''Lust, Caution'' ( zh, t=色,戒, p=Sè, Jiè, j=Sik
1Gaai
3) is a 2007
erotic
Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, sculp ...
spy romantic mystery film
A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...
directed by
Ang Lee
Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. His films are known for their emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden emotions. During his career, he has received international critical and popular acclaim and List o ...
, based on
the 1979 novella by
Eileen Chang. ''Lust, Caution'' is set in Hong Kong in 1938 and in Shanghai in 1942, when the city was occupied by the
Imperial Japanese Army
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
and ruled by the
puppet government led by
Wang Jingwei
Wang Zhaoming (4 May 188310 November 1944), widely known by his pen name Wang Jingwei, was a Chinese politician who was president of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China, a puppet state of the Empire of Japan. He was in ...
. The film depicts a group of Chinese university students from the
University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a public research university in Pokfulam, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by the London Missionary Society and formally established as the University of ...
who plot to eliminate a high-ranking
special agent
In the United States, a special agent is an official title used to refer to certain investigators or detectives of federal, military, tribal, or state agencies who primarily serve in criminal investigatory positions. Additionally, some special ...
and
recruiter working for the puppet government by luring him into a
honey trap. The film is generally accepted to be based on the historical event of Chinese spy
Zheng Pingru's failed attempt to assassinate the Japanese collaborator
Ding Mocun.
With this film, Lee won the
Golden Lion
The Golden Lion () is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguished prizes. In 1970, a ...
at the
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...
for the second time, the first being with ''
Brokeback Mountain
''Brokeback Mountain'' is a 2005 American neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from Brokeback Mountain (short story), the 1997 short story by Annie Proulx, the screenplay ...
''. The
film adaptation
A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...
and the story are loosely based on events that took place during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai. The film's sex scenes resulted in the film being rated
NC-17 in the United States. The film grossed $67 million worldwide over $16 million budget, making it the highest grossing NC-17 rated film of all time.
Plot
Hong Kong 1938
During the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...
, a shy and inexperienced university student, Wong Chia Chi, travels from Shanghai to Hong Kong to begin studying at
Lingnan University
Lingnan University a public research university located in Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong.
Lingnan University has 3 faculties, 3 Schools, 16 departments, 2 language centres, and 2 units (science and music), offering 29 degree honours ...
. Male student Kuang Yumin invites her to join his patriotic drama club and she soon becomes a lead actress, inspiring both her audience and her colleagues. Inspired by the club's patriotic plays, Kuang persuades the group to make a more concrete contribution to the war against Japan. He devises a plan to assassinate Mr. Yee, a
special agent
In the United States, a special agent is an official title used to refer to certain investigators or detectives of federal, military, tribal, or state agencies who primarily serve in criminal investigatory positions. Additionally, some special ...
and recruiter of the
puppet government of
Wang Jingwei
Wang Zhaoming (4 May 188310 November 1944), widely known by his pen name Wang Jingwei, was a Chinese politician who was president of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China, a puppet state of the Empire of Japan. He was in ...
set up by the Japanese occupation in China. The beautiful Chia Chi is chosen to take on the undercover role of "Mrs. Mak", the elegant wife of a trading company owner. She inserts herself into the social circle of Mrs. Yee.
Chia Chi catches the eye of Mr. Yee and tries to lure him to a location where he can be assassinated. Chia Chi is still a virgin, and she reluctantly consents to having sex with another student involved in the plot in order to practice her role as a married woman. Attracted to Chia Chi, Yee nearly falls for the trap but backs out at the last minute. Soon after, Mr. and Mrs. Yee move back to Shanghai, leaving the students with no further chance to complete their mission. While they are preparing to disband, a former subordinate of Yee turns up unannounced and tells them that he is aware of their plans. After a violent struggle, the students kill the subordinate and then go into hiding.
Shanghai 1942
Three years later, in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, Chia Chi again encounters Kuang, who is now an undercover agent of the
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...
