admin
Fri, 10/14/2022 - 18:23
Edited Text

 

 


 

Lust,
 Caution
 
A
 Music
 Analysis
 
Xi
 Wang
 
Department
 of
 Scoring
 For
 Films,
 Television
 and
 Video
 Games
 
Berklee
 College
 of
 Music
 
Valencia
 Campus
 
July
 3,
 2014
 


 

INDEX
 


 

 

 
Introduction
 .............................................................
 3
 

 
Synopsis
 .....................................................................
 4
 

 
Music
 Overview
 .......................................................
 6
 

 
Function
 Analysis
 ...................................................
 6
 

 
Narrative
 Analysis
 ..............................................
 23
 

 
Appendix
 ................................................................
 31
 

 

 

 

 


 

2
 


 
 
 
 

Introduction
 

Lust, Caution is a 2007 espionage thriller film directed by Ang Lee, based on the
novel of the same name published in 1979 by Chinese author Eileen Chang. The
original music is composed by Alexandre Desplat, who won Golden Horse Award for
Best Original Film Score in 2007.

Comparison between the novel and the film:
Novel: 15000 Chinese characters, 30 pages. Published in 1979, female author.
In the novel, the only leading role is Wang Jiazhi, other roles and the background
are relatively vague. The story is told from the female perspective of the leading role.
Film:

2.5 hours long, released in 2007,the director is male.

In the film, not only Mr. Yi share the same importance as Wang Jiazhi,
personalities of other roles are also enhanced and enriched. Meanwhile the whole
story is put into an explicit background of the era.
Half of an hour of the whole film is based on the original novel faithfully, in which
the director even copy the scene from the novel word by word. And the left 2 hours are
all new recreation. The director shot all plots implied but not written directly in the
novel.
The original music helps to express the change of personalities of characters,
developments of plots and sublimation of the main theme, by using different music


 

3
 

themes, different ways of orchestration in variations of themes, tempo changes
in the same cues, etc.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Synopsis
 

In 1940s Japanese-occupied Shanghai, Wang Jiazhi, a young Chinese woman,
whose cover role is "Mrs. Mai", is sitting in a café in a posh neighborhood. When she
makes a call to a man, her dialogue is a coded signal that prompts a cell of young
resistance agents to load their weapons and spring into action.

------------------------------Boundary between novel and film------------------------------

Back to Hong Kong 1938 During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Wang Jiazhi had
been left behind in China by her father, flees from Shanghai to Hong Kong and
attends her first year at Lingnan University. Student Kuang Yvmin invites her to join
his patriotic drama club. Wang Jiazhi becomes a lead actress in the club.
Kuang Yvmin devises a plan to assassinate Mr. Yi, who is an agent and recruiter of
the puppet government set up by the Japanese Government in China. Wang Jiazhi is
chosen to take on the undercover role of Mrs. Mai, the wife of the owner of a Hong
Kong based trading company. She lured him into a location where he can be
assassinated. Yi is attracted to Chia Chi and once steps very close to the trap but


 

4
 

withdraws at the last minute. Not long after that, Mr. and Mrs. Yi move back to
Shanghai all of a sudden, leaving the students with no further chance to complete
their assassination plan.
Three years later in Shanghai, Wang Jiazhi again encounters Kuang, Who enlists
her into a renewed assassination plan to kill Yi. Eventually, Wang Jiazhi becomes Mr.
Yee's mistress. Their sexual relationship becomes very passionate and deeply
emotional, but also very conflicted for both of them, especially for Wang Jiazhi, who is
setting her lover up for assassination. When Mr. Yi sends Wang Jiazhi to a jewelry
store with a sealed envelope, she discovers that he has arranged for a large diamond
for her, to be mounted in a ring. This provides the Chinese resistance with a chance to
get at Mr. Yi when he is not accompanied by his bodyguards.

------------------------------Boundary between novel and film------------------------------

The next time when they meet, she is overcome by emotion and breaks down and
urges him to "Go, now." Mr. Yee realizes her meaning, runs out of the shop and
escapes the assassination attempt. By the end of the day most of the resistance
group including Wang Jiazhi herself are captured. Mr. Yi signs their death warrants,
then sits on Jiazhi's empty bed in the family guest room, and informs his wife that their
house guest is gone, and that she should not ask any questions.


