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(aka 'Se, jei')
Directed by
Ang Lee
USA / China / Taiwan / Hong Kong 2007
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Lust, Caution—do any two
words define the central dichotomy of human existence more succinctly? No mere
movie, perhaps, could live up to such a richly evocative title, and Variety’s
review of Ang Lee’s new espionage melodrama—which won the top prize at this
year’s Venice Film Festival, just two years after Lee’s
Brokeback Mountain nabbed the same award—was only the first of many to
complain that the film’s caution-to-lust ratio is less than favorable. Far too
much has been made, hype-wise, of its explicit, few-holds-barred, NC-17 sex
scenes, which Lee unleashes only after roughly two hours of minutely observed PG
parrying; clearly, early viewers anticipated more heedless thrusting and fewer
close-ups of mah-jongg tiles. Nor does it help that the film’s
sleeping-with-the-enemy plot is nearly identical to that of Paul Verhoeven’s
Black Book, which is comparatively stupid but much more trashy, lurid
fun. Still, if you can adjust your expectations a bit, and look at Lust,
Caution as the Asian equivalent of a first-rate Merchant-Ivory
picture—literate, resolutely old-fashioned, maybe a tad stodgy—you’ll find that
its emotional power sneaks stealthily up on you. Excerpt from Mike D'Angelo's review at The Las Vegas Weekly located HERE |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: August 30th, 2007 - Venice Film Festival
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Universal (NC-17) - Region 1 - NTSC
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| DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: |
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Also released the same day is the 9 minute shorter (edited) R-Rated version - (Rated R for strong sexual content and a scene of brutal violence) |
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| Distribution | Universal Studios - Region 1 - NTSC | |
| Runtime | 2:38:05 | |
| Video | 1.78:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.77 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Bitrate: |
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| Audio | Mandarin (Dolby Digital 5.1), DUB: French (Dolby Digital 5.1) | |
| Subtitles | English (CC), English, Spanish, French, None | |
| Features |
Release Information:
Edition Details: • Featurette:
Tiles of Deception, Lurid Affections (16:58) |
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| Comments: |
Simultaneously Universal are releasing both this NC-17 and a shorter (edited) R-Rated versions of Ang Lee's film. Yes, the NC-17 has some strong sexual content (graphic sex - occasionally forced) and a scene of brutal violence but I wouldn't say it was any more offensive than anything else I have seen from recent modern film. Two of the screen captures below can give you an idea of the potentially disturbing content sequences. Adults shouldn't be overly concerned, in my opinion. This is a wonderful looking transfer with all the right attributes - color, contrast and detail which all get top marks (kudos to Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography and the detailed team of art directors). The only way I could see this looking better is in one of the new formats (HD or Blu-ray) but, being Universal, an HD is not yet scheduled. I suspect it would look spectacular. My only nitpicking flaw would be the subtitle font which seems a shade small (see sample below) and can move a bit quick at times. The Mandarin audio is perfect and rarely supportive of the 5.1 track with very few scenes of noted separation. There is also an optional French DUB in 5.1. Expectantly this SD DVD is progressive, dual-layered, and anamorphic in the film's original aspect ratio. It is coded for region 1 in the NTSC standard. The only supplement is a 17 minute featurette entitled Tiles of Deception, Lurid Affections. It combines a 'making of...' including production and narrative details with input from Ang Lee, Rodrigo Prieto, Tang Wei and others. Lee gives some input on the production of art and being courageous, preparing actors etc. - it is fairly enjoyable. I loved the film - wow - Lee's love affair with the locations and era are so evident in his cinema and the performances are magnificent. It is a very emotional and personal film and that evolves to be Lust, Caution's greatest strength. I strongly recommend. |
DVD Menus
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Subtitle Sample
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Screen Captures
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| DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from: |
![]() |
Also released the same day is the 9 minute shorter (edited) R-Rated version - (Rated R for strong sexual content and a scene of brutal violence). |
|
| Distribution | Universal Studios - Region 1 - NTSC | |
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