JAPAN: "Brokeback Mountain" director Ang Lee reacts to death of Heath Ledger

Record ID: 464206

  • Title: JAPAN: "Brokeback Mountain" director Ang Lee reacts to death of Heath Ledger
  • Date: 31st January 2008
  • Summary: ANG LEE WALKING UP TO A REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANG LEE SAYING: "Very emotional. It is hard to talk about it. It's heartbreaking."
  • Embargoed: 15th February 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Obituaries
  • Reuters ID: LVA5XPV9W68AY46KW4Y3H8K4DOON
  • Story Text: "Brokeback Mountain" director Ang Lee reacted to the death of Heath Ledger "It is very hard to talk about it. It is heartbreaking. It is a great loss. He is such a sincere actor."
    The death of Australian actor Heath Ledger shocked Taiwan-born director Ang Lee, who directed Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain".
    "Very emotional. It is hard to talk about it. It's heartbreaking," Ang Lee told Reuters on Thursday (January 24) in Tokyo at the red carpet event for the promotion of his latest movie "Lust Caution". "It is heartbreaking. It is a great loss. He is such a sincere actor," he added.
    Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain", a tale of two gay cowboys in the mountains of Wyoming, won Venice's Golden Lion and the Oscar at the 78th Academy Awards.
    Meanwhile, Ang Lee, actress Tang Wei and actor Wang Leehom were welcomed by a song of Japanese singer Anna Saeki.
    She sang a Japanese-lyrics version of famous Tango tune "Donde estas Corazon" which was featured in the film.
    "Well, I am very emotional when I hear Anna singing that song not only it bring back memory I had with her recording the song in New York. It brought back a lot of memories particularly that sing in the movie. It is very emotional journey for me," Ang Lee said.
    "Lust, Caution," about a Chinese woman tasked with killing a Japanese collaborator in Shanghai during World War Two, has been the subject of controversy, with some decrying it for being too long and others critical of its graphic sex scenes.
    The film drew additional attention when China said it would cut some scenes before screening it there.
    Despite its success to date, "Lust" the movie has been stopped from entering the Academy Awards under the foreign film award for Taiwan because the Academy ruled its cast was too international.
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