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Berklee College of Music, Valencia Campus
Scoring for Film, Television and Video Games
A Subtle Variety
Theme Analysis of the Score to Lust, Caution
Snorri Hallgrímsson
July 2014
Introduction
Lust, Caution (2007) is a dramatic thriller film based on a novella of the same name
written by Eileen Chang and published in 1979. Directed by Ang Lee, the film was
produced in the USA, China and Taiwan. Lee turned to Frenchman Alexandre
Desplat to write the score. Despite the film being set in China during the second
world war, Desplat wrote a traditionally western classic contemporary score. Using a
fairly traditional orchestra, Desplat created a delicate, haunting, yet beautiful score
that relies heavily on themes and variations of those themes. These themes, or
leitmotifs, can be categorized into four major themes: the Lust, caution theme, Wong
Chia Chi’s theme, the Resistance theme, and the Love theme.
This paper will discuss the use of these themes; how they connect with what is
happening on screen, how subtle changes and variations of the themes can expand the
musical vocabulary of the score, and how becoming familiar with these themes can
give the audience a deeper understanding of the story and its characters.
Synopsis
Lust, Caution follows six young university students in Hong Kong during the Second
Sino-Japanese War. Frustrated by not being able to directly help their country in the
war, they come up with the plan to murder a high-ranking official, Mr. Yee, who is in
fact working for the Japanese puppet government in China. Their plan is to disguise
one of their own, a young woman named Wong Chia Chi, as a high-class lady in
order to infiltrate the Yee household. After successfully getting into Mr. Yee’s wife’s
inner circle, Wong Chia Chi tries to seduce the heavily guarded Mr. Yee. Now posing
as the well-to-do Mrs. Mak, she is very close to succeeding when Mr. Yee suddenly
gets relocated to Shanghai, which forces the young activists to abandon their plan. As
they pack up their things in a hurry, one of Mr. Yee’s subordinates shows up in their
apartment and realizes that Mrs. Mak is not who she claims to be. The students
combine their forces to kill the subordinate before the horrified Wong Chia Chi runs
away.
Three years later Wong Chia Chi is living life as a poor student in the war-ridden
Shanghai of 1942 when she is approached by Kuang Yu Min, the leader of the now
dispatched group of university students. Kuang, now working as an undercover agent
for the KMT1, convinces Wong Chia Chi to resume her role as Mrs. Mak in order to
become Mr. Yee’s mistress. Mr. Yee has become the head of a police department
which is responsible for capturing, interrogating, and executing resistance agents such
as Kuang. He is therefore under constant surveillance. Wong Chia Chi as Mrs. Mak is
offered by Mrs. Yee to stay in the Yee household where she again catches the eye of
1
KMT stands for Kuomintang, today known as the Chinese Nationalist Party, which
tried fervently to overthrow the Japanese occupation in China during the Second
Sino-Japanese War.
Mr. Yee. Their first sexual encounter (of many) takes place at a hotel room where he
violently rapes her despite her obvious willingness to have sex with him. However,
the smile on her face at the end of their encounter is an indication of what is to come.
As they spend more time together, it becomes evident that Wong Chia Chi is falling
in love with Mr. Yee, all the while trying to get him assassinated. She finally gets the
chance to have her colleagues kill him when they go unguarded to a jewelry shop
where Mr. Yee has had a diamond ring made for Wong Chia Chi. As she puts it on
her finger she succumbs to her feelings towards Mr. Yee and quietly tells him to run.
He manages to escape with the help of his driver. That same day Wong Chia Chi and
the other resistance group members are captured. The distraught Mr. Yee signs their
death warrants and has them taken to a quarry where they are executed.
The Lust, caution theme
The Lust, caution theme in its simplest, most commonly heard form
Opening Titles
The opening titles theme is simply named Lust, caution on the film’s official
soundtrack. It enters as the first titles are presented and immediately gives off an eerie
sort of atmosphere through its orchestration and its dorian minor modal structure. A
minor hit point occurs when the film’s title appears on screen – the background music
modulates while the melody stays in the same key, creating a disturbing sounding
dissonance and giving the already intriguing title an extra bite. The titles turn into
images of a guard dog and armed guards on the streets of Shanghai while the music
modulates back to its original key, this time finishing the theme as seen on the
transcription above. It then fades out on the tonic minor chord with an ominous added
major 7th as the film cuts to a female servant carrying a tray with soup dishes inside
the Yee household.
Despite these opening titles being relatively short, the catchy nature of the theme
makes sure the theme will sound familiar the next time it is heard in the film.
Furthermore, it serves as a strong foundation to the score’s general sound.
Home From Work
This is the film’s first non-source music since the opening titles theme. Though the
main melody itself is not heard right away, the fact that it is in the same e-minor
dorian key as the opening titles makes this short cue sound and feel like a natural
continuation of the opening theme. It starts off with pizzicato basses giving the music
a stronger sense of rhythm as Mr. Yee’s assistant watches him leave the workplace
after their conversation ends. The music continues as Mr. Yee’s car drives off and
subsequently parks near Mr. Yee’s home. Again it fades out as the film cuts inside the
house when Mr. Yee walks in.
Seduction
As the film flashes back in time, the Lust, caution theme is not heard for more than
forty minutes. Situated three years earlier, in Hong Kong, Mr. Yee is patiently
watching Wong Chia Chi trying out a new dress at the tailor’s. As she prepares to
switch back to her normal clothes, Mr. Yee orders her to leave the dress on – and right
after is where this aptly named Seduction cue starts. As an electric cello eloquently
swoops in with the main melody, the film cuts to a fancy restaurant. Mr. Yee walks
out of a phone booth towards a table where Wong Chia Chi sits, wearing the beautiful
dress. The music softly fades out as they start their conversation.
Arguably the finest version of the Lust, caution theme on the entire soundtrack, it
magnificently combines harp, glass harp, electric cello, solo violin, and a string
section. Sadly, the film cuts out the beautiful modulation that can be heard on the
sample above and instead goes straight to the solo violin taking over the main melody
– suggesting the scene was somewhat longer in its original cut.
The fact that the theme was not used for such a long time (mainly during when the
group had not yet started their mission) and only resumes when Wong Chia Chi
manages to be alone with Mr. Yee for the first time, suggests that the film’s title
theme is actually a leitmotif for the mission itself. However, as will be mentioned
later on, the resistance group has another leitmotif of its own. Therefore it can be said
that perhaps the Lust, caution theme is more specifically connected to Wong Chia
Chi’s role as Mrs. Mak in that mission, her torment and the danger she is putting
herself in.s
Moonlight Drive
That same night, Mr. Yee and Wong Chia Chi are being driven in his car to Wong
Chia Chi’s house, where the other group members wait anxiously for their chance to
spring the trap. The music starts off with the main melody carried by a violin section.
As the car approaches the house, the camera then moves to a watching group member
on the balcony and the music suddenly becomes frantic as he warns the others of Mr.
Yee’s coming. It then changes back to it’s previous calm state when the film cuts to
Mr. Yee and Wong Chia Chi getting out of the car and walking towards the house.
This becomes a recurring theme as the music dances extremely accurately with the
film’s editing as it cuts back and forth between the panic of the young resistance
members inside and the nervously calm couple outside.
The main theme takes over again when outside the front door, Wong Chia Chi
flirtingly tries to get Mr. Yee to come inside despite knowing he has an appointment.
The music softly builds up as Kuang Yu Min watches the front door open from inside
but stops when it becomes apparent that Mr. Yee had decided not to follow Wong
Chia Chi inside.
One of the more important cues of the film’s first half, it is built around the Lust,
caution theme and expertly guided to hit the frequent cuts of the scene without
sacrificing the quality of the music. Just as in the Seduction cue, the title theme is
used prominently to underscore Wong Chia Chi’s efforts to seduce Mr. Yee in order
to get him assassinated.
Hotel Room
As the young activists mission falls apart in Hong Kong, the Lust, caution theme is
again put on ice until Wong Chia Chi has resumed her role as Mrs. Mak three years
later in Shanghai. It is heard again when Mr. Yee has her sent to meet him at a hotel
room. This cue is almost identical to the Moonlight Drive cue2, but without the frantic
passages of the latter. It starts off when Wong Chia Chi informs Mr. and Mrs. Yee at
the breakfast table that she has no plans for the afternoon. It continues as Mr. Yee’s
driver picks her up to take her to the hotel room, with a minor hit point when he hands
her an envelope with the room number written on it – this is enhanced with a subtle
modulation (the most notable change from the Moonlight Drive cue). The main theme
As a result it does not appear on the official soundtrack, hence the full audio extract
in the sample.
2
then reappears in the original key when Wong Chia Chi enters the hotel before it
slowly fades out as she gets familiar with the hotel room.
