From Eileen Chang to Ang Lee

Ang Lee¿s 2007 adaptation of Lust/Caution, became a trigger for heated debates on issues of national identity and political loyalty in the Sinophone media. Indeed, Ang Lee received harsh criticism for being unpatriotic whilst the film's leading actress, Tang Wei, was banned from appearing on screen for two years. This book analyses Ang Lee¿s film adaptation of Eileen Chang¿s original story through the lens of modern literary and film theory, as well as featuring detailed observations of different dialogues and scenes, directorial and authorial decisions and intentions. The theories of Freud, Lacan, Deleuze, Bataille and others are used to identify and clarify issues raised by the film related to gender, sexuality, eroticism, power, manipulation and betrayal; the themes of lust and caution are dealt with in conjunction with the controversial issues of contemporary political consciousness concerning patriotism and the Sino-Japanese War complicated by divided historical experiences and cross-Taiwan Strait relationships. The contributors to this volume cover translation and adaptation, loyalty and betrayal, collaboration and manipulation, playing roles and performativity, whilst the same time intertwining these with issues of national identity, political loyalty, collective memory and gender. As such, the book will appeal to students and scholars of Chinese and Asian cinema and literature, as well as those interested in modern Chinese history and cultural studies.