And this is the final poster that is used in Hong Kong, compared to the poster seen in my previous entry. If you noticed carefully, there are some difference in the poster.
Now, let's get straight to the comments from the audience who catched the NC16 version after the movie ends:
Lawrence: Not bad...
Jess: This is a pretty good movie.
Me: It would be better if it is an uncut version.
The gay couple sitting behind us: This movie is too stressful and heavy...
The young girls sitting beside me: couldn't believe that Lee would cut his precious work...
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Of course, the movie receives mixed reviews in US. While some are amazed with Ang Lee's final piece of work, there are those who claimed that the movie is too Chinese, and not forgetting the super explicit sex scenes which stirred up a storm in Singapore, for many will boycott the NC16 version where they feel that screening the edited version not only ruined Lee's precious work, but also an insult to the intelligence of Singapore adults.
It's not that often we Singaporeans get to see a great masterpiece by movie masters in cinemas. Let's not talk about the independent/foreign productions which gets limited released in Singapore. Take Lee's Lust for example. When was the last time a masterpiece gets a general release in Singapore? Lawrence and i catched Martin Scorsese's The Departed last year, and it was a masterpiece. Sad to say that the movie received an M18 rating with cuts.
And i could simply throw out a list of great movies that receives cuts for 1) sake of cutting it, 2) do not want the kids to get in touch with things they are not supposed to see, 3) to boost box office sales (even though i have no issues on distributor cutting some scenes to get a lower rating for commercial films.)
Oliver Stone's Platoon received an NC16 with cuts on home video release for war violence that is simply unbearable for some, even though it shows the real and ugly side of US during the Vietnam war, where US loses heavily in the end.
Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction was rated RA, then R21 with cuts for plenty of vulgarities and teaching the young on consuming heroin.
Royston Tan's 15 slapped with a RA rating after receiving 21 or 26 cuts. (someone help me with this pls...) Some scenes featured a wayward teen taking a pen knife and cutting his wrist several times, few ah bengs comparing their penis, 2 gang having a fight, with gang song from a local gang as background music, some homoerotic scenes...
And now, Lee's Lust Caution was cut by Lee himself. Gone were the 4 important sex scenes. And after flipping through the screenplay book at Books Kinokuniya Orchard this afternoon, i am shocked that Lee has cut more than what is supposed to be presented to the audience. However, only one scene will be mentioned here.
In the second sex scene of the movie, Tang Wei was taking off her raincoat, right in front of Tony Leung. Leung could not resist the temptation of Tang. Thus, he grabbed her on the wall, ripped off her cheongsam, throw her onto the bed, which more or less ends up in a rape. After the rape, Tang was lying on the bed crying, and Leung passed some clothings to her, and left without a word.
See it for yourself if you want to know more, but i will never placed the NC16 version of Lust Caution DVD onto my DVD collection.