Desire
In this unnerving cue the Lust, caution theme is heard like it has never been heard
before. The cue starts as Wong Chia Chi learns that Mr. Yee has left town and
continues as Mrs. Yee leaves the house as well. The title theme only appears however
when Mr. Yee’s car returns to the house, suggesting another intimate interaction
between Mr. Yee and Wong Chia Chi is imminent. There is nothing flirtatious about
the way the theme sounds this time though, which is no surprise given the nature of
their last encounter.3 The theme is briefly played on tubular bells over atonal flute
sounds and string clusters before it disappears again. The music stops when Mr. Yee
enters Wong Chia Chi’s room but starts again where it left off, right before the film
cuts to the two of them having extremely passionate sex. The music continues in the
same disturbing fashion with the Lust, caution theme briefly appearing again on the
bells during their lovemaking, turning what could be an arousing experience for the
audience into a very uncomfortable one. For all the passion in the scene, this music
declares that this love is not right in any sense.
3
Mr. Yee raped Wong Chia Chi in the hotel room, which surprisingly only led to her
becoming more emotionally attached to him.
Sacrifice
This sample starts in the middle of a long cue named Sacrifice, right as the film cuts
to Wong Chia Chi and Mr. Yee again having passionately aggressive sex. This cue is
very similar to Desire but even more alarming and atonal. The Lust, caution theme
appears twice;; just before Mr. Yee’s first climax of the scene, and again when Wong
Chia Chi notices Mr. Yee’s gun whilst riding him. As Mr. Yee climaxes for the
second time the music becomes more tonal. Unlike during his climax in Desire
however 4 , the music does not revert to romanticism but instead keeps its dark
character. As the heavily dramatic string chords linger on, Wong Chia Chi’s torment
becomes unbearable. She holds the love of her life, the man she simultaneously loves
and hates, the man who she is willing to put her own life in danger to have
assassinated, in her arms. Tears stream down her face as she knows this relationship is
only leading to the death of either him, or herself.
The Lust, caution theme, though only heard briefly, is again used to remind the
audience that despite the visible love between the two, it is a love that is built around
her mission.
The Secret
After a romantic evening, Mr. Yee asks Wong Chia Chi to deliver an envelope to a
certain man at an unknown address. (That man turns out to be a jeweler who
subsequently crafts a diamond ring for Wong Chia Chi. The audience is led to believe
4
Which will be discussed in The Love theme
however that Mr. Yee is giving her some sort of mission or a test.) The previously
romantic cue then becomes more mysterious, using the Lust, caution theme in a more
familiarly tonal way than during the two sex scenes. The bass line of the theme starts
by itself but a cello section swoops in with the main melody when Wong Chia Chi
watches Mr. Yee’s car drive off. The theme is left unfinished though, and the music
fades out as Kuang Yu Min examines the envelope at the beginning of the next scene.
Nanjing Road
This cue starts as soon as Wong Chia Chi steps out of a café. She steps into Mr. Yee’s
car and asks Mr. Yee to take her to the jeweler’s to pick up her ring. It has been made
clear to the audience that the time to assassinate Mr. Yee has finally come and the
jeweler’s shop is where it happens. Wong Chia Chi is visibly nervous and Desplat
helps create a feeling of excitement and anxiety by using fragments of the Lust,
caution theme here and there over strong, rhythmic basses.
Wong Chia Chi’s mission is at last about to come to an end and it is fitting that this
scene is accompanied by the most hectic version of the Lust, caution theme yet.
The South Quarry
Mr. Yee managed to escape from the jeweler’s thanks to Wong Chia Chi’s warning.
That same day his assistant informs Mr. Yee at his office that the entire resistance
group, including Wong Chia Chi, has been captured. Mr. Yee signs their death
warrants before handing it to his assistant who leaves Wong Chia Chi’s ring on Mr.
Yee’s desk. The music enters as the heartbroken Mr. Yee watches the ring wobble on
his desk. The film then cuts to the South Quarry where the group is to be executed.
Dissonant fragments of the Lust, caution theme are played on bells, making the
atmosphere somewhat similar to Desire and Sacrifice, while the group members are
forced to their knees. Next to Wong Chia Chi kneels Kuang Yu Min who gives her a
look of complete disappointment and anger. As he looks at her the music calms down
and the Lust, caution theme is played in its basic original form on harp over a tonic
string drone. The camera then flies over the group and away to the sound of guns
being loaded and the string section coming in with full force. The music connects the
scene of their execution to Mr. Yee’s house where he takes off his jacket and walks
up the stairs to Wong Chia Chi’s bedroom. It softly fades out on another tonic string
drone as Mr. Yee sits down on her bed.
This tragic cue is the last time we hear the Lust, caution theme and it is a fine
example of how it can be used in many different ways to portray a variety of
emotions. The highlight of the cue is when the music is stripped down to just the harp,
over a tonic string drone, playing the opening titles theme to the heartbreaking look
Kuang Yu Min gives Wong Chia Chi.
Wong Chia Chi’s theme
Wong Chia Chi's theme
To fully understand Wong Chia Chi’s theme it is necessary to begin with the full
version of the theme. For Wong Chia Chi’s theme is not one theme, but four themes
(one of which has a variation used frequently in the film) that are used separately or in
various combinations throughout the film’s score. Here they are named in order of
appearance in this full version, which can only be heard during the end credits of the
film – a very interesting fact given the importance of Wong Chia Chi’s theme as part
of the soundtrack. It is beautifully set up for the audience to long for the completion
of the theme as they will come to know bits and pieces of it better and better as the
film goes on, just as Wong Chia Chi herself hopelessly longed for the completion of
her mission.
Streets of Shanghai - W.C.C.'s theme I
It is fitting that the first suggestion of Wong Chia Chi’s theme5 in the score is a subtle
variation of the incredibly simple minor third motif that is Wong Chia Chi’s theme I.
Here it is used very subtly in the background to give a sense of motion to a cue where
Wong Chia Chi is being driven through the war-ridden streets of Shanghai.
5
Hereafter named W.C.C.’s theme for short.
Exodus - W.C.C.'s theme III & I
Exodus is the first cue after the film flashes back to 1939. Wong Chia Chi sits on the
back of a truck along with thousands of others who are fleeing Shanghai because of
the war. The music enters with a fairly mundane, dramatic receding minor chord
progression when Wong Chia Chi notices the handsome Kuang Yu Min on the next
truck. It then fades into a harp playing over soft strings a version of W.C.C.’s theme
III as Wong Chia Chi discusses the war with another girl on the truck. As they finish
their conversation the strings take over with W.C.C.’s theme I – softly at first but
more emphatically for the second time to link the film’s cut to the next scene in Hong
Kong.
A small but significant cue as the audience hears both W.C.C’s theme I and
W.C.C.’s theme III in their original form for the first time.
Falling Rain - W.C.C.'s theme III & I
Falling Rain is another combination of W.C.C.’s theme III and W.C.C.’s theme I. The
group of students is having fun on a bus in Hong Kong and Wong Chia Chi moves to
the front of the bus to escape the rowdiness of the others, which is when this cue
starts. It continues as Kuang Yu Min joins her and the two of them share an intimate
moment as the rain pours down on the bus. It then fades subtly out shortly after the
next scene starts.
This is the first time the piano carries the main melody of any of the W.C.C.’s
themes, which becomes common throughout the rest of the score. More significantly
this cue solidifies the link between the two themes heard in the ears of the audience.
The End of Innocence - W.C.C.'s theme IV & I
The more time Wong Chia Chi spends as Mrs. Mak in Hong Kong, the less is heard of
her own theme. It is therefore fitting that the next time it appears is right after Wong
Chia Chi receives a phone call from Mrs. Yee who informs her that Mr. Yee has been
relocated to Shanghai, marking the end of the groups naïve mission in Hong Kong –
and subsequently the end of Wong Chia Chi’s role as Mrs. Mak. The music continues
as the group is seen packing up their things in dismay. It softly fades out as Wong
Chia Chi steps out to the balcony for a cigarette. In the background Mr. Yee’s
assistant is seen sneaking into the house.
This cue marks the introduction of W.C.C.’s theme IV, which to no surprise links
perfectly well with the chorus-like W.C.C.’s theme I. The piano is again used to play
the main melody.
Shanghai 1942 - W.C.C.'s theme II (b)
After the brutal stabbing of Mr. Yee’s assistant the horrified Wong Chia Chi runs out
of the house and away. She is accompanied by an electronic drone on the tonic and
the dominant and soon a solo violin joins in in a small intro. The entrance of W.C.C.’s
theme II (b)6 is impeccably timed with the film’s cut to Shanghai, now three years
later. The tragic theme, reminiscent of John Williams’s score for Schindler’s List,
continues throughout a montage of the war-ridden Shanghai. As the theme suggests,
Wong Chia Chi appears amongst a crowd of peasants standing in line for their daily
food rations. She then walks past paramedics removing dead bodies of the poor from
the streets. The music softly exits as she enters a modest looking building and walks
inside.
