Shine With Grace

I don’t have a “bottom line” in my acting.  Not until I start to act the character, I wouldn’t know where it would take me to, and I just go with the flow.  If I set a ”bottom line” for myself I would be limiting myself, and I would never be able to get to the next level.

~ Tony Leung talks about his character in Lust, Caution

Lust, Caution 

Lust, Caution is an “erotic spy-thriller”adopted from the late Eileen Cheung’s short fiction set in World World II China, about the story between Mr. Yee (Tony Leung), a Japanese collaborator and Chia Chi (Tong Wei), the Chinese student who tried to kill Mr. Yee by seducing him.  

Directed by award-winning Lee Ang, the film has just won the Gold Lion (Best Film) Award at this year’s Venice Film Festival.  (Two years ago, Lee won the Gold Lion Award for the first time with his controversial cow-boy film, Brokeback Mountain.) 

Despite Director Lee and the cast kept reiterating that the film was not an erotic movie but one that attempted to investigate the fate of a woman’s heart and the dilemmas faced by the characters during the WWII, the media has unavoidably put much of its focus on the steamy erotic scenes between Tony Leung and Tong Wei.  “It tested the limits of the audiences,” said the Italian press.

“We didn’t aim at making an erotic movie.  The scenes were there to depict the psychology of Mr. Yee,” said Tony Leung.  Admittedly the scenes were a breakthrough for Director Lee, Leung and Tong.  ”My film frightens me”, said Director Lee. 

The film will be shown in the cinemas internationally starting later this month.  Can’t wait to watch it for Director Lee has not failed to amaze his audience with his films (Brokeback Mountain (Widescreen Edition) ; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ; The Wedding Banquetetc.) and Tony Leung (In the Mood for Love - Criterion Collection, 2046, Infernal Affairs (Wu jian dao)) is always my favorite actor. 

Touched by what Tony Leung said 

While we will have to wait another two weeks to watch the film, I have been keeping an eye on the Venice Film Festival news and was touched by what Tony Leung said in one of his interviews.  

When asked whether this film has broken any of his “bottom lines”, Tony Leung replied that he had none, for that would only limit him from reaching the next level.  I was touched by Leung’s reply, and this also reminded me the following words by Dr. Wayne Dyer:

 …”I worked and worked at my dream and it still didn’t work out.  Why?”  My answer to that person is a question: “What is it you were unwilling to do?”    

I believe that being willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve your dream is a key factor in the accomplishment.

What are we unwilling to do?  In work do we pledge to ourselves that we would never work over time, travelling aboard, cooperate with the competing team…?  In relationships do we insist to not be the first one to say sorry, my way or the high way etc?  Why haven’t us attained our goals yet?  Is it because of the risk that we don’t dare to take, the possible objection that we avoid to face, the status quo that we are so afraid to give up?

It takes extraordinary efforts to attain extraordinary results.  Are you on your extra mile?

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• Film On Saturday - Chungking Express By Wong Kar Wai
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• Art On Sunday - “God’s Architect”: Antoni Gaudi
• Film On Saturday - Love Is Actually All Around: Films By Richard Curtis (Notting Hill, Love Actually, Four Weddings And A Funeral) 

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