Ang Lee brings 'peace and love' to Cannes ("Taking Woodstock" movie offering)

AFP on Yahoo ^ | 5/16 | Claire Rosemberg

[NormsRevenge]

CANNES , France (AFP) – Oscar-winning director Ang Lee Saturday offered Cannes' glitzy festival-goers a message of "peace and love" with a warmly acclaimed movie on the iconic hippie Woodstock festival, vying for the Palme d'Or award.

"It is the innocence of a young generation departing from the establishment and trying to find a fair way of living with people and with nature," Lee said of the 1969 festival that gathered half a million people for three days of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.

"I think they planted the seed of some of what is happening today," the "Brokeback Mountain" 2005 Oscar-winner said at a media conference.

His funny and moving film "Taking Woodstock" recounts how a problem-saddled Jewish family running a down-at-heels motel in a rural community gets involved with the promoters of the epoch-making festival.

Based on a real-life memoir by New York writer Elliot Tiber, the movie counterposes the heady rebellious freedom-seeking times with the story of the motel-owner's son, struggling to come out of the closet and break out on his own.

Asked if he hoped to pick up the coveted Cannes Palme for the film, Lee said: "I'm happy to be here and this movie's about happiness. If they like it I'll be happy."

He added: "I have to go with the flow."

[NormsRevenge]

Taiwanese-born director Ang Lee poses during the photocall of his movie "Taking Woodstock" in competition at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. Lee offered Cannes' glitzy festival-goers a message of "peace and love" with a warmly acclaimed movie on the iconic hippie Woodstock festival, vying for the Palme d'Or award. (AFP/Anne-Christine Poujoulat)

[Dilbert San Diego]

Is Ang Lee a supporter of liberal causes? First Brokeback and now this?

[NormsRevenge]

[max americana]

> Based on a real-life memoir by New York writer Elliot Tiber, the movie counterposes the heady rebellious freedom-seeking times with the story of the motel-owner’s son, struggling to come out of the closet and break out on his own.

So it’s Brokeback, circa 70’s. Hope that answers your question.

[skeeter]

Oh boy, a nostalgic trip back in time to Woodstock will have the now-overweight yippie creeps in the media quivering with delight.

Ang Lee sure knows who to play to in order to get attention.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Ang Lee, director of “Hulk”.

[puroresu]

Ang Lee has been co-opted by the Hollywood establishment. He's a very gifted director. But when Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon became a hit here in America, it may have been a bad thing for him in the long run. That film is wonderful, and loads of fun, but its success brought him attention from Hollyweird. And he's increasingly a Hollyweirdo.

He gave us that Hulk film, which was just a bunch of bad CGI and modernistic angst. Then there was Brokeback Mountain, an attempt to normalize homosexuality while deconstructing the cowboy image. Back in Asia he made Lust, Caution, an admittedly excellent film, but he included some really graphic sex scenes involving Tony Leung and Tang Wei. He then encouraged people to believe the sex was real in order to boost cheap publicity for the film. Those scenes ended up overshadowing the excellent performances and the amazing recreation of WWII era Shanghai and Hong Kong in that film.

Now we get a fawning portrayal of the spoiled rotten brats who wallowed in drugs and sex for a few days back in 1969, along with an apparent side story of some guy "coming out of the closet", and Lee sees all this as a positive thing leading to the Obama era.

Sorry, Ang. You're a talented guy, but you're wasting a lot of your talent.

[12Gauge687]

According to police reports at the time, numerous young women were assaulted while others were robbed. Strange way of displaying “peace and love.”

Actually, Lee’s “Crouching Tiger...” wasn’t all that great compared to many of the Hong Kong kung-fu movies. It really seemed kind of been-there-done-that.

[madamemayhem]

woodstock was not about peace and love. it was all about sex, drugs, and hate your parents/authority/military. that is all.

[yazoo]

“It is the innocence of a young generation departing from the establishment and trying to find a fair way of living with people and with nature,”

OH, SPARE ME!!!! If the National Guard hadn’t come to the rescue they wouldn’t have been fed and those who were overdosing would have died. This was more about a bunch of spoiled kids assuming everything they needed would be provided so they didn’t have to plan on how to survive for a week.