Shanghai 1942, one of the strongest cues of the soundtrack, introduces the
haunting W.C.C.’s theme II (b). It is the first sign of this theme representing Wong
Chia Chi’s modest background and how far from reality her disguise as Mrs. Mak
actually is. That the theme is in this cue used to underscore images of extreme poverty
supports that statement.
Remember Everything - W.C.C.'s theme II (b)
After having been approached by Kuang Yu Min on the street, Wong Chia Chi agrees
to resume her role as Mrs. Mak in order to get to Mr. Yee once again. The music
starts as a Kuomintang officer lists everything she has to remember to successfully
complete her disguise, his voice echoing over a short montage of Wong Chia Chi
preparing for her role. As we see her leave her house with a packed suitcase, W.C.C.’s
theme II (b) enters. The music continues while Wong Chia Chi asks the officer to mail
6
It could be argued that this theme, here named W.C.C.’s theme II (b) should simply
be called W.C.C.’s theme II since the actual W.C.C.’s theme II as heard in the full
version is never used until the end credits. The full version is however named “Wong
Chia Chi’s theme” on the film’s official soundtrack and therefore the themes within
that version will be looked at as the original themes.
a letter to her father in England. The officer promptly burns the letter and the theme
briefly reappears along with the image of the burning letter in a trash can. The music
fades out on the tonic minor chord shortly after the film cuts to Mr. Yee entering his
house.
Again one can see connections between the use of W.C.C.’s theme II (b) and Wong
Chia Chi’s background. In this cue the theme enters at the precise moment she leaves
her home, and with it her real identity. The second time it appears in this cue is when
the letter to her father burns, as if her past is burning with it.
Hotel Room - W.C.C.'s theme I
This cue has already been discussed at length in the previous chapter as it is built
around the Lust, caution theme. However, towards the end of the cue, W.C.C.’s theme
I can be heard ever so slightly in the background. It can now be safely said that while
W.C.C.’s theme is obviously a leitmotif for Wong Chia Chi, the Lust, caution theme is
in fact a leitmotif for Mrs. Mak. The fact that W.C.C.’s theme is mixed into a cue
dominated by the Lust, caution theme is perhaps a sign of things to come – a sign of
Wong Chia Chi failing to distance herself from her role as Mrs. Mak as she falls more
and more in love with Mr. Yee.
Check Point - W.C.C.'s theme I & III
This cue starts after Wong Chia Chi breaks down in front of Kuang Yu Min and the
Kuomintang officer, revealing how the mission is wearing her down mentally, and
begging them to end it as soon as possible. It is therefore natural that the cue is made
up of W.C.C.’s theme I as a constant ostinato in the background, and a slight variation
of W.C.C.’s theme III as the main melody. The latter theme comes in shortly after the
film cuts to the checkpoint into the Japanese district of Shanghai. Mr. Yee’s driver is
taking Wong Chia Chi to meet Mr. Yee at a high-class Japanese brothel. The music
fades into source music as Wong Chia Chi enters the brothel.
The constant ticking of W.C.C.’s theme I on harp and marimba gives this cue a
sense of unnerving motion as the audience senses how fragile and unstable Wong
Chia Chi is becoming, and how hard it is for her to differentiate between her own self
and her role as Mrs. Mak.
Streets of Shanghai part II - W.C.C.'s theme I
This is another example of where a cue that is built around another theme is given a
sense of motion and anxiety by W.C.C.’s theme I.7
7
This cue will be discussed at length in The Resistance theme
Nanjing Road - W.C.C.'s theme II (b)
Wong Chia Chi and Mr. Yee step out of his car on Nanjing Road, in front of the
jeweler’s store where Mr. Yee’s assassination is scheduled to take place. As they walk
across the street, a sound of a gunshot is heard in the distance. Wong Chia Chi is
startled and as the film moves into slow motion, she anxiously looks around at other
members of the resistance who are waiting to ambush Mr. Yee. As Mr. Yee puts his
arm around her she looks back at him with a protective smile, as if she had just
realized that in his arms is where she wants to be. The film goes back to normal speed
and they enter the store together.
A high-pitched tonic string drone is triggered by the distant gunshot. W.C.C.’s
theme II (b) enters shortly thereafter. It is a slight variation of the theme with added
reverb, to match the slow motion effect. The choice of using this theme suggests
Wong Chia Chi is reflecting on her entire life, her background and her friends in the
resistance, as she tries to make up her mind on whether actually allowing the love of
her life to be assassinated.
On the Street - W.C.C.'s theme II (b)
On the Street starts as Wong Chia Chi steps out of the jeweler’s store after Mr. Yee
barely managed to escape the attempt on his life thanks to Wong Chia Chi’s warning.
She frantically tries to hail a cycle-rickshaw without succeeding. W.C.C.’s theme II
(b) enters as she walks towards fancy looking shopping windows on Nanjing road.
The theme is yet again used to signify her modest background as she regretfully
examines the expensive clothing in the windows – knowing that her life as the highclass Mrs. Mak is now over. Suddenly, as the harp and celesta join the string section
in a mournful outro, Wong Chia Chi snaps out of her daydream when she sees another
rickshaw reflecting in the window and this time manages to grab the driver’s
attention. As she takes a seat in the carriage, the music fades into the next cue – The
Angel.
The Angel - W.C.C.'s theme III, I & IV
The cycle-rickshaw drives off with Wong Chia Chi through the crowded streets of
Shanghai. Her journey comes to a halt when the driver has to stop because of a
barricade on the road. As she realizes that there is no way for her to escape she
contemplates taking her own life, clutching a cyanide pill that was sown onto her
jacket. The film flashes back to the moment the six young students in Hong Kong
originally planned the assassination of Mr. Yee, before cutting to Mr. Yee himself
standing in his office, which is where the music ends.
Arguably the musical highlight of the film, The Angel is the closest the audience
gets to hearing a full version of Wong Chia Chi’s theme during the actual film.
Underscoring Wong Chia Chi’s reflective journey through the streets of Shanghai,
this cue makes it very clear that her life as Mrs. Mak is over. That façade was
immediately stripped off her when she revealed herself to Mr. Yee. Even so, there is a
very subtle hint that she may never go back to being the Wong Chia Chi of old: When
the piano plays W.C.C.’s theme III for the second time, one can ever so slightly hear a
cello line of A (5th) – E (9th) – D (8th), which incidentally or not is also the first part of
the Lust, caution theme.8
An Empty Bed - W.C.C.'s theme I
Mr. Yee sits on Wong Chia Chi’s empty bed. As a clock rings for 10 o’clock, a highpitched string drone enters. It is soon accompanied by W.C.C.’s theme I on harp,
marking how strongly Mr. Yee feels Wong Chia Chi’s presence in the room as he
slowly walks out of it.9
8
Which, as has been previously discussed, can also be interpreted as Mrs. Mak’s
theme.
9 This cue will be discussed at length in The Love theme
The Resistance theme
Playacting
Playacting marks the introduction of the least prominent of all the major themes –
The resistance theme. The resistance theme is a leitmotif for the group of six young
students as well as for the mission to murder Mr. Yee. It is first heard in a playful yet
suspenseful way (the melody is mainly carried by piano and flute) during a scene
where the group moves into the apartment they acquired to help build the disguise of
Mrs. Mak. The cue ends on a dramatic tonic minor 9th chord when the audience sees
Wong Chia Chi dressed up as Mrs. Mak for the first time, as she waits to be
introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Yee.
Tsim Sha Tsui Stroll
Wong Chia Chi, as Mrs. Mak, is getting acquainted with Mrs. Yee and the two of
them are enjoying a leisurely stroll along with Kuang Yu Min, who is posing as Wong
Chia Chi’s cousin, and Mrs. Yee’s bodyguard. The music enters at the end of the
previous scene and The Resistance theme starts right after the camera focuses on the
slightly awkward looking foursome walking down the street. This time the piano
plays the melody along with a solo violin. The music continues throughout their
trivial conversation and fades out on a high violin note that stretches slightly into the
next scene.
This variation of the theme is different in tempo from Playacting with Tsim Sha
Tsui Stroll boasting a waltz-like rhythm, but the atmosphere sounds equally playful
without having the same colour of mystery. The playfulness of both these cues
suggests that the young students do not fully realize the serious nature of their
mission.
