Lust, Caution

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai Director: Ang Lee Ang Lee

Overview

Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee adapts this Eileen Chang story set in World War II-era Shanghai that details the political intrigue surrounding a powerful political figure named Mr. Yee (Tony Leung) in Japanese-occupied Shanghai. Spanning the late '30s and early '40s, the movie introduces us to Hong Kong teen Wong Chia Chi (Tang Wei), a shy college freshman who finds her calling in a drama society devoted to patriotic plays. But the troupe's leader, Kuang Yu Min (Wang Leehom), isn't just a theater maven -- he's a revolutionary as well, and he's devoted to carrying out a bold plan to assassinate top Japanese collaborator Mr. Yee. Each student has an important role to play, and Wong puts herself in a dangerous position as Mrs. Mak; she befriends Mr. Yee's wife (Joan Chen), and slowly gains trust before tempting him into an affair. While at first the plan goes exactly as scripted, things suddenly take a deadly turn and Wong is emigrated from Hong Kong. Later, in 1941, the occupation shows no signs of ceasing and Wong is simply drifting through her days in Shanghai. Much to her surprise, the former actress finds Kuang requesting that she resume the role of Mrs. Mak. Now, as Wong again gains intimate access to her dangerous prey, she must struggle with her own identity in order to pull off the performance of a lifetime.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/19/2008
UPC:	0025193330628
Original Release:	2007
Rating:	NC-17
Source:	Focus Features
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Time:	2:39:00
Sales rank:	30,245

Special Features

"Tiles of Deception, Lurid Affections": Discover how Ang Lee's passion fueled every step of this erotic thriller -- from recreating the period to directing the talented cast

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai	Mr. Yee
Tang Wei	Mak Tai Tai
Joan Chen	Yee Tai Tai
Wang Lee Hom	Kuang Yu Min
Tou Chung Hua	Old Wu
Chu Tsz-ying	Actor
Kao Ying Hsuan	Huang Lei
Ko Yu Lien	Liang Jun Sheng
Johnson Yuen	Auyang Ling Wen,Mr. Mak
Chin Ka-lok	Tsao
Su Yan	Ma Tai Tai
He Saifei	Hsiao Tai Tai
Song Ru Hui	Wang's Aunt
Fan Kuang Yao	Secretary Chang
Lisa Yen Lu	Mahjong Partner of Aunt
Anupam Kher	Jewelry Shop Manager
Liu Jie	Leung Tai Tai
Yu Ya	Chu Tai Tai
Wang Lin	Liao Tai Tai
Hua Dong	Whangai Yee's Amah
Wang Kan	Mr. Yee's Chauffeur
Song Jian Hua	Yee Tai Tai's Chauffeur
Takesita Akiko	Japanese Tavern Boss Lady
Fujki Hayato	Japanese Colonel Sato
Seto Masumi	Geisha in Japanese Tavern
Koyama Noriko	Musician in Japanese Tavern
Shayam Pathak	Jewelry Shopkeeper
Gu Zhang-Ping	Hong Kong Tailor
Gao Bo-Wen	Male Ping-Tan Singer
Yu Qun	Female Ping-Tan Singer
Lau Yat Tung	Male HKU Theater Audience
Lai Yuk Ching	Female HKU Theater Audience
Yuji Kojima	Japanese Commander Taicho
Mizogomi Yoko	Japanese Teacher
Minamikata Fumika	Japanese Tavern Waitress
Anys Fatnassi	New Kiessling Café Waiter
Tang Ya Jun	Tricycle Cab Driver
Shi Hong	Woman at Police Line
Deng Wei	Prostitute in Brothel
Li Dou	Old Man at Bookstore
Alexandre Desplat	Conductor

