It might not have been have been buzzed about as some of the other films in competition, but Ang Lee’s new WWII-era erotic espionage thriller “Lust Caution,” surprised many by running away with the top prize at the Venice Film Festival this weekend.
The Taiwanese director, who won the 2006 Oscar for directing, “Brokeback Mountain,” also captured the same Venice top prize with his “gay cowboy” movie two years ago and dedicated his award to the recently passed Swedish film titan, Ingmar Bergman.
“I have invited you to come along with me and in the end to stay down there with me … You are the seven samurais, I needed your help,” Lee said, addressing the seven-member jury which was resided over by Zhang Yimo (wire-fu director of “House Of Flying Daggers,” “Curse of the Golden Flower“).
Brian DePalma won best director for his controversial and supposedly brutalizing Iraq film, “Redacted,” Cate Blanchett won the top female acting prize for her turn as Jude/Bob Dylan in “I’m Not There,” and Brad Pitt won best actor for playing the legendary outlaw in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.”
Todd Haynes’ “I’m Not There” and Abdellatif Kechiche‘s “La Graine et le Mulet,” shared the Special Jury Prize (generally known as the runner-up Prize). Venerable Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci was presented with a special Golden Lion for his overall career achievements [ed. good for him, we love Bertolucci]
“Lust Caution” is due in U.S. theaters on September 28, but it might be rather difficult for the film to receive mainstream love as its explicit depiction of sexuality and violence has been slapped with the dreaded NC-17 rating in the United States (it doesn’t help that that’s it’s also entirely not in English – hello Best Foreign Oscar?)
“Lust Caution” trailer