The End of Innocence
This cue was already discussed in Wong Chia Chi’s theme. What was purposefully
left out in that chapter is the fact that The Resistance theme is briefly played by violas
on top of Wong Chia Chi’s theme IV. As was mentioned in the previous chapter, the
group finds out their mission has come to an end. In this cue, The Resistance theme
mournfully laments the group’s failure as it blends seamlessly with Wong Chia Chi’s
own sorrow over the course of events.
Familiar Faces
Wong Chia Chi is living her lonely and modest life in the Shanghai of 1942. As she
walks out of a movie theater, one of her old friends from Hong Kong is seen watching
her. Fittingly, a string section meanwhile plays a slow rendition of The Resistance
theme. The music modulates when it reaches the second half of the theme, creating a
subtle hit point as Wong Chia Chi notices Kuang Yu Min waiting outside her
apartment when she arrives home.
The dark nature of this variation of The Resistance theme indicates that the group’s
naïve mission in Hong Kong three years earlier undoubtedly left its mark on all of
them. Even though it did not dampen their will to challenge the Japanese regime, they
all have aged beyond their years.
Desire
The first half of this cue was discussed in detail in The Lust, caution theme. In this
chapter however it is the very end of the cue that is of interest. As Mr. Yee and Wong
Chia Chi lie in each other’s arms after their extremely passionate lovemaking, Wong
Chia Chi asks him to provide her with an apartment. The advantage of her having an
apartment for herself is not only to have more privacy with Mr. Yee – that privacy
would also give her and the resistance a better chance to get at him unguarded.
Shortly after she asks Mr. Yee, a harp plays The Resistance theme in octaves. This
brief inclusion of the theme reminds the audience, and perhaps Wong Chia Chi
herself, that even though she is very much in love with Mr. Yee, her mission of
having him assassinated is still ongoing.
Sacrifice
The latter half of Sacrifice was discussed in The Lust, caution theme. The Resistance
theme is heard here in the beginning of this long cue. Wong Chia Chi is being carried
through a crowded, narrow street in Shanghai. As she passes the entrance to the now
confiscated office of the Kuomintang official, the first half of The Resistance theme is
played by violins.
As may already be gleaned from the above, this score lives and dies by its use of
leitmotifs. The use of The Resistance theme in this cue is yet another example of an
extremely traditional, and obvious, use of a simple leitmotif.
Streets of Shanghai part II
Streets of Shanghai part II is yet another cue that has already been mentioned in
previous chapters, which goes to show how often different themes are mixed together
in this score.
Wong Chia Chi is about to deliver the mysterious envelope to the man who turns
out to be the jeweler. The music starts right on the cut and Wong Chia Chi is seen
stepping out of her carriage. This cue is appropriately built around The Resistance
theme (played on top of an ostinato made up of W.C.C.’s theme I). It is heard for the
last time in the film as Wong Chia Chi walks towards the front door of the jeweler’s
store. Before she goes in she looks back to see many of her old friends from Hong
Kong stand guard. The music softly fades out as she walks into the store.
The Love theme
Dinner Waltz - Love theme I, III & III
The last of the four major themes is The Love Theme. Like the name suggests, it is
used during intimate moments between the film’s two main characters, Wong Chia
Chi and Mr. Yee. Much like Wong Chia Chi’s theme, The Love theme is made up of
different themes that can all be linked to each other.10 The first time it is heard is in
fact the only time all three of them are used in the same cue, apart from during the end
credits.
Dinner Waltz takes place during the first time Wong Chia Chi and Mr. Yee are
alone together, in Hong Kong in 1939. The two of them are enjoying each other’s
company at a nice restaurant with Wong Chia Chi wearing the dress Mr. Yee
previously told her to wear. A piano player is seen playing dinner music, the second
movement of Brahms’s Intermezzo In a Opus 118, which continues during the first
part of their meal. The film then cuts to later in the evening where the couple is still
engaged in a conversation at the restaurant. At the same time the music is cut rather
abruptly as it switches from Brahms’s Intermezzo to Desplat’s Dinner Waltz, which is
made sound like it is also being played by the same piano player at the restaurant. As
their talk continues, all three of the themes that make up The Love theme are heard
before the film cuts to the next scene (Moonlight Drive) in an inexplicably abrupt
manner.
10
The three themes are named in the order of their appearance in this cue, Dinner
Waltz.
There are several examples of source music in this film.11 This cue is unique in the
sense that it is the only time in the film that source music is actually written by the
film’s composer, Alexandre Desplat. Furthermore, this source music is used later on
as non-source music on numerous occasions, albeit in different variations.
Desire - Love theme III & II
One of the factors that make Desire an extremely important cue is the fact that it
contains themes from three of the four major theme categories.12 The first half (Lust,
caution theme) and the very end (The Resistance theme) of this cue have already been
discussed in previous chapters. In The Lust, caution theme the disturbing nature of
the cue was discussed in detail. However, their lovemaking reaches a point where the
two lovers slow down and look at each other’s eyes, during which the music becomes
more tonal. Subsequently Love theme III enters on harp over a string section. It then
leads into a very romantic version of Love theme II with its entrance impeccably
timed with Mr. Yee’s climax. A short outro, which includes the previously discussed
Resistance theme, follows as the two lovers lie in each other’s arms.
It can be argued that the inclusion of The Love theme in this cue makes it
unnecessarily romantic (especially with the hit point being Mr. Yee’s dramatic
climax). However, it does help the audience understand that despite how wrong it
may seem, Wong Chia Chi’s love for Mr. Yee is no façade.
11
Most of which is not mentioned in this paper as it focuses on Alexandre Desplat’s
score.
12 For the reader to be able to vision this cue in context with its appearances in
previous chapters, this sample plays the whole cue instead of just focusing on the part
where The Love theme is heard.
The Secret - Love theme I
At the Japanese brothel, the two lovers share an intimate moment when Wong Chia
Chi sings a traditional love song for the visibly moved Mr. Yee. The fact that this
brute of a man is comfortable enough to cry in front of Wong Chia Chi is yet another
sign of the strong bond between the two. It is therefore fitting that a slow string
arrangement of Love theme I is heard following this emotional scene. It enters right as
the film cuts to Mr. Yee’s car stopping to let Wong Chia Chi out of the car. The
theme continues until Mr. Yee asks her to deliver the mysterious envelope to the
jeweler, at which point the music fades into a variation of the Lust, caution theme – as
was described when this cue was discussed in The Lust, caution theme.
"Go, now!" - Love theme III
It is the moment Wong Chia Chi and the resistance have been waiting for. She is
sitting beside Mr. Yee inside the jeweler’s store with the place surrounded by
resistance members waiting to ambush Mr. Yee as he steps outside. The music enters
as he lovingly admires the newly made ring on her finger. Wong Chia Chi then
succumbs to her emotions and with tears in her eyes she whispers to Mr. Yee: “go,
now”. The music quickly but subtly fades out as Mr. Yee realizes the danger he is in
and runs in panic out of the store, knocking a resistance member over before jumping
into his car.
Desplat appropriately uses Love theme III to underscore the film’s climax in a very
delicate fashion. The choice of this theme underlines that Wong Chia Chi’s decision
to warn Mr. Yee was made because of her unquestionable love for him. Knowing her
actions would most likely condemn herself to death, she still could not bare the
thought of leading the love of her life to his grave – and the use of The Love theme
helps the audience to better understand her reasoning.
An Empty Bed - Love theme II, III & I
This is the final scene of the film, and in Wong Chia Chi’s theme was described as
follows:
Mr. Yee sits on Wong Chia Chi’s empty bed. As a clock rings for 10
o’clock, a high-pitched string drone enters. It is soon accompanied by
W.C.C.’s theme I on harp, marking how strongly Mr. Yee feels Wong
Chia Chi’s presence in the room as he slowly walks out of it.
As the camera lingers on her bed after Mr. Yee stands up, his shadow stops in the
doorway, briefly looking back at the empty bed before he leaves the room. As the
screen fades to black, a soft waltz is introduced by the low strings. The rest of the
string section join in with Love theme II precisely as the first credits pop up on screen.
The orchestra skips between the three love themes just as the piano did in Dinner
Waltz, before quickly fading out, making way for Wong Chia Chi’s theme as the
credits roll down.
The decision of having The Love theme take over after this devastatingly sad final
scene is perhaps a surprising one, given the importance of both the Lust, caution
theme and Wong Chia Chi’s theme. It is however the right choice to make as it makes
it possible, and even inevitable, for the audience to genuinely feel sorry for the villain
that is Mr. Yee. Perhaps it also suggests that ultimately, Lust, caution is a story about
love – a love gone horribly, horribly wrong.
Bibliography
Lee, Ang, director, Lust, Caution, film, River Road Entertainment, Haishang Films
and Sil-Metropole Organisation, United States, China and Taiwan, 2007.
Desplat, Alexandre, Lust, Caution (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Decca,
2007.
