Renowned Taiwanese director Ang Lee, famed for such films as Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm, Brokeback Mountain, and Lust, Caution, participated in a question and answer session with members of the local film community and media at the Pacific Cinémathèque this afternoon.

The session was hosted by Cinémathèque board of directors chair Jacqueline Samuda and presented by mayor Sam Sullivan. Lee took time out during his visit to Vancouver in part due to his connection to councilor B.C. Lee, who he has known since his youth in Taiwan.

The low-key, soft-spoken filmmaker talked about how he is drawn to things he isn’t familiar with, such as gay American cowboys in Brokeback Mountain. After reading the short story by Annie Proulx, he said it “refused to leave my system” and that he eventually became a “victim of the material”.

He said he is drawn to conflicting elements, such as gay cowboys in Brokeback or female sexuality and patriotism in Lust, Caution. “It makes me curious how do I put that together?” He also likes to figure out how to reach people on a subconscious level, and his own subconscious.

Early in his career, he realized he was making too many father-son movies and wanted to make a father-daughter movie, which he did with Eat Drink Man Woman. He said he is always learning. ”I like to see my film career as a very long-term film school.”

Samuda noted that Lee describes himself as a “docile person”, which Samuda pointed out “is an interesting contradiction to the profound violence and sexuality and extremes of human nature that are depicted on screen” in his films.

Lee says his docile part is his yang but has a yin side too, and that everyone has to have the courage to be honest to get in touch with it. He feels that his “nice demeanor” often gives him license to get away with a lot of risky material.

In dealing with actors, he has learnt not to use any one specific method. He said he learnt to treat each actor individually, and that when the camera starts rolling, everything gets thrown away. He also noted that just because an actor can prepare well, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they can act.

Humorously, he noted that early in his career, some of the preparations by actors were approaching psychotherapy. “They started telling me things I don’t really want to know.”

Samuda said she had heard he doesn’t storyboard, and he said the only exception was The Hulk because it was such an expensive movie and that each shot cost so much that it had to be visualized.

He thinks that in the filmmaking process, he likes to be prepared to change and improvise. He described it as a “more organic approach to movie” and somewhat “holistic approach”.

To read part two, click here. 

To read part three, click here.