(KMT) secret service, the
''Juntong'', which is seeking to overthrow the Japanese occupation forces and the
puppet government. Kuang enlists her into a renewed assassination plan to kill Yee, who has become head of the secret police department under the puppet government, and is responsible for torturing and executing resistance members working for the KMT. Chia Chi's advances to become Yee's mistress are reciprocated. During their first sexual encounter, Yee violently rapes Chia Chi. Over the next few weeks, their sexual relationship becomes more consensual and affectionate, stirring conflicting emotions in Chia Chi.
When Chia Chi reports to her KMT superior officer, she exhorts him to carry out the assassination soon, so that she will not have to continue her sexual liaison with Yee, but she is told that the assassination needs to be delayed for strategic reasons. Chia Chi describes the emotional conflict she finds herself embroiled in, sentimentally bound to a man whom she is plotting to help assassinate. When Yee sends Chia Chi to a jewelry store with a sealed envelope, she discovers that he has arranged for a large and extremely rare six-carat pink diamond for her, to be mounted in a ring. This provides the Chinese resistance with a chance to get at Yee when he is not accompanied by his bodyguards.
Soon after, Chia Chi invites Yee to accompany her to collect the diamond ring. While entering the jewelry shop, she notices that all those involved in the assassination plot are undercover outside. When she puts on the ring, she is overcome by emotion and quietly urges Yee to leave. Understanding her meaning, he immediately flees the shop and escapes the assassination attempt. By the end of the day, most members of the resistance group have been captured. Yee's deputy was aware of the resistance cell, but did not inform Yee because he hoped to use the opportunity to catch their leader. In emotional turmoil, Yee signs the resistance members' death warrants. Chia Chi and the others are taken to a quarry to be executed. As the resistance members group are forced to their knees at gunpoint, a sad Kuang gazes at Chia Chi. Meanwhile, Yee sits on Chia Chi's empty bed in the family guest room while his wife asks him what is going on, since his secretary and two men had taken Chia Chi's belongings and some papers from his office. Yee tells her to keep quiet and to continue playing mahjong downstairs, to avoid letting anyone know of his affection for Chia Chi.
Cast

*
Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Tony Leung Chiu-wai ( zh , c=梁朝偉, p=Liáng Cháowěi, born 27 June 1962) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. He is one of Asia's most successful and internationally recognized actors. He has won many international acting prizes, including the C ...
as Mr. Yee
*
Tang Wei as Wong Chia Chi/"Mrs. Mak"
*
Joan Chen
Joan Chen (simplified Chinese; 陈冲; born April 26, 1961) is an American actress and film director. She made her film debut in the Chinese film ''Youth'' (1977) before starring in the film (1979). She came to the attention of American audien ...
as Mrs. Yee
*
Wang Leehom as Kuang Yumin
*
Tou Chung-hua as Old Wu
*
Chin Kar-lok as Assistant Officer Tsao
* Chu Chih-ying as Lai Xiujin
* Kao Ying-hsuan as Huang Lei
*
Lawrence Ko as Liang Junsheng
* Johnson Yuen as Auyang Lingwen/"Mr. Mak"
*
Fan Kuang-yao as Secretary Chang
*
Anupam Kher as Hali Salahuddin
*
Shyam Pathak as Jewelry Shopkeeper
* Akiko Takeshita as Japanese Tavern Boss Lady
* Hayato Fujiki as Japanese Colonel Sato
Production
The actors who played university classmates spent six months of preproduction in Hong Kong to get into character and understand the period before filming. During this period the group of actors, including Tang Wei and
Wang Leehom, became very close friends. Both
Tang Wei and
Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Tony Leung Chiu-wai ( zh , c=梁朝偉, p=Liáng Cháowěi, born 27 June 1962) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. He is one of Asia's most successful and internationally recognized actors. He has won many international acting prizes, including the C ...
were asked whether the sex scenes in the movie were
unsimulated. Tang Wei responded, "In the movie, we are just doing what we should do to have a baby." As for Tony Leung, he responded, "When the bodies collide with each other, it is indeed like a fake show!"
Themes
Meaning of the title
The title of the work, ''Lust, Caution'', has a double meaning in Chinese. The character for "lust" (色, ''sè'') can be read as "colour", while "caution" (戒, ''jiè'') can be read as "ring", therefore the title can also read as "colored ring", an object that plays a pivotal role in the story. The two alternate readings of the title are interwoven into a cautionary tale of lust and love through the symbolic use of the ring.