Scoring for Film, Television and Video Games
A Subtle Variety
Theme Analysis of the Score to Lust, Caution
Snorri Hallgrímsson
July 2014
Introduction
Lust, Caution (2007) is a dramatic thriller film based on a novella of the same name
written by Eileen Chang and published in 1979. Directed by Ang Lee, the film was
produced in the USA, China and Taiwan. Lee turned to Frenchman Alexandre
Desplat to write the score. Despite the film being set in China during the second
world war, Desplat wrote a traditionally western classic contemporary score. Using a
fairly traditional orchestra, Desplat created a delicate, haunting, yet beautiful score
that relies heavily on themes and variations of those themes. These themes, or
leitmotifs, can be categorized into four major themes: the Lust, caution theme, Wong
Chia Chi’s theme, the Resistance theme, and the Love theme.
This paper will discuss the use of these themes; how they connect with what is
happening on screen, how subtle changes and variations of the themes can expand the
musical vocabulary of the score, and how becoming familiar with these themes can
give the audience a deeper understanding of the story and its characters.
Synopsis
Lust, Caution follows six young university students in Hong Kong during the Second
Sino-Japanese War. Frustrated by not being able to directly help their country in the
war, they come up with the plan to murder a high-ranking official, Mr. Yee, who is in
fact working for the Japanese puppet government in China. Their plan is to disguise
one of their own, a young woman named Wong Chia Chi, as a high-class lady in
order to infiltrate the Yee household. After successfully getting into Mr. Yee’s wife’s
inner circle, Wong Chia Chi tries to seduce the heavily guarded Mr. Yee. Now posing
as the well-to-do Mrs. Mak, she is very close to succeeding when Mr. Yee suddenly
gets relocated to Shanghai, which forces the young activists to abandon their plan. As
they pack up their things in a hurry, one of Mr. Yee’s subordinates shows up in their
apartment and realizes that Mrs. Mak is not who she claims to be. The students
combine their forces to kill the subordinate before the horrified Wong Chia Chi runs
away.
Three years later Wong Chia Chi is living life as a poor student in the war-ridden
Shanghai of 1942 when she is approached by Kuang Yu Min, the leader of the now
dispatched group of university students. Kuang, now working as an undercover agent
for the KMT1, convinces Wong Chia Chi to resume her role as Mrs. Mak in order to
become Mr. Yee’s mistress. Mr. Yee has become the head of a police department
which is responsible for capturing, interrogating, and executing resistance agents such
as Kuang. He is therefore under constant surveillance. Wong Chia Chi as Mrs. Mak is
offered by Mrs. Yee to stay in the Yee household where she again catches the eye of
1
KMT stands for Kuomintang, today known as the Chinese Nationalist Party, which
tried fervently to overthrow the Japanese occupation in China during the Second
Sino-Japanese War.
Mr. Yee. Their first sexual encounter (of many) takes place at a hotel room where he
violently rapes her despite her obvious willingness to have sex with him. However,
the smile on her face at the end of their encounter is an indication of what is to come.
As they spend more time together, it becomes evident that Wong Chia Chi is falling
in love with Mr. Yee, all the while trying to get him assassinated. She finally gets the
chance to have her colleagues kill him when they go unguarded to a jewelry shop
where Mr. Yee has had a diamond ring made for Wong Chia Chi. As she puts it on
her finger she succumbs to her feelings towards Mr. Yee and quietly tells him to run.
He manages to escape with the help of his driver. That same day Wong Chia Chi and
the other resistance group members are captured. The distraught Mr. Yee signs their
death warrants and has them taken to a quarry where they are executed.
The Lust, caution theme
The Lust, caution theme in its simplest, most commonly heard form
Opening Titles
The opening titles theme is simply named Lust, caution on the film’s official
soundtrack. It enters as the first titles are presented and immediately gives off an eerie
sort of atmosphere through its orchestration and its dorian minor modal structure. A
minor hit point occurs when the film’s title appears on screen – the background music
modulates while the melody stays in the same key, creating a disturbing sounding
dissonance and giving the already intriguing title an extra bite. The titles turn into
images of a guard dog and armed guards on the streets of Shanghai while the music
modulates back to its original key, this time finishing the theme as seen on the
transcription above. It then fades out on the tonic minor chord with an ominous added
major 7th as the film cuts to a female servant carrying a tray with soup dishes inside
the Yee household.
Despite these opening titles being relatively short, the catchy nature of the theme
makes sure the theme will sound familiar the next time it is heard in the film.
Furthermore, it serves as a strong foundation to the score’s general sound.
Home From Work
This is the film’s first non-source music since the opening titles theme. Though the
main melody itself is not heard right away, the fact that it is in the same e-minor
dorian key as the opening titles makes this short cue sound and feel like a natural
continuation of the opening theme. It starts off with pizzicato basses giving the music
a stronger sense of rhythm as Mr. Yee’s assistant watches him leave the workplace
after their conversation ends. The music continues as Mr. Yee’s car drives off and
subsequently parks near Mr. Yee’s home. Again it fades out as the film cuts inside the
house when Mr. Yee walks in.
Seduction
As the film flashes back in time, the Lust, caution theme is not heard for more than
forty minutes. Situated three years earlier, in Hong Kong, Mr. Yee is patiently
watching Wong Chia Chi trying out a new dress at the tailor’s. As she prepares to
switch back to her normal clothes, Mr. Yee orders her to leave the dress on – and right
after is where this aptly named Seduction cue starts. As an electric cello eloquently
swoops in with the main melody, the film cuts to a fancy restaurant. Mr. Yee walks
out of a phone booth towards a table where Wong Chia Chi sits, wearing the beautiful
dress. The music softly fades out as they start their conversation.
Arguably the finest version of the Lust, caution theme on the entire soundtrack, it
magnificently combines harp, glass harp, electric cello, solo violin, and a string
section. Sadly, the film cuts out the beautiful modulation that can be heard on the
sample above and instead goes straight to the solo violin taking over the main melody
– suggesting the scene was somewhat longer in its original cut.
The fact that the theme was not used for such a long time (mainly during when the
group had not yet started their mission) and only resumes when Wong Chia Chi
manages to be alone with Mr. Yee for the first time, suggests that the film’s title
theme is actually a leitmotif for the mission itself. However, as will be mentioned
later on, the resistance group has another leitmotif of its own. Therefore it can be said
that perhaps the Lust, caution theme is more specifically connected to Wong Chia
Chi’s role as Mrs. Mak in that mission, her torment and the danger she is putting
herself in.s
Moonlight Drive
That same night, Mr. Yee and Wong Chia Chi are being driven in his car to Wong
Chia Chi’s house, where the other group members wait anxiously for their chance to
spring the trap. The music starts off with the main melody carried by a violin section.
As the car approaches the house, the camera then moves to a watching group member
on the balcony and the music suddenly becomes frantic as he warns the others of Mr.
Yee’s coming. It then changes back to it’s previous calm state when the film cuts to
Mr. Yee and Wong Chia Chi getting out of the car and walking towards the house.
This becomes a recurring theme as the music dances extremely accurately with the
film’s editing as it cuts back and forth between the panic of the young resistance
members inside and the nervously calm couple outside.
The main theme takes over again when outside the front door, Wong Chia Chi
flirtingly tries to get Mr. Yee to come inside despite knowing he has an appointment.
The music softly builds up as Kuang Yu Min watches the front door open from inside
but stops when it becomes apparent that Mr. Yee had decided not to follow Wong
Chia Chi inside.
One of the more important cues of the film’s first half, it is built around the Lust,
caution theme and expertly guided to hit the frequent cuts of the scene without
sacrificing the quality of the music. Just as in the Seduction cue, the title theme is
used prominently to underscore Wong Chia Chi’s efforts to seduce Mr. Yee in order
to get him assassinated.
Hotel Room
As the young activists mission falls apart in Hong Kong, the Lust, caution theme is
again put on ice until Wong Chia Chi has resumed her role as Mrs. Mak three years
later in Shanghai. It is heard again when Mr. Yee has her sent to meet him at a hotel
room. This cue is almost identical to the Moonlight Drive cue2, but without the frantic
passages of the latter. It starts off when Wong Chia Chi informs Mr. and Mrs. Yee at
the breakfast table that she has no plans for the afternoon. It continues as Mr. Yee’s
driver picks her up to take her to the hotel room, with a minor hit point when he hands
her an envelope with the room number written on it – this is enhanced with a subtle
modulation (the most notable change from the Moonlight Drive cue). The main theme
As a result it does not appear on the official soundtrack, hence the full audio extract
in the sample.
2
then reappears in the original key when Wong Chia Chi enters the hotel before it
slowly fades out as she gets familiar with the hotel room.