 

5
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Music
 Overview
 

23 cues1
2 main themes:

Lust, Caution theme
Wang Jiazhi theme2

Wang Jiazhi theme corresponds to the description of the role in the original novel,
and Lust, Caution theme is more focusing on the motif the film wants to elaborate.
Main instruments used: solo violin, solo electronic cello, harps, mallets, piano,
string ensemble.
Main combination of different timbres:
Solo violin; Solo electronic cello (example: lust caution theme.)
Vibraphone + harp+ piano (example: falling rain)
String ensemble (example: exodus)
We could analyze music in the film in two different dimensions: function analysis
and narrative analysis.


 
 
 
 
 
 

Function
 Analysis
 

We use this approach to discuss how music coordinate with the plot of the


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1
 
2
 


 

Based
 on
 information
 from
 soundtrack
 album,
 there
 are
 some
 cues
 not
 included
 in
 it.
 
There
 are
 four
 themes
 in
 the
 whole
 movie.
 
6
 

film-different themes used for different functions; how do changes of tempo and
orchestration coordinate with the change of plot in one scene. We use this to discuss
how video effects the music-in terms of music structure and language.

A: Different themes
It is a main approach to use different themes for different characters, different
motives or concepts of the movie in film scoring. And these themes would be changed
to different variations with the development of the plots and the personalities of the
characters.

Example for A
In film Lust, Caution most of the music is based on four themes1 -lust, caution
theme; Wang Jiazhi theme, Waltz Dinner theme and Shanghai 1942 theme-and their
variations, the other parts are written in relative keys and analogous approach of
orchestration.
The following is a list of all music tracks from the soundtrack album with the
method of classification according to different themes and their variations2:

Lust, Caution theme:
Lust, Caution/ Seduction/ Moonlight Drive/ Desire/ Sacrifice/ The Secret/
Nanking Road/ The South Quarry
Wang Jiazhi theme:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1
 

There
 are
 no
 official
 name
 for
 Waltz
 Dinner
 theme
 and
 Shanghai
 1942
 theme,
 the
 names
 of
 the
 cues
 the
 
themes
 first
 appear
 are
 used
 here.
 
2
 


 

In
 many
 cues
 not
 only
 one
 theme
 is
 used,
 see
 this
 in
 cue
 list
 in
 appendix.
 
7
 

Streets Of Shanghai/ Exodus/ Falling Rain The End Of Innocence/ Check
Point/ The Angel/ Wong Chia Chi's Theme
Shanghai 1942 theme1:
Shanghai 1942/ Remember Everything/ On The Street
Dinner Waltz theme:
Dinner Waltz/An Empty Bed
Playacting theme:
Playacting/ Tsim Sha Tsui Stroll
Lust, Caution theme (Score is a transcription of the cue Lust,
Caution)


















































































































































































































 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1
 

In
 the
 last
 track
 Wong
 Chia
 Chi’s
 Theme
 of
 the
 soundtrack
 album,
 the
 Wang
 Jiazhi
 theme
 and
 
Shanghai
 1942
 theme
 which
 discussed
 here
 are
 combined
 together,
 but
 in
 film
 they
 are
 used
 in
 
different
 cues
 for
 different
 purpose,
 so
 we
 define
 them
 as
 different
 themes
 here.
 

 

8
 












































































































































































From the list we can tell the two main themes overall are Lust, Caution theme and
Wang Jiazhi theme. The Lust, Caution theme expresses the theme of the movie, and
is deeply involved in the development of the plot, in terms of different ways of
orchestration to change the color of the atmosphere.

Development with plot
It appears at the beginning of the movie at the first time, from0:00:24 to 0:01:23,
the melody is played by electric cello solo, violin solo and string ensemble,
accompanied by harp, vibraphone, glass and sound effect. The melody, the harmony
and the color the combination of the instruments establish the main atmosphere of the
film: darkness; thickness; intensity hidden under the calm surface.
After another version of the main theme from 0:05:28 to 0:06:08, which displays
the appearance of the main actor, the theme would be heard again in the cue

 

9
 

Seduction from 0:47:32 to 0:48:04,which is the moment the sexual intension started
to build up between Wang Jiazhi and Mr. Yi when they looked at each other during
their first date. Then it comes again from 0:52:46 to 0:55:44 in the cue Moonlight Drive,
which coordinate the plot after their first date when they went back together in the car.
Due to the plot that the relationship between Wang Jiazhi and Mr. Yi was
suddenly cut off, this theme appears again more than half an hour later from 1:28:21
to 1:30:23 in the cue Moonlight Drive, different version, when Wang Jiazhi was on the
way to meet Mr. Yi three years later. Then from 1:37:42 to 1:43:37 in the cue Desire
and from 1:49:14 to 1:55:46, in the cue Sacrifice, which are collocated with the second
and the third sex scene.
With the development of the plot, the theme is developed in terms of
orchestration to indicate the result of their falling in love with each other. It appears
again in the cue The Secret from 2:06:44 to 2:08:10 and in the cue Nanking Road
from 2:15:42 to 2:18:03. Then comes at the last time for the final outcome-the death of
Wang Jiazhi- in the cue The South Quarry from 2:27:20 to 2:29:35 .

