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Yes, another in a series of greatest hits...Ang doesn't have the extensive repetoire of Hitchcock or Scorcese, so let's just go top five from the little man from the Far East... 1. The Ice Storm - Even after the next two films I will mention. This is still my favorite Ang Lee film. Having Frederick Elmes as your D.P. doesn't hurt either. They create a wonderful 70's landscape and the cast bring out the alienation of the aging baby boomers and the children stuck between the conservatism of the 50's and 60's (that their parents grew up in) and the sexual freedoms and liberalism of the 70's. And the ending, oh my goodness, wonderful stuff. 2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - The first martial arts film mixed with a love story*, two of them, one more open (although still hidden) and one repressed for many years. I've heard this film described as "Sense and Sensibility with a body count". I think this is accurate, because Lee explores the social mechanics as he did in S & S, but put it in this era of Chinese history. The fight sequences are beautifully staged and Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yoeh show they are more than just actions stars. Another great ending too. *before House of Flying Daggers and the like 3. Brokeback Mountain - Repression revisited. Yeah, everyone talks about how this is the gay cowboy film, but what they forget to do is place within the context of the time this film is set, when homosexuality was very repressed. The performances are remarkable and worthy of much note. The film is beautifully shot and as with the two previous films, the ending is heartbreakingly beautiful. 4. Sense and Sensibility - what? an Ang Lee with a happy ending? Great job in this, his first English speaking film. Great screenplay by Emma Thompson, mixed with a great cast. Could they have gotten anyone better than Alan Rickman to play Colonel Brandon? I think not. How did he overlooked come Oscar time that year? And most of all, this movie is very funny...a feature of the film that is often overlooked. 5. Eat Drink Man Woman - I love this film. Again, really funny and at the same time deeply poignant. The best of his early works, often known as the "Father Knows Best" trilogy. Wedding Baquent was very good, but in EDMW, Ang Lee really honed craft and put out a wonderfully filmed worked, finally learning that cinematography matters.
"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love."
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