Desire
In this unnerving cue the Lust, caution theme is heard like it has never been heard
before. The cue starts as Wong Chia Chi learns that Mr. Yee has left town and
continues as Mrs. Yee leaves the house as well. The title theme only appears however
when Mr. Yee’s car returns to the house, suggesting another intimate interaction
between Mr. Yee and Wong Chia Chi is imminent. There is nothing flirtatious about
the way the theme sounds this time though, which is no surprise given the nature of
their last encounter.3 The theme is briefly played on tubular bells over atonal flute
sounds and string clusters before it disappears again. The music stops when Mr. Yee
enters Wong Chia Chi’s room but starts again where it left off, right before the film
cuts to the two of them having extremely passionate sex. The music continues in the
same disturbing fashion with the Lust, caution theme briefly appearing again on the
bells during their lovemaking, turning what could be an arousing experience for the
audience into a very uncomfortable one. For all the passion in the scene, this music
declares that this love is not right in any sense.
3
Mr. Yee raped Wong Chia Chi in the hotel room, which surprisingly only led to her
becoming more emotionally attached to him.
Sacrifice
This sample starts in the middle of a long cue named Sacrifice, right as the film cuts
to Wong Chia Chi and Mr. Yee again having passionately aggressive sex. This cue is
very similar to Desire but even more alarming and atonal. The Lust, caution theme
appears twice;; just before Mr. Yee’s first climax of the scene, and again when Wong
Chia Chi notices Mr. Yee’s gun whilst riding him. As Mr. Yee climaxes for the
second time the music becomes more tonal. Unlike during his climax in Desire
however 4 , the music does not revert to romanticism but instead keeps its dark
character. As the heavily dramatic string chords linger on, Wong Chia Chi’s torment
becomes unbearable. She holds the love of her life, the man she simultaneously loves
and hates, the man who she is willing to put her own life in danger to have
assassinated, in her arms. Tears stream down her face as she knows this relationship is
only leading to the death of either him, or herself.
The Lust, caution theme, though only heard briefly, is again used to remind the
audience that despite the visible love between the two, it is a love that is built around
her mission.
The Secret
After a romantic evening, Mr. Yee asks Wong Chia Chi to deliver an envelope to a
certain man at an unknown address. (That man turns out to be a jeweler who
subsequently crafts a diamond ring for Wong Chia Chi. The audience is led to believe
4
Which will be discussed in The Love theme
however that Mr. Yee is giving her some sort of mission or a test.) The previously
romantic cue then becomes more mysterious, using the Lust, caution theme in a more
familiarly tonal way than during the two sex scenes. The bass line of the theme starts
by itself but a cello section swoops in with the main melody when Wong Chia Chi
watches Mr. Yee’s car drive off. The theme is left unfinished though, and the music
fades out as Kuang Yu Min examines the envelope at the beginning of the next scene.
Nanjing Road
This cue starts as soon as Wong Chia Chi steps out of a café. She steps into Mr. Yee’s
car and asks Mr. Yee to take her to the jeweler’s to pick up her ring. It has been made
clear to the audience that the time to assassinate Mr. Yee has finally come and the
jeweler’s shop is where it happens. Wong Chia Chi is visibly nervous and Desplat
helps create a feeling of excitement and anxiety by using fragments of the Lust,
caution theme here and there over strong, rhythmic basses.
Wong Chia Chi’s mission is at last about to come to an end and it is fitting that this
scene is accompanied by the most hectic version of the Lust, caution theme yet.
The South Quarry
Mr. Yee managed to escape from the jeweler’s thanks to Wong Chia Chi’s warning.
That same day his assistant informs Mr. Yee at his office that the entire resistance
group, including Wong Chia Chi, has been captured. Mr. Yee signs their death
warrants before handing it to his assistant who leaves Wong Chia Chi’s ring on Mr.
Yee’s desk. The music enters as the heartbroken Mr. Yee watches the ring wobble on
his desk. The film then cuts to the South Quarry where the group is to be executed.
Dissonant fragments of the Lust, caution theme are played on bells, making the
atmosphere somewhat similar to Desire and Sacrifice, while the group members are
forced to their knees. Next to Wong Chia Chi kneels Kuang Yu Min who gives her a
look of complete disappointment and anger. As he looks at her the music calms down
and the Lust, caution theme is played in its basic original form on harp over a tonic
string drone. The camera then flies over the group and away to the sound of guns
being loaded and the string section coming in with full force. The music connects the
scene of their execution to Mr. Yee’s house where he takes off his jacket and walks
up the stairs to Wong Chia Chi’s bedroom. It softly fades out on another tonic string
drone as Mr. Yee sits down on her bed.
This tragic cue is the last time we hear the Lust, caution theme and it is a fine
example of how it can be used in many different ways to portray a variety of
emotions. The highlight of the cue is when the music is stripped down to just the harp,
over a tonic string drone, playing the opening titles theme to the heartbreaking look
Kuang Yu Min gives Wong Chia Chi.
Wong Chia Chi’s theme
Wong Chia Chi's theme
To fully understand Wong Chia Chi’s theme it is necessary to begin with the full
version of the theme. For Wong Chia Chi’s theme is not one theme, but four themes
(one of which has a variation used frequently in the film) that are used separately or in
various combinations throughout the film’s score. Here they are named in order of
appearance in this full version, which can only be heard during the end credits of the
film – a very interesting fact given the importance of Wong Chia Chi’s theme as part
of the soundtrack. It is beautifully set up for the audience to long for the completion
of the theme as they will come to know bits and pieces of it better and better as the
film goes on, just as Wong Chia Chi herself hopelessly longed for the completion of
her mission.
Streets of Shanghai - W.C.C.'s theme I
It is fitting that the first suggestion of Wong Chia Chi’s theme5 in the score is a subtle
variation of the incredibly simple minor third motif that is Wong Chia Chi’s theme I.
Here it is used very subtly in the background to give a sense of motion to a cue where
Wong Chia Chi is being driven through the war-ridden streets of Shanghai.
5
Hereafter named W.C.C.’s theme for short.
Exodus - W.C.C.'s theme III & I
Exodus is the first cue after the film flashes back to 1939. Wong Chia Chi sits on the
back of a truck along with thousands of others who are fleeing Shanghai because of
the war. The music enters with a fairly mundane, dramatic receding minor chord
progression when Wong Chia Chi notices the handsome Kuang Yu Min on the next
truck. It then fades into a harp playing over soft strings a version of W.C.C.’s theme
III as Wong Chia Chi discusses the war with another girl on the truck. As they finish
their conversation the strings take over with W.C.C.’s theme I – softly at first but
more emphatically for the second time to link the film’s cut to the next scene in Hong
Kong.
A small but significant cue as the audience hears both W.C.C’s theme I and
W.C.C.’s theme III in their original form for the first time.
Falling Rain - W.C.C.'s theme III & I
Falling Rain is another combination of W.C.C.’s theme III and W.C.C.’s theme I. The
group of students is having fun on a bus in Hong Kong and Wong Chia Chi moves to
the front of the bus to escape the rowdiness of the others, which is when this cue
starts. It continues as Kuang Yu Min joins her and the two of them share an intimate
moment as the rain pours down on the bus. It then fades subtly out shortly after the
next scene starts.
This is the first time the piano carries the main melody of any of the W.C.C.’s
themes, which becomes common throughout the rest of the score. More significantly
this cue solidifies the link between the two themes heard in the ears of the audience.
The End of Innocence - W.C.C.'s theme IV & I
The more time Wong Chia Chi spends as Mrs. Mak in Hong Kong, the less is heard of
her own theme. It is therefore fitting that the next time it appears is right after Wong
Chia Chi receives a phone call from Mrs. Yee who informs her that Mr. Yee has been
relocated to Shanghai, marking the end of the groups naïve mission in Hong Kong –
and subsequently the end of Wong Chia Chi’s role as Mrs. Mak. The music continues
as the group is seen packing up their things in dismay. It softly fades out as Wong
Chia Chi steps out to the balcony for a cigarette. In the background Mr. Yee’s
assistant is seen sneaking into the house.
This cue marks the introduction of W.C.C.’s theme IV, which to no surprise links
perfectly well with the chorus-like W.C.C.’s theme I. The piano is again used to play
the main melody.
Shanghai 1942 - W.C.C.'s theme II (b)
After the brutal stabbing of Mr. Yee’s assistant the horrified Wong Chia Chi runs out
of the house and away. She is accompanied by an electronic drone on the tonic and
the dominant and soon a solo violin joins in in a small intro. The entrance of W.C.C.’s
theme II (b)6 is impeccably timed with the film’s cut to Shanghai, now three years
later. The tragic theme, reminiscent of John Williams’s score for Schindler’s List,
continues throughout a montage of the war-ridden Shanghai. As the theme suggests,
Wong Chia Chi appears amongst a crowd of peasants standing in line for their daily
food rations. She then walks past paramedics removing dead bodies of the poor from
the streets. The music softly exits as she enters a modest looking building and walks
inside.
