – the former making one of the boldest screen debuts you’re likely to witness in a long time, while the latter (a Hong Kong acting legend) displaying a hitherto untapped darkness to his on-screen persona. The sex scenes between them are extremely explicit, but far from erotic, and seldom make for comfortable viewing – merely adding to the heightened state of tension that exists throughout.
As with many of Lee’s films, however, there’s a tendency to over-indulge and the generous running time (in excess of two and a half hours) will certainly deter some from seeing it, as will some of the extreme content.
The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion, the second such award for Ang Lee.After the movie's premiere, director Ang Lee was displeased that Chinese news media (and those from Taiwan) had greatly emphasized the sex scenes in the movie.The version to be released in the People's Republic of China has been cut by about 7 minutes (by the director himself) to make it suitable for younger audiences, since China has no rating system.After the premier of the movie, Taiwan removed the film as its best foreign film Oscar entry, because some key crew members were not locals.
Awards:
The film swept the 2007 Golden Horse Awards by winning seven Awards, including Best Actor, Best Feature Film and Best Director.
Also won Satellite Award for the Best Motion Picture, Foreign Film Category.
At Venice Film Festival 2007 Ang Lee won the 'Golden Lion' and Rodrigo Prieto won 'Golden Osella' for the 'Best Cinematography'.
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