An Evening with Mr. Lee

Once again, I took part in an event sponsored by the Museum of the Moving Image. This time it was an evening with Ang Lee and James Schamus w/ special intro from Joan Allen.

Even though Joan Allen was not thrown into the program at the last minute, her nervousness and scattered intro made it seem like it was. Perhaps she thought she was better @ wingin' it than she really is?!

At any rate, she pointed out that it had been 10 years since she worked with Ang Lee and "The Ice Storm". She repetitively used the word "perfect" in her experience and subsequent viewing of the film. She talked about how Ang had the "family" walk together across the set as to achieve a family "gait". A detail that many may not notice - in real life or the film - but the practice certainly bonded them. She also said that all the actors had about 2 weeks prior to filming to get to know their characters and were given a 70s "bible" that Ang put together that gave history, fads, fashion, etc for the decade in which the movie would take place. Joan said that not many directors allow time for the actors to do research on their characters like that - typically you are on your own, which generally means it doesn't happen.

As soon as Joan was done talking she waved her goodbyes to Ang and took off. Ang and James came on stage and it was pointed out that James' father and Wei Tang from "Lust, Caution" were watching from the audience.

As usual the moderator for these events was hit and miss but some enlightening tidbits did come out in between the various move clips that were shown...

- Ang won't do a film unless it gives him fear. He referred to some scripts he gets as "battleships" that no matter who directed or starred in them, they would survive. Those scripts he has no interest in. He wants a challenge.

- Besides fear, Ang is also big into Sight & Sound. A script that speaks to him that way is a keeper. He talked about reading the book, "The Ice Storm" and the minute he read the scene about the boy getting electrocuted he could see the scene playing out in a movie and knew he had to do it. (The first time I saw that movie that was the scene that stood out to me, sad but amazing.)

- Typically the humor in his scripts come from James.

- When James assisted with the script for "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" he had trouble getting the Chinese family dynamic right so he decided to write it from his Jewish family perspective and Ang was surprised to discover the similarities!

- When first starting in the industry he was heavy handed with playing the "foreigner" card. Even when he did understand actor's requests he would pretend not to - and got along much better with them because of it! ;)

- Emma Thompson approached Ang about directing "Sense & Sensibility" after she saw "The Wedding Banquet". James and Ang weren't sure about taking on such a project until they discovered a line that was used in "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" was also used by Emma in her script with no knowledge of that movie. They decided it was a sign and committed to the project.

- Ang Lee wore the motion suit that was the template for The Hulk's movements. A scene where he smashes up the chemist lab he said was fun because he was able to take out any aggressions he had concerning his wife's occupation as a microchemist and the time it kept her away from home.

- James & Ang knew "Hulk" was doomed from the start when they saw "Spiderman". It sent the precedent and promoters wanted to market "The Hulk" as the same kind of movie, even though it wasn't.