Wednesday, October 22, 1997
Weathering the storm
FILM Director Ang Lee explored
several angles before capturing the chilling emotional effect
that’s winning "The Ice Storm" warm reviews
By Stephanie Sheh
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Hollywood plays things safe. Actors and directors alike get
pigeon-holed. But Ang Lee is taking risks.
In his newest film "The Ice Storm" the director of "Wedding
Banquet," "Eat Drink Man Woman" and "Sense and Sensibility" steps
away from what he jokingly calls his "Father Knows Best"
trilogy.
"I feel me and my relationship with my audience, if there’s such
a thing, needs to take some growth," Lee admits. "I want to try
some new edges, heavier-duty material."
And his latest is heavy. The film, which stars Kevin Kline, Joan
Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Christina Ricci, Elijiah Wood and Toby
Magurie tells of a family’s struggle for self-realization in the
societal chaos of the ’70s. Fraught with desperation, adultery and
sexual exploration, the film is a serious look at the era that
brought us Watergate and partner swapping, contrasting with recent
films that merely spoofed or made light of the era.
But "The Ice Storm" manages to blend its dark moody style with
comic undertones.
"I think that to totally get away from what I used to do and do
a tragedy, that would be something, but to do a mix it’s a real
risk for me," Lee says.
He wanted to do a film with this tone ever since he finished
work on "Wedding Banquet." But then Lee was sidetracked with "Eat
Drink Man Woman" and "Sense and Sensibility."
Although "The Ice Storm" is only Lee’s second time working with
big studios and big names, the film’s stars were completely taken
with the filmmaker who is known as an actor’s director.
"He’s the sweetest most gentle sprit and so intelligent and
specific with what he wants," Maguire gushes. "If I met him in some
other circumstance, I might think that this guy is some sort of
pushover but of course that’s not the case at all. He just really
walks with a lot of humility, which is such a beautiful thing
because he’s such an intelligent man and really one of the best
filmmakers in my opinion that is out there today."
Lee is very specific with his actors. He had extensive
discussions with actors about their characters and even gave his
actors homework.
"It was very important to Ang that we had a context for each of
these characters," Allen says. "We had questionnaires actually,
four or five pages of typed questions that were important for him
that we ask ourselves of our characters."
Most of the character work was done prior to shooting. Once the
camera started to roll, the actors were left more on their own.
"He would talk to me when he needed to (during filming), but it
wasn’t a lot," Maguire recalls. "It was just like specifically,
‘Hey let’s do a scene more like this’ and I’d be like, ‘Well I was
thinking this’ and he’s like, ‘Okay we’ll do it both ways.’ He was
really great because he knew what he wanted, but he’d let me
explore at the same time."
Although Lee put extensive work into making the film, he didn’t
anticipate an extremely positive reaction to it. He originally
expected that half of the audience would like the film and that the
other half would hate it.
But with "The Ice Storm" opening to excellent reviews, reaction
has definitely been positive. Lee’s actors are also proud of the
work.
"This is the one movie I can watch and just be happy, be pleased
with my performance as opposed to be picking myself apart," Ricci
reveals. "I wasn’t forced to do anything retarded like say ‘that
darn cat’ or just do something cheesy that I hated in every
way."
But it wasn’t easy to reach this final product. There were 18
versions of the film before its final cut. The earlier cuts were
funnier and more satiric, but at test screenings Lee was not
satisfied with the audience’s reactions.
"They were just numb like rocks," Lee explains. "I don’t know
what happened. So I kept trying different cuts, rearrangements to a
degree that I felt they can still be moved by the end."
In order to move more people, Lee cut back on the humor,
creating a film with funny moments, but having a situation where
the audience would not be willing to laugh. He describes it as a
sort of being-on-the-edge-of-their- seat kind of feeling.
Lee is not too concerned with Hollywood’s approval in terms of
box office grosses or award nominations though.
"I like the movie-making part of the job and sometimes I like to
talk to the press," Lee admits. "(But) it always seems to be
embarrassing to me. I don’t believe in film competition and I don’t
believe in glamour or the red-carpet thing. It’s embarrassing for
me. I don’t know. I’m not criticizing. It’s just to me, I’m to shy
for that.
"For me to go up and (give acceptance speeches) that’s
embarrassing too," Lee continues. "But I like to see if not me
somebody get nominated, somebody from Asia get nominated or win or
be able to thank whoever they want to thank. It’s publicity
basically in the business. Deep inside I don’t really believe in it
but I have to do it. I’m not Woody Allen. I don’t have the guts to
ignore it."
FILM: "The Ice Storm" is currently in theaters.
Kevin Kline and Joan Allen play a couple in "The Ice Storm."
Photos by Fox Searchlight Pictures
(above) Director Ang Lee on the set of "The Ice Storm." (below)
Christina Ricci and Tobey Maguire play siblings Wendy and Paul Hood
in Ang Lee’s "The Ice Storm."