Public screening of Lust, Caution in North America will begin on September 28, while in New York City it will be shown at only one cinema, the Lincoln Plaza, according to Lee, which means box office takings will be severely reduced.

But the director is confident that this film will be well received by the Mandarin-speaking community, including the Chinese mainland.

The film is due to open across China on October 26. And for the director to make it to the mainland, it was necessary to cut the sexually and often violent scenes, to sanitize it for Chinese audiences.

Lee cut the film himself to protect its integrity and the final version has been approved by Chinese authorities. According to him, the most "exciting part" of the movie, about 6 minutes, has been cut to make the film watchable for everyone in China. This squashed other media reports stating that the Chinese mainland version will be 30 minutes shorter than the one screened abroad.

Currently, there is no film rating system in China, as with the age restrictions given to movies in the United States. To overcome this, Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film and Television censor movies accordingly.

Lee told Beijing Review that he understood censorship was necessary to protect minors, but he thought that a film rating system would be better for China.

"I wish this film will give a positive push to this issue [creating a film rating system in China]," Lee said, adding, he really had hoped that Chinese audiences would be able to watch the movie in its entirety.

Tang Wei shares her director's sentiments, "Because only when it is complete, can it express the whole spirit of the movie."

Though she received much flack for the sex scenes she played in the movie, Tang said her parents, both artists, have been supportive toward her performance in Lust, Caution.

The screen newcomer counts herself fortunate to have been chosen to star in her first feature film by someone as famous as Lee.

Luck may be a reasonable explanation for Tang's successful debut, but for Lee, Tang is "one of the very few [we tested]" that looks like someone from that time period [the 1940s]. "She reminded me of my Chinese-lauguage and history teachers [in my youth]," said Lee, who was born in the early 1950s.

Talking about her future plan, Tang, a graduate from the director department of the Central Academy of Drama, said, "It's not easy for me to get where I am today, so I will not stop here."

Lee said recreating scenes from World War II Shanghai was a big challenge during the production of the film and training the cast was even tougher. He admitted to exhaustion at the end of the project.

The hard work has paid off. But it's not the end of the award road for Lust, Caution. For the man with the golden touch and his erotic espionage encounters there is talk that the movie is destined to make a mark at next year's Oscars.

(Reporting from New York)

Film rating of the United States:

The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a movie's suitability for certain audiences. It is one of various motion picture rating systems used to help patrons decide which movies may be appropriate for children and/or adolescents.

In the United States, the MPAA rating system is the most recognized system for classifying potentially offensive content, but it is usually not used outside of the film industry because the MPAA has trademarks on each individual rating. The rating system has come under increasing criticism for the secrecy of its decision-making process, as well as a reportedly stricter emphasis on sex versus violence.

G: General audiences--All ages admitted;

PG: Parental guidance suggested--Some material may not be suitable for children;

PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned--Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13;

R: Restricted--Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian; and

NC-17: No one 17 and under admitted.

(Source: Wikipedia)