Kuwait Times

Published Date: March 11, 2008

Director Ang Lee has criticized a reported Chinese media ban on his protégé, actress Tang Wei, who became a huge star with the leading role in his award-winning spy thriller "Lust, Caution." Chinese regulators have ordered TV stations in Beijing and Shanghai to stop reporting on Tang and to pull any advertisements featuring the actress, Chinese media reported in recent days. The reason for the ban, which hasn't been officially announced, was not immediately clear. But "Lust, Caution" has drawn attention
because it portrays explicit sex and unpatriotic behavior. An edited version of the movie released in China became a box office hit.
In the movie, Tang plays a student activist who seduces a Japanese-allied Chinese intelligence official in World War II-era Shanghai to pave way for his assassination, only to give away the plot at the last minute. Lee said he's disappointed by the reported ban and praised Tang's performance in "Lust, Caution" in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press yesterday "I am very disappointed that Tang Wei is being hurt by this decision. She gave one of the greatest performances ever in a movie that was prop
erly produced and distributed. We will do everything we can to support her in this difficult time," said Lee, who is based in the US.
Lee has been quoted as saying he spent a huge amount of effort preparing Tang for her role. Unknown before "Lust, Caution," Tang, who is in her late 20s, became a household name in the Chinese-speaking world with her portrayal of an undercover activist who falls too deep into a sexually charged relationship with the enemy. "Lust, Caution" won the top Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival last year. The reported ban against "Lust, Caution" would mark the second time this year that Chinese authorit
ies took action against people involved in a film that had approved for release by state censors.
Chinese authorities recently forbade the producer of "Lost in Beijing," another sexually explicit movie about corrupting morals in modern China, from working for two years after a censored version of the film had been cleared and was released in Chinese theaters. Taiwan-born Lee, who won best director Oscar for the gay romance "Brokeback Mountain," was aware of Chinese worries about "Lust, Caution." He cut the movie's sexually explicit scenes and edited a line so Tang's character would appear less of a tr
aitor to the Chinese cause.
In the scene where the student activist gives away the assassination plot to the Japanese-allied intelligence official, Tang's line, "go quickly," is changed to "let's go" - so her intentions are more ambiguous. Many Chinese are still sensitive about the Japanese military's atrocities during its World War II-era invasion of China.
The Hollywood movie, "Memoirs of a Geisha," wasn't released in the country, amid speculation that officials feared the sight of Chinese actresses Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi playing Japanese geishas would spark a backlash. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television posted a notice on its Web site last week reaffirming its rules against films with sexually risque, violent or supernatural content.
The order also banned movies that "damaged national unity" or "degraded the image of revolutionary leaders, heroes and important historical figures." Calls to the administration's spokesman yesterday went unanswered. Zhang Pimin, deputy secretary-general at China's Film Bureau, told The Associated Press in a phone interview he hasn't seen any orders about a ban against Tang. Hong Kong's Edko Films, which represents Tang, didn't immediately return calls seeking comment. -AP