Sexuality and power
In the movie, Chia Chi's virginity is used as a symbol of both her status as an innocent woman and a barrier to the role she must play in order to prove her patriotism. Chia Chi's virginity is ultimately given as a sacrifice but consequently, her sexuality that has been awakened is used as a weapon against Mr. Yee in order to ensnare him into a relationship.
The portrayal of female sexuality and desire in the film emphasizes the shame and awkwardness of Chia Chi's sexuality versus the role she must play as "Mrs. Mak", which serves the nation rather than her needs as a woman. Sex and sexuality are used as tangible tools in proving patriotism in this film, and in each instance of Chia Chi's bodily sacrifice, she is representing the recognizable symbol of violation experienced by China as a nation while under Japanese occupation.
Through each of the sex scenes, a tangible but subtle difference can be seen in Wong Chia Chi's character as she becomes more comfortable with her sexual desires; a gradual acceptance of pleasure along with a growing role of dominance in hers and Mr. Yee's relationship as compared to the submissive and easily manipulated role she fills in the group of comrades that she is plotting against the Japanese and their collaborators with.
Eileen Chang's original work from which Ang is drawing from does not contain the sex scenes of the film, yet with their addition a change can be seen in the levels of participation and assertiveness from Wong Chia Chi and her own agency in them: the first sex scene focuses on the forced and unpleasant intercourse between the couple; stronger levels of consent and enjoyment from Chia Chi is found in the second sex scene; finally, Wong Chia Chi has recognized her full agency in the third sex scene and is acting with assertion by taking control of her own desires and pleasure with Mr. Yee.
Soundtrack
The music for ''Lust, Caution'' was created by French composer
Alexandre Desplat. The soundtrack, which was released by
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...
, contains 24 songs running at approximately 60 minutes in length.
Tracklist
Release
''Lust, Caution'' premiered at the
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...
, where it won the
Golden Lion
The Golden Lion () is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguished prizes. In 1970, a ...
, the second such award for Ang Lee. It was released in U.S. theaters on September 28, 2007, where it was rated
NC-17 by the
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the Major film studios, five major film studios of the Cinema of the United States, United States, the Major film studios#Mini-majors, mini-major Amazon MGM Stud ...
due to some explicit sex scenes. Lee stated that he would make no changes to attempt to get an
R rating.
After the movie's premiere, director Ang Lee was displeased that Chinese news media (including those from Taiwan) had greatly emphasized the sex scenes in the movie. The version released in the People's Republic of China was cut by about seven minutes (by the director himself) to make it suitable for younger audiences, since China has no rating system. Scenes of violence were also removed from the mainland version, and the total minutes of the cuts was around 30. The version released in Malaysia was approved by the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia without alterations and was rated
18SX—those under 18 are barred from the cinema. The uncut version was released on DVD in 2008, as well as R-rated version since certain rental outlets and stores like
Blockbuster video
Blockbuster may refer to:
Corporations
* Blockbuster (retailer), a former video rental chain
* Blockbuster (Bend, Oregon), remaining store
Arts and entertainment
* Blockbuster (entertainment) a very successful movie
* Blockbuster (DC Comics ...
did not carry NC-17 titles.
Home media
In 2007, two DVD versions of ''Lust, Caution'' were released: the original NC-17 version and the censored R-rated version. On March 30, 2021, Kino Lorber released the NC-17 version of the film on Blu-ray.
Controversies
Censorship
In a number of countries, notably the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
and
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, the sex scenes had to be cut before the film could be released. In
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, the film's producers initially decided to release a cut version with an NC-16 rating, but a public outcry stating that the producers of the film were underestimating censorship standards in the country (the film was released uncut in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
and
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
) prompted them to eventually release the uncut version with an R-21 rating. The film is rated R18 and was released uncut in
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
.
The following scenes were cut from the mainland China version:
* Wong Chia Chi walking past dead
refugee
A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...
s in the street
*
Stabbing
A stabbing is penetrating trauma, penetration or rough contact with a sharp or pointed object at close range. ''Stab'' connotes purposeful action, as by an Assassination, assassin or murderer, but it is also possible to accidentally stab oneself ...
scene cut to only one knife stab
* Two of the sex scenes featuring the student, and three featuring Mr. Yee
* A nude shot of Wong Chia Chi at a window
* Wong Chia Chi in bed after her first sexual tryst with Mr. Yee
* Dialogue modified in diamond ring scene so that Wong Chia Chi did not betray the resistance by warning Mr. Yee.
