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Lee's film 'should pass test'
18/09/2007 09:21 - (SA)
Hong Kong - A senior Chinese film official said on Monday he's confident that Ang Lee's sexually explicit new film Lust, Caution will pass censorship in the country after the Taiwanese director edits the movie.
Lust, Caution faces two big obstacles in China - Chinese censors' aversion to sex scenes and the lack of a ratings system, which means Lee needs to provide a cut that's suitable for all ages.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a reception for a Chinese film festival in Hong Kong, Zhang Pimin, deputy director-general of China's Film Bureau, said he's seen Lust, Caution and is confident that Lee will edit it to Chinese censors' satisfaction.
"Ang Lee is very clear what is suitable (for Chinese audiences) and what isn't," Zhang said.
"I think director Ang Lee will do a good job editing the movie. There won't be a problem," he said.
Strong sexual content
Zhang said Lee still hasn't submitted his edited version to the Film Bureau's censorship committee, which has 20 working days to rule on each submission.
Lust, Caution, which won the top Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month, has drawn attention because of its strong sexual content.
The movie, based on a short story by famed Chinese writer Eileen Chang, is about a group of patriotic students who plot to assassinate the intelligence chief in the Japanese-backed Chinese government during the World War II era.
Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai plays the intelligence official, Mr Yi, while newcomer Tang Wei plays Chinese student Wang Jiazhi, who seduces Yi to pave the way for the assassination.
The movie also features Joan Chen from The Last Emperor and Chinese-American pop star Leehom Wang.
Frontal nudity
Hollywood trade publication Variety reported earlier that the movie features lovemaking from "provocative" sexual positions, implied oral sex and full female frontal nudity.
In the US, Lust, Caution was rated "NC-17," banning viewers younger than 17.
In Hong Kong, it was rated "Category III," which bans viewers younger than 18.
Zhang also said the Film Bureau is studying how to categorise films shown in China but added that a ratings system may not be the solution.
"It's not that we have to implement a ratings system. Maybe there's a smarter way," Zhang said.
Chinese filmmakers have complained that the lack of a ratings systems allows censors to impose arbitrary cuts on their movies.
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South Africa
