"Everyone has deep in mind a 'Garden of Eden' that could hardly meet in reality," as what is described in the Golden Globe awards winning film Brokeback Mountain, Taiwan-born film director Ang Lee told Hong Kong media and audience Saturday. 

 

Ang Lee won Golden Globe director's award in Los Angeles, the United States last week for his gay cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain.

 

The film won a total of four Golden Globe awards and was highly appraised by film critics worldwide.

 

 

Lee, arriving in Hong Kong Saturday morning, attended a meeting with Hong Kong media and audience at Hong Kong Broadway Cinematheque.

 

Taking about the award winning film, Ang Lee said, the mankind has been probing for a very long period the complicated question as"what is true love?"

 

"Don't watch the film with'colored glasses' and it's a very touching love story," suggested Lee.

 

Lee said he was moved to tears when he read the original novel four years ago and he later decided to present the story to the film audience.

 

He said, instead of a traditional cowboy film, Brokeback Mountain is more of a love story. He absorbed much from the original and the real life.

 

For this reason, Ang Lee made a study tour to Texas, where the story happened.

 

"I rode horses with cowboys, talked with them and observed many things in details," Lee said.

 

For instance, the electric saw is not mentioned in the novel. Lee found it during his study tour and used it as a prop in the film.

 

Asking the difference between the Wedding Banquet, another film of gay-related subject, Lee said the Wedding Banquet is a family ethical film and homoerotism is only one of the problems while the Brokenback Mountain is a family film focusing on sensibility and love.

 

He said he had not expected that so many people appreciated the film.

 

Asked how to position himself in the Hollywood as a Chinese director, he said he has never considered the matter.

 

Lee said, though he learned film directing and producing in the United States, he grew up with Chinese culture. His vision, characteristics and roots of culture could not have fundamental changes, adding his film could not be same with that of the western directors as he himself is different from them.

 

Ang Lee's film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon won Oscar's Best Foreign Film award in 2001 and his Wedding Banquet won Golden Bear award in Berlin International Film Festival in 2001.

 

Looking ahead, Lee said he expects to make more films and introduce more new stars the international film circle as Zhang Ziyi.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2006)