In a further example of censorship affecting the mainland China release of ''Lust, Caution'', the line in which Chia Chi whispers "Go, go quickly" to the Japanese collaborator that she has fallen in love with in order to save him from capture and death; in the edited version, Ang Lee changes this to "Let's go" in order to redeem the lead protagonist's sabotage of the assassination attempt of Mr. Yee
by implicating them both in the escape rather than Chia Chi sacrificing herself and her classmates alone. This form of censorship was done in order to avoid criticism for glorifying a traitor such as Mr. Yee during a time of Japanese occupation in World War II.
Chia Chi's betrayal of her classmates and China as a nation in order to save a traitor was received by some mainland Chinese audiences with distaste, with some media websites referring to the film as an insult to China.
The film's end credits are followed by a
18 U.S.C § 2257 notice.
Blacklisting
Tang Wei was ostracized from the mainland Chinese movie industry and did not work for three years because the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) disapproved of her sexual acts in the film. All print ads and video content using Tang's image were removed and her endorsements were discontinued. She was set to star in
Tian Zhuangzhuang's big-budget period film ''
The Warrior and the Wolf'' (2009), but was replaced by
Maggie Q. Director Ang Lee released a statement saying that he is "very regretful" over Tang's blacklisting and that he "will do everything I can to support her in this difficult time". Co-star Tony Leung stated that "our work is only to express our roles and I don't think that an actor should be blacklisted because of this" and that "the whole crew should have a responsibility. We are a team and not an individual, and I'm a part of this team". In February 2009, during her absence from the movie industry, Tang was reported to have briefly attended drama classes at the
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as the University Extension College, Reading, an extension college of Christchurch College, Oxford, and became University College, ...
in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
Country of production
The film was co-produced by American companies
Focus Features
Focus Features LLC is an American independent film production and distribution company, owned by Comcast as a unit of Universal Pictures, which is itself a unit of Comcast's division NBCUniversal. Focus Features distributes independent and fore ...
and River Road Productions, Chinese companies
Shanghai Film Group Corporation and Haishang Films, and the Taiwanese Hai Sheng Film Production Company. The film was directed by Ang Lee, a Taiwanese citizen, and the actors/actresses are from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the United States. It was shot in Shanghai, the neighboring province of
Zhejiang
)
, translit_lang1_type2 =
, translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese)
, image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg
, image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains
, image_map = Zhejiang i ...
, Hong Kong (at the
University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a public research university in Pokfulam, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by the London Missionary Society and formally established as the University of ...
), and some locations in
Penang
Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...
and
Ipoh
Ipoh (, ) is the capital city of the Malaysian States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Perak. Located on the Kinta River, it is nearly north of Kuala Lumpur and southeast of George Town, Penang, George Town in neighbouring Penang ...
in Malaysia used as 1930s/1940s Hong Kong.
Initially, the film's country was identified as "China-USA" by the organizers of the
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...
. However, the Venice Film Festival changed the film to "USA-China-Taiwan, China" on its official schedule shortly thereafter.
When the film premiered at the event, Taiwan's
Mainland Affairs Council
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) is a cabinet-level administrative agency under the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The MAC is responsible for the planning, development, and implementation of the cross-strait relations p ...
protested the Venice event's use of "Taiwan, China" to identify films from the island and blamed the People's Republic of China for the move.
After the film's premiere, Taiwan submitted the film as its
Best Foreign Film Oscar entry. However, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences asked Taiwan to withdraw the film because key members of the film crew were not locals. Academy spokeswoman Teni Melidonian said in an e-mail organizers refused to accept the film because "an insufficient number of Taiwanese participated in the production of the film," violating a rule that requires foreign countries to certify their locals "exercised artistic control" over their submission.
