Poll

Where do you stand on the directing talents of Ang Lee?

A Great director.  I'll watch whatever he makes.
4 (13.3%)
I hope for Greatness.  I am usually satisfied.
8 (26.7%)
Unpredictable, but I'm always interested.
15 (50%)
I'd like him more if his films weren't so slow.
1 (3.3%)
I don't think he's ever been Good let alone Great.
0 (0%)
Hugely overrated.
2 (6.7%)

Total Members Voted: 30

Author Topic: Lee, Ang - The Top Directors Working Today  (Read 2350 times)

1SO

  • Moderator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36128
  • Marathon Man
Lee, Ang - The Top Directors Working Today
« on: July 23, 2008, 12:18:58 AM »
With only 13 films under his belt, Ang Lee is close to being a living legend.  Hugely respected, his films often come from unexpected places to touch a chord in all who watch.

However, there's another opinion about Lee.  Some paint him as a static filmmaker whose films are way, way too slow.  They see him as a director who likes to take the longest route possible to get to his point.

I'm much more in the first camp.  Some of his films have made me want to take a nap, but I think the common thread in Ang Lee's work is that no two are the same.  He loves to tackle different periods in time and different geographical settings.  Once he's there, he milks it for all it's worth as if he never plans to return.  And I think he is undeniably a director who finds great beauty in the places he takes us to.  The editor who has to put together the Lifetime Achievement montage for Ang Lee will have an abundance of riches to sift through.

For anybody who reads the intro, I'd like to ask that you respond back not only with your comments but also the image from his work that most sticks in your brain.  Here's my Top 3...

1) The Ice Storm - feet sliding on the diving board
2) Brokeback Mountain - Heath Ledger framed against a sky of fireworks
3) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Zhang Ziyi's face as she glides through the trees
« Last Edit: October 28, 2010, 05:13:23 AM by pixote »

pixote

  • Administrator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 34237
  • Up with generosity!
    • yet more inanities!
Re: The Top Directors Working Today: Ang Lee
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2008, 02:23:49 AM »
Hmm, how to sum up Ang Lee.  Well, he's very inconsisent, at a technical level; I get the sense that he doesn't bring much to the table there and is at the mercy of his collaborators.  Narratively, he's shaky, too, with his films often displaying a weak storytelling sense.  His strength, though, is a strong feel for his characters and environment, together with occasional bursts of visual creativity; that's what makes his films generally worth checking out, but also, perhaps, very inconsistent.

If I recall correctly, the shot of the fireworks in Brokeback, though great in isolation, doesn't quite gel with the surrounding shots; true or not, that's a good metaphor for Lee's work as a whole, I think.

I'm voting "Unpredictable, but I'm always interested," even though that's a little strong.  I've had zero interest in catching up with Ride with the Devil, for instance.

pixote
« Last Edit: July 23, 2008, 11:25:37 AM by pixote »
Great  |  Near Great  |  Very Good  |  Good  |  Fair  |  Mixed  |  Middling  |  Bad

1SO

  • Moderator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36128
  • Marathon Man
Re: The Top Directors Working Today: Ang Lee
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2008, 02:38:51 AM »
I'm voting "Unpredictable, but I'm always interested," even though that's a little strong.  I've had zero interest in catching up with Ride with the Devil, for instance.

Devil already has a bad rep behind it.  The vote should reflect how you feel about his next film, assuming you don't know what that film is.

pixote

  • Administrator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 34237
  • Up with generosity!
    • yet more inanities!
Re: The Top Directors Working Today: Ang Lee
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2008, 02:48:08 AM »
I'm always interested, but don't really expect to love what I see.

pixote
Great  |  Near Great  |  Very Good  |  Good  |  Fair  |  Mixed  |  Middling  |  Bad

sdedalus

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 16585
  • I have a prestigious blog, sir!
    • The End of Cinema
Re: The Top Directors Working Today: Ang Lee
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2008, 03:13:45 AM »
Ride With The Devil is not bad.
The End of Cinema

Seattle Screen Scene

"He was some kind of a man. What does it matter what you say about people?"

duder

  • Elite Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 4404
Re: The Top Directors Working Today: Ang Lee
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2008, 06:28:38 AM »
Unpredictable, but I'm always interested. The image that sticks most to my brain, at this point, is the first murder (I think it's the first) in Lust, Caution. That was pretty gruesome.
...

sdedalus

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 16585
  • I have a prestigious blog, sir!
    • The End of Cinema
Re: The Top Directors Working Today: Ang Lee
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2008, 02:02:54 PM »
A Great director.  I'll watch whatever he makes.

He's slippery though.  I'm not quite sure what I think about him, but my guess is that he's Great.
The End of Cinema

Seattle Screen Scene

"He was some kind of a man. What does it matter what you say about people?"

maņana

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 20862
  • Check your public library
Re: The Top Directors Working Today: Ang Lee
« Reply #7 on: July 23, 2008, 03:12:40 PM »
With The Ice Storm, Brokeback Mountain, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (and to a lesser extent Eat Drink Man Woman) under his belt, he has cemented his place as a great director. I don't always love it (see Sense and Sensibility and The Hulk), but at this point I'm always game. 
There's no deceit in the cauliflower.

Verite

  • Elite Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 4479
  • Maybach School of Film Studies
Re: The Top Directors Working Today: Ang Lee
« Reply #8 on: July 23, 2008, 03:25:25 PM »
I don't think he's close to be a living legend, but he's very good overall and at times great.  Pretty versatile body of work so far; that's a plus.  The lovely light dramedy The Wedding Banquet is criminally overlooked in Lee's filmography.
"When in doubt, seduce."
                   -Elaine May

Tequila

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 11143
Re: The Top Directors Working Today: Ang Lee
« Reply #9 on: July 23, 2008, 03:35:46 PM »
He's great.
'What am I doing? I'm quietly judging you'
http://letterboxd.com/Tagave/

 

love