Shanghai 1942, one of the strongest cues of the soundtrack, introduces the
haunting W.C.C.’s theme II (b). It is the first sign of this theme representing Wong
Chia Chi’s modest background and how far from reality her disguise as Mrs. Mak
actually is. That the theme is in this cue used to underscore images of extreme poverty
supports that statement.
Remember Everything - W.C.C.'s theme II (b)
After having been approached by Kuang Yu Min on the street, Wong Chia Chi agrees
to resume her role as Mrs. Mak in order to get to Mr. Yee once again. The music
starts as a Kuomintang officer lists everything she has to remember to successfully
complete her disguise, his voice echoing over a short montage of Wong Chia Chi
preparing for her role. As we see her leave her house with a packed suitcase, W.C.C.’s
theme II (b) enters. The music continues while Wong Chia Chi asks the officer to mail
6
It could be argued that this theme, here named W.C.C.’s theme II (b) should simply
be called W.C.C.’s theme II since the actual W.C.C.’s theme II as heard in the full
version is never used until the end credits. The full version is however named “Wong
Chia Chi’s theme” on the film’s official soundtrack and therefore the themes within
that version will be looked at as the original themes.
a letter to her father in England. The officer promptly burns the letter and the theme
briefly reappears along with the image of the burning letter in a trash can. The music
fades out on the tonic minor chord shortly after the film cuts to Mr. Yee entering his
house.
Again one can see connections between the use of W.C.C.’s theme II (b) and Wong
Chia Chi’s background. In this cue the theme enters at the precise moment she leaves
her home, and with it her real identity. The second time it appears in this cue is when
the letter to her father burns, as if her past is burning with it.
Hotel Room - W.C.C.'s theme I
This cue has already been discussed at length in the previous chapter as it is built
around the Lust, caution theme. However, towards the end of the cue, W.C.C.’s theme
I can be heard ever so slightly in the background. It can now be safely said that while
W.C.C.’s theme is obviously a leitmotif for Wong Chia Chi, the Lust, caution theme is
in fact a leitmotif for Mrs. Mak. The fact that W.C.C.’s theme is mixed into a cue
dominated by the Lust, caution theme is perhaps a sign of things to come – a sign of
Wong Chia Chi failing to distance herself from her role as Mrs. Mak as she falls more
and more in love with Mr. Yee.
Check Point - W.C.C.'s theme I & III
This cue starts after Wong Chia Chi breaks down in front of Kuang Yu Min and the
Kuomintang officer, revealing how the mission is wearing her down mentally, and
begging them to end it as soon as possible. It is therefore natural that the cue is made
up of W.C.C.’s theme I as a constant ostinato in the background, and a slight variation
of W.C.C.’s theme III as the main melody. The latter theme comes in shortly after the
film cuts to the checkpoint into the Japanese district of Shanghai. Mr. Yee’s driver is
taking Wong Chia Chi to meet Mr. Yee at a high-class Japanese brothel. The music
fades into source music as Wong Chia Chi enters the brothel.
The constant ticking of W.C.C.’s theme I on harp and marimba gives this cue a
sense of unnerving motion as the audience senses how fragile and unstable Wong
Chia Chi is becoming, and how hard it is for her to differentiate between her own self
and her role as Mrs. Mak.
Streets of Shanghai part II - W.C.C.'s theme I
This is another example of where a cue that is built around another theme is given a
sense of motion and anxiety by W.C.C.’s theme I.7
7
This cue will be discussed at length in The Resistance theme
Nanjing Road - W.C.C.'s theme II (b)
Wong Chia Chi and Mr. Yee step out of his car on Nanjing Road, in front of the
jeweler’s store where Mr. Yee’s assassination is scheduled to take place. As they walk
across the street, a sound of a gunshot is heard in the distance. Wong Chia Chi is
startled and as the film moves into slow motion, she anxiously looks around at other
members of the resistance who are waiting to ambush Mr. Yee. As Mr. Yee puts his
arm around her she looks back at him with a protective smile, as if she had just
realized that in his arms is where she wants to be. The film goes back to normal speed
and they enter the store together.
A high-pitched tonic string drone is triggered by the distant gunshot. W.C.C.’s
theme II (b) enters shortly thereafter. It is a slight variation of the theme with added
reverb, to match the slow motion effect. The choice of using this theme suggests
Wong Chia Chi is reflecting on her entire life, her background and her friends in the
resistance, as she tries to make up her mind on whether actually allowing the love of
her life to be assassinated.
On the Street - W.C.C.'s theme II (b)
On the Street starts as Wong Chia Chi steps out of the jeweler’s store after Mr. Yee
barely managed to escape the attempt on his life thanks to Wong Chia Chi’s warning.
She frantically tries to hail a cycle-rickshaw without succeeding. W.C.C.’s theme II
(b) enters as she walks towards fancy looking shopping windows on Nanjing road.
The theme is yet again used to signify her modest background as she regretfully
examines the expensive clothing in the windows – knowing that her life as the highclass Mrs. Mak is now over. Suddenly, as the harp and celesta join the string section
in a mournful outro, Wong Chia Chi snaps out of her daydream when she sees another
rickshaw reflecting in the window and this time manages to grab the driver’s
attention. As she takes a seat in the carriage, the music fades into the next cue – The
Angel.
The Angel - W.C.C.'s theme III, I & IV
The cycle-rickshaw drives off with Wong Chia Chi through the crowded streets of
Shanghai. Her journey comes to a halt when the driver has to stop because of a
barricade on the road. As she realizes that there is no way for her to escape she
contemplates taking her own life, clutching a cyanide pill that was sown onto her
jacket. The film flashes back to the moment the six young students in Hong Kong
originally planned the assassination of Mr. Yee, before cutting to Mr. Yee himself
standing in his office, which is where the music ends.
Arguably the musical highlight of the film, The Angel is the closest the audience
gets to hearing a full version of Wong Chia Chi’s theme during the actual film.
Underscoring Wong Chia Chi’s reflective journey through the streets of Shanghai,
this cue makes it very clear that her life as Mrs. Mak is over. That façade was
immediately stripped off her when she revealed herself to Mr. Yee. Even so, there is a
very subtle hint that she may never go back to being the Wong Chia Chi of old: When
the piano plays W.C.C.’s theme III for the second time, one can ever so slightly hear a
cello line of A (5th) – E (9th) – D (8th), which incidentally or not is also the first part of
the Lust, caution theme.8
An Empty Bed - W.C.C.'s theme I
Mr. Yee sits on Wong Chia Chi’s empty bed. As a clock rings for 10 o’clock, a highpitched string drone enters. It is soon accompanied by W.C.C.’s theme I on harp,
marking how strongly Mr. Yee feels Wong Chia Chi’s presence in the room as he
slowly walks out of it.9
8
Which, as has been previously discussed, can also be interpreted as Mrs. Mak’s
theme.
9 This cue will be discussed at length in The Love theme
The Resistance theme
Playacting
Playacting marks the introduction of the least prominent of all the major themes –
The resistance theme. The resistance theme is a leitmotif for the group of six young
students as well as for the mission to murder Mr. Yee. It is first heard in a playful yet
suspenseful way (the melody is mainly carried by piano and flute) during a scene
where the group moves into the apartment they acquired to help build the disguise of
Mrs. Mak. The cue ends on a dramatic tonic minor 9th chord when the audience sees
Wong Chia Chi dressed up as Mrs. Mak for the first time, as she waits to be
introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Yee.
Tsim Sha Tsui Stroll
Wong Chia Chi, as Mrs. Mak, is getting acquainted with Mrs. Yee and the two of
them are enjoying a leisurely stroll along with Kuang Yu Min, who is posing as Wong
Chia Chi’s cousin, and Mrs. Yee’s bodyguard. The music enters at the end of the
previous scene and The Resistance theme starts right after the camera focuses on the
slightly awkward looking foursome walking down the street. This time the piano
plays the melody along with a solo violin. The music continues throughout their
trivial conversation and fades out on a high violin note that stretches slightly into the
next scene.
This variation of the theme is different in tempo from Playacting with Tsim Sha
Tsui Stroll boasting a waltz-like rhythm, but the atmosphere sounds equally playful
without having the same colour of mystery. The playfulness of both these cues
suggests that the young students do not fully realize the serious nature of their
mission.
