LOS ANGELES — It appears that many mainland Chinese moviegoers are traipsing over to Hong Kong in droves to view the uncensored version of Ang Lee's latest blockbuster, "Lust, Caution." With their feet, in effect, they are voting for lust — and as if wishing for official Beijing caution to be gone with the wind.
As it is, on the mainland, authorities are allowing their moviegoers only a somewhat de-sexed version of the sexy espionage thriller. In effect, Beijing much prefers the caution part of the Ang Lee film to that other part.
The great director Ang Lee himself took the news of the partial censorship calmly and professionally. Perhaps he was quietly pleased that bosses of Beijing were permitting the inherently racy and riveting firm to be shown at all.