Upon its release, the 2007 movie “Lust, Caution (色戒)” caused a huge sensation with movie buffs and critics alike. The Ang Lee (李安) film went on to receive tons of nominations and it even won the Best Film award at the prestigious Golden Horse Awards. However, the movie also had its fair share of controversy, mostly due to the multiple explicit scenes between the main characters played by Tony Leung (梁朝偉) and Tang Wei (汤唯).
One of the most notable scenes in the movie was the scene where Tony and Tang Wei were having sex while in a contorted position, dubbed the “paperclip position”. The scene caused quite a commotion amongst viewers of the film, with many questioning whether the scene had featured Tony and Tang Wei or if it was their body doubles. Years after the release of “Lust, Caution”, director Ang Lee began sharing more details from the movie’s filming.
The 70-year-old revealed that filming the paperclip sex scene in particular had caused a lot of psychological pressure on the film’s two main stars. According to Ang Lee, Tony and Tang Wei didn’t use body doubles for their intimate scenes to ensure realism but they initially had issues with filming. Reportedly, the two would be completely nude on set in the middle of the night and it would take a long time to film one scene.
After filming the emotionally heavy and physical scenes, Tony and Tang Wei eventually burst into tears. Tony reportedly once said that he felt a lot of burden because of the scenes and needed the director to assist him in overcoming a psychological barrier. Tang Wei also once admitted that she cried a lot when filming “Lust, Caution” because of the intense emotions. Ang Lee revealed that even the crew filming the scene had gotten “sick” because of the pressure.
Thankfully, the actors and the staff’s hard work paid off as the movie has since become an iconic piece in the film industry. While it did cause some issues, particularly with film censorship boards, there’s no denying the significance of “Lust, Caution” in today’s media.
Source: China Press
