The 44th Annual Golden Horse Awards (basically the Chinese language Oscars) were handed out this weekend and Ang Lee's
Lust Caution took home the top prize (and six others). I love seeing Ang Lee smiling with golden loot, don't you? Here's two clips from the ceremony --
thanks Tony! To your left is the Best Picture win presented by
Joan Chen (one of
Lust, Caution's stars but most famous stateside for
Twin Peaks) and director Lee Shing. To your right Ang Lee winning best director, presented by the über lovely
Shu Qi (how great is her dress? also:
previous post) and
Aaron Kwok.
Scientists everywhere may want to start studying Ang Lee's DNA. Gold statues are magnetized to him. Could be a windfall, I'm just saying...
Focus Features Lust, Caution team. Tony Leung Chiu Wai is absent *sniffle*
but you'll notice that Alexandre Desplat (second from right) picked up a
trophy for his gorgeous original score --his is the Oscar nomination
most likely to happen from that film I think.
I love that even in a foreign language you can't understand you can tell that the stars still have to go through dismal scripted "banter" before each prize. Taipei has its own Bruce Vilanch I'm sure. Banter, the curse of awards shows. In best actress news, Tang Wei's smashing debut in
Lust, Caution lost out to Joan Chen's star turn in
Home Song Stories which is, incidentally,
Australia's submission to the Oscar Foreign Film race this year.
Update:
Twitch Film has a complete list of winners
*
Focus Features Lust, Caution team. Tony Leung Chiu Wai is absent *sniffle*
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16 comments:
You know, I actually think the opposite of you about Ang Lee's awardage (though mainly with the oscars).
1. He directs three highly acclaimed moneymaking foreign language films that end up losing the foreign language oscar/nomination to European trifles that have no real acclaim.
2. He follows that up with an acclaimed Jane Austen adaptation at the height of her popularity in the 90's, but is snubbed by the academy for his direction.
3. Despite getting great performances across the board and winning the screenplay prize at Cannes, The Ice Storm gets nothing.
4. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon gets stopped at the last minute at the oscars by Traffic (Soderbergh overcoming a possible vote split) and Gladiator.
5. History repeating itself when Brokeback Mountain somehow loses best picture despite being the locked in favourite. His directing win seems like a small consolation prize.
For such a solid but generally middlebrow director (it's not like he's David Lynch or anything), he's managed to miss out a startling number of times.
I love it when Ang Lee wins something. One of the only directors i can wholeheartedly respect.
If any of his film werent recieved that well, i'd be the first in line to pat him on the shoulder, whispering 'there, there'.
What I don't get is how people who are in the nominated films are asked to present the award. In this case it's twice as weird because Joan Chen was in both Lust, Caution and in another nominee, The Home Song Stories. They do that at the Oscars too, but I find it a bit tactless and tasteless. What's the point?
I agree. the TONYs are even worse about that having the HOST be one of the frontrunners.
it is tacky. the people presenting should not be attached to any particular nominee.
I think it has someting to do with the fact that Joan Chen is the only person in the histroy of Golden Horse who has won both best actress, director and writer award.
Not sure I'd agree with the characterization of the Golden Horse Awards as "Asia's Oscars", since it focuses specifically on Chinese-language films, leaving aside strong Asian film centers like Japan, South Korea, and Bollywood.
Otherwise, great post! I'm enjoying your awards coverage...
corrected. but i'm not sure chinese language covers it either....er...
I love that even in a foreign language you can't understand you can tell that the stars still have to go through dismal scripted "banter" before each prize.
Nathaniel, it's even worse when you can understand what they're saying. The exchange between Aaron Kwok and Shu Qi is utterly cringeworthy.
Actually, the Golden Horse Awards are best described as the "Chinese-language Oscars for non-solely-China films" or "the Taiwanese Oscars". There was some bruhaha a while back because the Chinese government threatened to ban any made-in-China film from running for the Golden Horse. Films like Lust, Caution which were a cross-border collaboration managed to get the okay.
Tang Wei did win the Golden Horse for Best Newcomer.
It is really just the Taiwanese Oscars with some Hong Kong films thrown in. I never really understand the criteria (mainly cause I haven't look it up).
Totally thrilled for Joan Chen. She's quite amazing in The Home Song Stories, even if the film around her isn't up to the same standard.
Funny how you (Nat) and I both did entries about the Golden Horse Film Awards but your angle was Lust, Caution and mine was Joan Chen/Home Song Stories
Having just watched In The Mood For Love for the first time, I am so ready to see Tony Leung on the big screen. Mmmmm.
I also had a dream Ang Lee visited my school.
Interestingly, the documentary winner is an American production in English. And there have been mainland Chinese productions (Kekexili: Mountain Patrol a couple years ago) that have won prizes here as well.
Hopefully this isn't the last we hear of Lust, Caution (I'm particularly rooting for Tang Wei) this awards season.
catherine tony is beyond dreamy blown up real big on the silver screen... and he's great in Lust Caution too
Oh. my. good. god. Just got back from seeing Lust, Caution. I'm literally still trembling. Why oh why is this film not picking up critics prizes left, right and centre? After all it's a critic prize-y film (unlike Atonement). Ang Lee is a god. I always underestimate him, because he's always so f---ing good.
Tang Wei - now this is a debut performance to be showered with awards, not Hudson's last year. Tony Leung, I'm speech/wordless....
yay! another lust, caution convert
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