Just caught LUST, CAUTION this week. Yes, the R21 version with the sex scenes intact.
Imagining that those explicit scenes aren’t there in the “milder” version, I figure that the impact/ emotional intensity for the audience won’t be as powerful as the original version.
The sex acts in this movie aren’t frivolous. They are pretty integral to portray the various underlying elements (power play between the characters) and the emotional turmoil faced by both parties. And I guess to understand that also requires a certain maturity on the audience’s part (not necessarily gauged by one’s age.) If I watch this movie as a 16 or a 21-year old, I may not appreciate this film as much.
Tang Wei put in a superb performance. I don’t think Zhang Ziyi will be suitable for the role. She’ll be too “hard”. Tang Wei adds a certain vulnerability and grit; sophistication and innocence all at the same time. And then Eng Tiong pointed out an extremely viable point – that the moment he sees Tang Wei in the movie, she reminds him of a younger version of Wu Chien Lien. I love her role in EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN as the chef’s middle daughter. That was another Ang Lee film. Hmm… did Ang Lee, while mulling over the cast, take Wu Chien Lien as the benchmark for the role of Wang Jiazhi?
Coming back to our theme of Sex Sells, LUST, CAUTION NC-16 version raked in SGD500k at the box office. LUST, CAUTION R21 version is now grossing SGD300K and is still going strong into its 3rd week!
PLEASURE FACTORY’s first week’s box office is SGD107K. But with all the bad reviews along the way, I doubt the box office sustained at that level for its whole theatrical run.
Moral of the story? The hype over sex may drive hoards to the cinema but to satisfy their hunger, the content must live up to the hype. That’s perhaps the best way for the producers to laugh their way to the bank.
