From Eileen Chang to Ang Lee

Lust/Caution

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Edited by Peng Hsiao-yen and Whitney Crothers Dilley

Type

Studies

Subject

One Film > Lust Caution

Keywords

Ang Lee, China

Publishing date

2017

Publisher

Routledge

Collection

Academia Sinica on East Asia

1st publishing

2014

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 232 pages
6 x 9 ½ inches (15.5 x 24 cm)

ISBN

978-1-138-06377-8

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Book Presentation:
In 2007, Ang Lee made an espionage thriller based on the short story "Lust, Caution" by Eileen Chang, China’s most famous female author of the twentieth century. The release of the film became a trigger for heated debates on issues of national identity and political loyalty, and brought unexpectedly harsh criticism from China, where Ang Lee was labelled a traitor in scathing internet critiques, whilst the film's leading actress Tang Wei was banned from appearing on screen for two years.

This book analyses Ang Lee’s art of film adaptation through the lens of modern literary and film theory, as well as featuring detailed readings and analyses of different dialogues and scenes, directorial and authorial decisions and intentions, while at the same time confronting the intense political debates resulting from the film’s subject matter. The theories of Freud, Lacan, Deleuze, Bataille and others are used to identify and clarify issues raised by the film related to gender, sexuality, eroticism, power, manipulation, and betrayal; the themes of lust and caution are dealt with in conjunction with the controversial issues of contemporary political consciousness concerning patriotism, and the Sino-Japanese War complicated by divided historical experiences and cross-Taiwan Strait relationships.

The contributors to this volume cover translation and adaptation, loyalty and betrayal, collaboration and manipulation, playing roles and performativity, whilst at the same time intertwining these with issues of national identity, political loyalty, collective memory, and gender. As such, the book will appeal to students and scholars of Chinese and Asian cinema and literature, as well as those interested in modern Chinese history and cultural studies.

About the authors:
Peng Hsiao-yen is a Research Fellow at Academia Sinica, Taiwan. Whitney Crothers Dilley is Professor in the Department of English, Shih Hsin University, Taiwan.

See the publisher website: Routledge

See Lust Caution (2007) on IMDB ...