A great deal of press preceded the release of Ang Lee latest film last year, because it was being released in theaters with an NC-17 rating. Few theaters carry NC-17 films, because few newspapers will run ads for NC-17 films, so few movie companies make NC-17 films. While cinemas all across America every week contain at least one orgy of blood marketed to teens, what horrors does Lee have in store for us? Gasp, sex. And it could be real sex to boot. Lee answers the question whether his actors had sex by simply stating, "You saw the film." So why start the review discussing the ridiculous rating system in America — because ratings should be meaningless to reviewing this film and should be disposed with before discussing the merits of Lee's work.
Set during WWII when Shanghai was occupied by the Japanese, a group of college students come together to form a theater group to perform protest plays. The quiet young girl Wong Chia Chi (Wei Tang, film debut) takes to acting quickly. This piques the affections of group leader Kuang Yu Min (Lee-Hom Wang). Soon protests plays are not enough for Kuang, who decides the group to work their way into the inner circle of Mr. Yee (Tony Leung, HERO), a high ranking official in the collaborationist government, and assassinate him. Chia Chi, posing as Mrs. Mak, the rich wife of an absent businessman, catches the eye of Mr. Yee. Using the official's wife (Joan Chen, THE LAST EMPEROR) as her in road, Chia Chi prepares for her mission as best as she can, even giving up her virginity to a fellow rebel so she can be convincing with Yee. But the rash plans of the naïve students do not go smoothly, leaving many to reevaluate their motives.
Based on the short story by Eileen Chang, Lee and screenwriters James Schamus and Hui-Ling Wang stretch the film to more than 2 ½ hours. Much of the time is taken up by mood and mahjongg. Lee takes his time establishing the world, especially in presenting the rich women who benefit from their husband's collaboration with the Japanese. Lee suggests heat between characters that doesn't catch fire until we have stopped minding the coals though. Yet, if a patient viewer notices the sparks, they will see a strange passionate relationship simmering between the bait and her prey. A key late speech from Chia Chi to her rebel boss cuts to the heart of the story. Lee refused to cut the steamy sex scenes from his film, because they are the film. They are the glue that binds the two lovers who have both put on masks in public and done things they are not proud of. In private, they can express their frustrations and sadness through carnal knowledge.
Looking back on the film, one cannot dispose of the sex scenes, because they are as essential to the story as those in THE LAST TANGO IN PARIS. Yet, they also become a focal point, we know they are there and we wait for them. We wait a long time for them, because there is little else to attract us. So when they come some will be left thinking, "well, I could see more graphic stuff on Cinemax late at night." However, what those skin flicks lack is the eroticism, sex of the mind. BELLE DE JOUR has no nudity in it, but it is one of the most erotic films ever made. LUST, CAUTION, with its gorgeous cinematography and haunting score, has some of those qualities, but loses some of it amidst the drawn out foreplay of a common intrigue story. The first sex scene with its undertones of S&M is like a ball of flame that ignites the film. It opens up many emotional questions about the characters, many of which we are left unfortunately pondering at the end.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