Defamation
On September 13, 2007, an elderly lady, Zheng Tianru, staged a press conference in Los Angeles, claiming that the movie was about real-life events that happened in World War II, and wrongfully portrayed her older sister,
Zheng Pingru, as a promiscuous secret agent who seduced and eventually fell in love with the assassination target
Ding Mocun, alleging the characters were renamed to Wong Chia Chi and Mr. Yee in the film. Taiwan's investigation bureau confirmed that Zheng Pingru failed to kill Ding Mocun because her gun jammed, rather than developing a romantic relationship with the assassin's target.
Ang Lee maintains that Eileen Chang wrote the original short story as fiction.
Reception
Critical reception
On the review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film has an approval rating of 74% based on 148 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's consensus reads: "Ang Lee's ''Lust, Caution'' is a tense, sensual and beautifully-shot espionage film". On
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film had a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 35 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
The Chinese press gave the film generally positive reviews. In analyzing how successful Lee's film was as an adaptation of Eileen Chang's short story, literary critic
Leo Ou-fan Lee wrote in
''Muse'' Magazine that he 'found
isloyalties divided between Eileen Chang and Ang Lee. But after three viewings of the film, I have finally opted for Lee because deep down I believe in film magic which can sometimes displace textual fidelity.' In an earlier issue of ''Muse'' however, film critic Perry Lam had criticized Lee's direction: 'in his eagerness to make the movie appealing to a mass audience, Lee seems guilty of sentimentalism.' Sentimental or not, there is certainly a palpable trace of Lee's sympathy for Chang's personal love life, "It was hard for me to live in Eileen Chang's world...There are days I hated her for it. It's so sad, so tragic. But you realize there's a shortage of love in her life: romantic love, family love." He added, "This is the story of what killed love for her."
Audiences across Taiwan received the premiere of ''Lust, Caution'' with excitement stemming from pride over the fact that Ang Lee hails from Taiwan and the fact that the film received many international awards.
The mainstream media in Taiwan built up an enormous amount of anticipation and fever for the world premiere of ''Lust, Caution'' with a continuous gossip channel focused on the explicit and controversial portrayal of sexuality
which seemed to indicate to the positive, or at least curious reception of the film.
Jack Mathews of the
New York ''Daily News'' named it the 5th best film of 2007.
Kenneth Turan of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' named it the 6th best film of 2007.
British actor
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as a charming and vulnerable romantic leading man, and has since transitioned into a character actor. He has received List of awards ...
is on record as being fan of the film.
Anachronisms
It has been noted by critics (including
Bryan Appleyard) that the Hong Kong sequences in the film set in the late 1930s include "London taxis" of two types (
FX3,
FX4) that were only manufactured onwards from 1948 and 1958 respectively. The film features
Japanese orthography that wasn't used before 1946 in a classroom scene. Tony Leung's wrist watch is not period-accurate for the 1930s. The size is much larger than a men's rectangular-shaped watch from this period.
Box office
''Lust, Caution'' was produced on a budget of approximately $15 million.
In Hong Kong, where the film was screened uncut, ''Lust, Caution'' grossed US$6,249,342 (approximately $48 million HKD) despite being saddled with a restrictive
Category III rating. It was the territory's highest-grossing Chinese language film of the year, and third highest overall (behind ''
Spider-Man 3
''Spider-Man 3'' is a 2007 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment, and Laura Ziskin Productions, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it was directe ...
'' and ''
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'').
The film was also a box office success in mainland China despite the cuts made to allow screening. There, the film grossed US$17,109,185, making it the Mainland's fifth highest-grossing film of 2007 and third highest-grossing domestic production.
In North America, the film received NC-17 rating, which severely limited the number of cinemas willing to screen it. In its opening weekend in one U.S. theater, the grossed $63,918.
Expanding to seventeen venues the next week, its per-screen average was $21,341, before cooling down to $4,639 at 125 screens.
Never playing at more than 143 cinemas for the duration of its entire U.S. run, the film ultimately grossed $4,604,982.
As of August 15, 2008, the film was the fifth highest-grossing NC-17 production in North America.
Focus Features
Focus Features LLC is an American independent film production and distribution company, owned by Comcast as a unit of Universal Pictures, which is itself a unit of Comcast's division NBCUniversal. Focus Features distributes independent and fore ...
was very satisfied with the United States release of this film.