The End of Innocence
This cue was already discussed in Wong Chia Chi’s theme. What was purposefully
left out in that chapter is the fact that The Resistance theme is briefly played by violas
on top of Wong Chia Chi’s theme IV. As was mentioned in the previous chapter, the
group finds out their mission has come to an end. In this cue, The Resistance theme
mournfully laments the group’s failure as it blends seamlessly with Wong Chia Chi’s
own sorrow over the course of events.
Familiar Faces
Wong Chia Chi is living her lonely and modest life in the Shanghai of 1942. As she
walks out of a movie theater, one of her old friends from Hong Kong is seen watching
her. Fittingly, a string section meanwhile plays a slow rendition of The Resistance
theme. The music modulates when it reaches the second half of the theme, creating a
subtle hit point as Wong Chia Chi notices Kuang Yu Min waiting outside her
apartment when she arrives home.
The dark nature of this variation of The Resistance theme indicates that the group’s
naïve mission in Hong Kong three years earlier undoubtedly left its mark on all of
them. Even though it did not dampen their will to challenge the Japanese regime, they
all have aged beyond their years.
Desire
The first half of this cue was discussed in detail in The Lust, caution theme. In this
chapter however it is the very end of the cue that is of interest. As Mr. Yee and Wong
Chia Chi lie in each other’s arms after their extremely passionate lovemaking, Wong
Chia Chi asks him to provide her with an apartment. The advantage of her having an
apartment for herself is not only to have more privacy with Mr. Yee – that privacy
would also give her and the resistance a better chance to get at him unguarded.
Shortly after she asks Mr. Yee, a harp plays The Resistance theme in octaves. This
brief inclusion of the theme reminds the audience, and perhaps Wong Chia Chi
herself, that even though she is very much in love with Mr. Yee, her mission of
having him assassinated is still ongoing.
Sacrifice
The latter half of Sacrifice was discussed in The Lust, caution theme. The Resistance
theme is heard here in the beginning of this long cue. Wong Chia Chi is being carried
through a crowded, narrow street in Shanghai. As she passes the entrance to the now
confiscated office of the Kuomintang official, the first half of The Resistance theme is
played by violins.
As may already be gleaned from the above, this score lives and dies by its use of
leitmotifs. The use of The Resistance theme in this cue is yet another example of an
extremely traditional, and obvious, use of a simple leitmotif.
Streets of Shanghai part II
Streets of Shanghai part II is yet another cue that has already been mentioned in
previous chapters, which goes to show how often different themes are mixed together
in this score.
Wong Chia Chi is about to deliver the mysterious envelope to the man who turns
out to be the jeweler. The music starts right on the cut and Wong Chia Chi is seen
stepping out of her carriage. This cue is appropriately built around The Resistance
theme (played on top of an ostinato made up of W.C.C.’s theme I). It is heard for the
last time in the film as Wong Chia Chi walks towards the front door of the jeweler’s
store. Before she goes in she looks back to see many of her old friends from Hong
Kong stand guard. The music softly fades out as she walks into the store.
The Love theme
Dinner Waltz - Love theme I, III & III
The last of the four major themes is The Love Theme. Like the name suggests, it is
used during intimate moments between the film’s two main characters, Wong Chia
Chi and Mr. Yee. Much like Wong Chia Chi’s theme, The Love theme is made up of
different themes that can all be linked to each other.10 The first time it is heard is in
fact the only time all three of them are used in the same cue, apart from during the end
credits.
Dinner Waltz takes place during the first time Wong Chia Chi and Mr. Yee are
alone together, in Hong Kong in 1939. The two of them are enjoying each other’s
company at a nice restaurant with Wong Chia Chi wearing the dress Mr. Yee
previously told her to wear. A piano player is seen playing dinner music, the second
movement of Brahms’s Intermezzo In a Opus 118, which continues during the first
part of their meal. The film then cuts to later in the evening where the couple is still
engaged in a conversation at the restaurant. At the same time the music is cut rather
abruptly as it switches from Brahms’s Intermezzo to Desplat’s Dinner Waltz, which is
made sound like it is also being played by the same piano player at the restaurant. As
their talk continues, all three of the themes that make up The Love theme are heard
before the film cuts to the next scene (Moonlight Drive) in an inexplicably abrupt
manner.
10
The three themes are named in the order of their appearance in this cue, Dinner
Waltz.
There are several examples of source music in this film.11 This cue is unique in the
sense that it is the only time in the film that source music is actually written by the
film’s composer, Alexandre Desplat. Furthermore, this source music is used later on
as non-source music on numerous occasions, albeit in different variations.
Desire - Love theme III & II
One of the factors that make Desire an extremely important cue is the fact that it
contains themes from three of the four major theme categories.12 The first half (Lust,
caution theme) and the very end (The Resistance theme) of this cue have already been
discussed in previous chapters. In The Lust, caution theme the disturbing nature of
the cue was discussed in detail. However, their lovemaking reaches a point where the
two lovers slow down and look at each other’s eyes, during which the music becomes
more tonal. Subsequently Love theme III enters on harp over a string section. It then
leads into a very romantic version of Love theme II with its entrance impeccably
timed with Mr. Yee’s climax. A short outro, which includes the previously discussed
Resistance theme, follows as the two lovers lie in each other’s arms.
It can be argued that the inclusion of The Love theme in this cue makes it
unnecessarily romantic (especially with the hit point being Mr. Yee’s dramatic
climax). However, it does help the audience understand that despite how wrong it
may seem, Wong Chia Chi’s love for Mr. Yee is no façade.
11
Most of which is not mentioned in this paper as it focuses on Alexandre Desplat’s
score.
12 For the reader to be able to vision this cue in context with its appearances in
previous chapters, this sample plays the whole cue instead of just focusing on the part
where The Love theme is heard.
The Secret - Love theme I
At the Japanese brothel, the two lovers share an intimate moment when Wong Chia
Chi sings a traditional love song for the visibly moved Mr. Yee. The fact that this
brute of a man is comfortable enough to cry in front of Wong Chia Chi is yet another
sign of the strong bond between the two. It is therefore fitting that a slow string
arrangement of Love theme I is heard following this emotional scene. It enters right as
the film cuts to Mr. Yee’s car stopping to let Wong Chia Chi out of the car. The
theme continues until Mr. Yee asks her to deliver the mysterious envelope to the
jeweler, at which point the music fades into a variation of the Lust, caution theme – as
was described when this cue was discussed in The Lust, caution theme.
"Go, now!" - Love theme III
It is the moment Wong Chia Chi and the resistance have been waiting for. She is
sitting beside Mr. Yee inside the jeweler’s store with the place surrounded by
resistance members waiting to ambush Mr. Yee as he steps outside. The music enters
as he lovingly admires the newly made ring on her finger. Wong Chia Chi then
succumbs to her emotions and with tears in her eyes she whispers to Mr. Yee: “go,
now”. The music quickly but subtly fades out as Mr. Yee realizes the danger he is in
and runs in panic out of the store, knocking a resistance member over before jumping
into his car.
Desplat appropriately uses Love theme III to underscore the film’s climax in a very
delicate fashion. The choice of this theme underlines that Wong Chia Chi’s decision
to warn Mr. Yee was made because of her unquestionable love for him. Knowing her
actions would most likely condemn herself to death, she still could not bare the
thought of leading the love of her life to his grave – and the use of The Love theme
helps the audience to better understand her reasoning.
An Empty Bed - Love theme II, III & I
This is the final scene of the film, and in Wong Chia Chi’s theme was described as
follows:
Mr. Yee sits on Wong Chia Chi’s empty bed. As a clock rings for 10
o’clock, a high-pitched string drone enters. It is soon accompanied by
W.C.C.’s theme I on harp, marking how strongly Mr. Yee feels Wong
Chia Chi’s presence in the room as he slowly walks out of it.
As the camera lingers on her bed after Mr. Yee stands up, his shadow stops in the
doorway, briefly looking back at the empty bed before he leaves the room. As the
screen fades to black, a soft waltz is introduced by the low strings. The rest of the
string section join in with Love theme II precisely as the first credits pop up on screen.
The orchestra skips between the three love themes just as the piano did in Dinner
Waltz, before quickly fading out, making way for Wong Chia Chi’s theme as the
credits roll down.
The decision of having The Love theme take over after this devastatingly sad final
scene is perhaps a surprising one, given the importance of both the Lust, caution
theme and Wong Chia Chi’s theme. It is however the right choice to make as it makes
it possible, and even inevitable, for the audience to genuinely feel sorry for the villain
that is Mr. Yee. Perhaps it also suggests that ultimately, Lust, caution is a story about
love – a love gone horribly, horribly wrong.
Bibliography
Lee, Ang, director, Lust, Caution, film, River Road Entertainment, Haishang Films
and Sil-Metropole Organisation, United States, China and Taiwan, 2007.
Desplat, Alexandre, Lust, Caution (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Decca,
2007.