Technical Credits

Wang Hui-Ling

James Schamus

Ang Lee	Director,Producer
Dan Carnegie	Animator
Hubert Chan	Animator
Lloyd Chao	Associate Producer
Joel Chong	Art Director
Song Dai	Executive Producer
David Lee	Co-producer
Alexandre Desplat	Score Composer
Liu Er Dong	Production Manager
Jason Edwards	Animator
Choi Shun Fai	Executive Producer
Tian Feng	Co-producer
Eric Fong	Production Manager
Eugene Gearty	Sound/Sound Designer
Au Wing Hin	Stunts
Chien Hsiang	Camera Operator
Wang Hui-Ling	Screenwriter
Liu Jianhua	Production Manager
Bill Kong	Producer
Drew Kunin	Sound/Sound Designer
Pan Lai	Costumes/Costume Designer,Production Designer
Erica Lam	Art Director
Kenny Lam	Camera Operator
Stacee Lau	Associate Producer
Olympic Lau	Art Director
Peter Lee	Translator
Diana Liao	Translator
Michelle Yen San Lo	Production Manager
Vicky Lee Lim Loo	Casting
Pang Wai Luen	Production Manager
Bill Lui	Art Director
Ng Wing Lun	Stunts
Alex Mok	Art Director
Michael Mulock	Animator
Kwan Lee Na	Makeup
Rosanna Ng	Asst. Director,Casting
Wch Ang Peng	Stunts
Xu Pengle	Co-producer
Rodrigo Prieto	Cinematographer
Matt Ralph	Animator
Nishimoto Ryuji	Casting
James Schamus	Producer,Screenwriter
Huang Kai Sen	Stunts
Darren Shaw	Executive Producer
Gavin Soares	Animator
Tim Squyres	Editor
Philip Stockton	Sound/Sound Designer
Jim Su	Animator
Sun Dan	Production Manager
Wang Tianyun	Co-producer
Chi Shui Tim	Special Effects
Doris Tse	Co-producer
Lee Chiu Wah	Production Manager
Arthur Wong	Camera Operator
Fu Wen Xia	Associate Producer
Leung Pok Yan	Stunts
Ren Zhonglun	Executive Producer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Lust, Caution
1. Shanghai, 1942 (Main Titles) [9:24]
2. A Telephone Call [6:44]
3. China Will Not Fall! [7:08]
4. Join the Resistance [7:48]
5. Remember Your Role [6:59]
6. Lucky [6:53]
7. Small Talk [11:01]
8. Getting the Hang of It [9:01]
9. Betrayed [5:37]
10. Unfinished Job [7:51]
11. No Turning Back [7:23]
12. Address: 2B [9:12]
13. Lonely [8:24]
14. Last Minute Meeting [11:56]
15. Loyalty [3:50]
16. Needle & Thread [7:23]
17. Six Carats [6:44]
18. Precious Gift [11:11]
19. Keep Playing [6:29]
20. End Titles [7:07]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Lust, Caution
   Play
   Scenes
   Bonus Features
      Tiles of Deception, Lurid Affections
   Languages
      Spoken Language: Mandarin 5.1
      Subtitles: English
      Subtitles: Español
      Subtitles: Français
      Subtitles: English SDH
      Subtitles: Off

Editorial Reviews

The graphic sex in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution made its NC-17 rating a foregone conclusion, given the MPAA's tendency to blush over the slightest hint of pubic hair. However, without wanting to legislate how an artist expresses himself, one wonders if toning down the sex might have brought this engrossing and epic spy film to a wider audience. Because of a few minutes of gymnastic intercourse, many viewers were deprived the two-plus hours of schemes and machinations related to the assassination of a high-ranking Chinese traitor during the Japanese occupation of China. But Lee's film doesn't function merely as a fascinating procedural on covert operations by freedom fighters; it also explores the moral and emotional consequences of entrenching with the enemy. As Mak Tai Tai, Tang Wei makes a perfectly conflicted central figure, charged with luring Mr. Yee (Tony Leung) by whatever means necessary. Lust, Caution makes it painfully clear that the resistance leadership is just as callous and unyielding as this cruel Japanese collaborator, refusing to think twice about prostituting Mak Tai Tai to achieve the desired outcome. Her tragedy is twofold. Not only did she join the revolution for the love of the very man who's asking her to ruin herself, but by dangling out there for so long, while the leadership squanders opportunities in order to stockpile intelligence, she ends up developing genuine feelings for Yee. And here the need for intense sex scenes becomes clear. The comingling of bodies symbolizes how the lines have blurred between performance and reality, how Mak Tai Tai can no longer dispassionately doom a lover she never even wanted. The film is filled with superb performances and wonderfully observed details, and Lee's camera misses nothing. In this world of calculation and deception, even the shuffling of mahjong tiles has ominous overtones.

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