Worldwide, ''Lust, Caution'' grossed $67,091,915.
DVD sales
The film has generated more than $24 million from its DVD sales and rentals in the United States, an impressive result for a film that only grossed $4.6 million in limited theatrical release in the United States.
Accolades
Won: 2007 Golden Lion International Venice Film Festival Award
44th Golden Horse Awards
* Won:
Best Film
* Won:
Best Director (
Ang Lee
Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. His films are known for their emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden emotions. During his career, he has received international critical and popular acclaim and List o ...
)
* Won:
Best Actor (
Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Tony Leung Chiu-wai ( zh , c=梁朝偉, p=Liáng Cháowěi, born 27 June 1962) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. He is one of Asia's most successful and internationally recognized actors. He has won many international acting prizes, including the C ...
)
* Won:
Best New Performer (
Tang Wei)
* Won:
Best Adapted Screenplay (
Hui-Ling Wang and
James Schamus)
* Won: Best Makeup & Costume Design (Pan Lai)
* Won: Best Original Film Score (
Alexandre Desplat)
* Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year (Ang Lee)
* Nominated:
Best Actress (Tang Wei)
* Nominated: Best Art Direction (Lau Sai-Wan, Pan Lai)
* Nominated:
Best Cinematography (Rodrigo Prieto)
* Nominated:
Best Editing (Tim Squyres)
27th Hong Kong Film Awards
* Won: Best Asian Film (Ang Lee)
44th Guldbagge Awards
* Won:
Best Foreign Film
65th Golden Globe Awards
* Nominated: Best Foreign Film
61st British Academy Film Awards
* Nominated: Best Costume Design (Pan Lai)
* Nominated: Best Foreign Film (Ang Lee, James Schamus, William Kong)
* Nominated: Rising Star Award (Tang Wei)
2nd Asian Film Awards
* Won: Best Actor (Tony Leung Chiu-wai)
* Nominated: Best Film
* Nominated: Best Actress (Tang Wei)
* Nominated: Best Composer (Alexandre Desplat)
* Nominated: Best Director (Ang Lee)
* Nominated: Best Screenwriter (Wang Hui-Ling and
James Schamus)
BAFTA Awards
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best Cinema of the United Kingdom, British and Worl ...
* Best Film in a Foreign Language, 2008.
Freedom of Expression Award
* Ang Lee was given this award at the ShoWest convention for his decision to release the film in the United States uncut, rather than editing the film to avoid the
MPAA
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, the mini-major Amazon MGM Studios, as well as the video streaming services Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. F ...
's
NC-17 rating.
[Bowles, Scott]
"'Lust, Caution': Not just a movie title in NC-17 debate"
''USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'', March 13, 2008
See also
*
Black Book (film)
References
External links
*
*
''Proceeding with Caution''*
Ang Lee on making ''Lust, Caution''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lust, Caution
2007 films
2007 thriller films
2000s American films
2000s Cantonese-language films
2000s Chinese films
2000s English-language films
2000s erotic thriller films
2000s Hindi-language films
2000s Hong Kong films
2000s Japanese-language films
2000s Mandarin-language films
2000s spy thriller films
American erotic thriller films
American spy thriller films
American World War II films
Best Foreign Film Guldbagge Award winners
Chinese thriller films
Chinese World War II films
English-language Chinese films
English-language erotic thriller films
English-language Hong Kong films
English-language spy thriller films
English-language Taiwanese films
Films based on Chinese novels
Films based on works by Eileen Chang
Films directed by Ang Lee
Films produced by James Schamus
Films scored by Alexandre Desplat
Films set in 1938
Films set in 1942
Films set in China
Films set in Hong Kong
Films set in Shanghai
Films shot in Malaysia
Films shot in Shanghai
Films shot in Zhejiang
Films whose director won the Best Director Golden Horse Award
Films with screenplays by James Schamus
Focus Features films
Golden Lion winners
Golden Osella winners
Hong Kong thriller films
Japan in non-Japanese culture
Obscenity controversies in film
Rating controversies in film
Satellite Award–winning films
Second Sino-Japanese War films
Shanghainese-language films
Taiwanese thriller films