PDF《Forum SCREEN AND TEXT》

420 421 Ang Lee and China's Oscar Angst ・ The third category comprises commentaries that try to diminish Lee's success by reporting negative stories associated with Life of Pi. For ex- ample, the Information Times (Xinxi shibao 信息时报) reported incorrectly that some American newspapers had refused to print Ang Lee's picture because their editors couldn't believe that Spielberg's Lincoln had lost out to Life of Pi. Likewise, an article entitled 'Many controversies sur- round Ang Lee's Oscar' (Li Ang duo Aosika shifei duo 李安夺奥斯卡是非多) chronicled complaints made by the special effects company Rhythm and Hues after Lee failed to acknowledge their work during his acceptance speech. Nonetheless, Life of Pi was very popu- lar with Chinese cinemagoers, taking US$17 million at the box office in its first week. the same problem but use a different tone. For example, an editorial in the Guangming Daily asked whether Lee's Oscar should be a cause for joy or a cause for concern. It concluded by emphasising that Life of Pi was a success for Lee himself as well for American cinema, but not for the Chi- nese film industry, neither on the Mainland nor in Taiwan. ・ A second kind of reaction focuses on the factors behind Lee's success. A common explanation attributes it to family values and the support of his wife, Jane Lee, a microbiologist. The Tianjin Daily (Tianjin ribao天津日报) and the business website Hex- un 和讯 for example, both ran commentaries crediting his successes to the guidance provided by his wife. The Wu- han Morning News (Wuhan chenbao 武汉晨报) asserted that Lee's unyielding commitment to real- ising his dreams 'should be copied by other professionals'. Speaking more specifically to the film industry, the PRC State Council Office for Taiwan Affairs said that 'Ang Lee is a model for the entire Chinese film industry, not just on the Mainland'. Ang Lee introducing Life of Pi at the 35th Mill Valley Film Festival. Photo: Cindy Maram Jane Lee. Source: Apo-win.com Ang Lee's acclaimed films: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000);

Brokeback Mountain (2005). Sources: Amanda Maede, IMP Awards.