Development with music approach
With the development of the plots, the music varied from the Lust, Caution theme
becomes more and more thicker and darker. In the cue Desire and Sacrifice, the
theme is played in tubular bell and accompanied with string ensemble playing
dissonance, which make the theme culminate in the expression of darkness. Then it
goes back to harmony again, using more string ensemble in low range , and at last it


 

10
 

is played in harp in the cue The South Quarry, which is the echo of the cue Exodus, in
which Wang Jiazhi theme is first played in harp.

Wang
 Jiazhi
 theme
 (Score
 is
 a
 partial
 transcription
 of
 cue
 Falling
 Rain)
 
























































































































































 

11
 








































































































































 
This theme is more involved with the change and development of personality of
the role.

Development with plot

 
 
 
  Though it comes first in the cue Streets Of Shanghai, but it just used the
fragments of the melody. We can hear it in completed version in the cue exodus, from
0:15:12-0:16:21. The interesting point is though this is not the first time we see the
actress, it is the beginning of the whole story, considering about the structure of the
whole story.
In the cue the theme is played in harp, then played in piano and glockenspiel ,
accompanied by harp, vibraphone and string ensemble in the cue falling rain, from
0:26:08-0:27:18. By then the actress was still a student,longing for love and life; then
in the cue the end of innocence from1:04:57 to 1:05:49, after the fizzle of the

 

12
 

assassination plan, the theme is played in piano again in slower tempo.
With the foreshadowing and turning point of the plot, other themes play a more
important role and we hear the Wang Jiazhi theme again in the cue Check Point from
1:59:20 to 2:00:23 in string ensemble, which is a interesting time point in the film,
since from then the main plot turns into indicating how Wang Jiazhi betrayed her spy
identity and her party. Then after she helped Mr. Yi ran away, taking a rickshaw by
herself, the theme comes in for the last time in the cue The Angel from 2:22:49 to
2:24:54, played in piano and glockenspiel.

Development with music approach
This theme uses almost the same combination of instruments (piano+
vibraphone, or harp, string ensemble) in different cues, to express the actress’s
innocence. Compared with Lust, Caution theme, it doesn’t have many changes, but
there are three cues written in this theme used in different times divided the film into
different main sections: exodus, from 0:15:12-0:16:21, which lead the audience
flashback to the beginning of the whole story; Check Point from 1:59:20 to 2:00:23,
after which the main plot gradually goes into the ending and in the cue The Angel from
2:22:49 to 2:24:54, which the actress went back to the original point, not being a spy
anymore.

B: Tempo changes
This approach could be used in two different ways-change the tempo of the whole


 

13
 

music or change the length of the notes in the phrase but keep the tempo of the music
the same-to increase or release the tension the music want to express.

C: Instrumentation and Orchestration
Passing melody line from one instrument to another to imply the mood changing;
using special sound played out with special techniques on some instruments to create
a distinctive color; all these approaches could be used to express the subtle
conversion of emotion, or the changes in the development of events.

Example for B and C: Moonlight drive (0:52:46-0:55:44)
This more than 3 minutes cue synchronizes a drastic development of plot, which
contains three main different scenes: inside the car, outside the gate of Wang Jiazhi’s
department and inside the department. The excellent technique the director used here
is parallel editing, which compares different moods and movements of different
characters in the department and outside the department. The music here also plays
a perfect job of the development and comparison, by using different ways of
instrumentation and orchestration.
The main plot:
After the first secret date, Mr. Yi sent Wang Jiazhi back to her apartment with his
car. After they arrived at the gate, Wang Jiazhi tried to seduce him to go in,at the
same time, Kuang Yvmin and other students waiting in the apartment flustered around
after noticing Mr. Yi’s arriving. When they were finally ready to raid Mr. Yi with


 

14
 

weapons around the door, Wang Jiazhi came in alone: Mr. Yi left because of
cautiousness.
Music analysis:
0:52:46-0:53:11 After the dinner Mr. Yi and Wang Jiazhi went back together in Yi’s
car. Lust and caution theme is played by violin, accompanied with harp and
vibraphone. This combination of instrument timbres represents the character Wang
Jiazhi.

0:53:12-0:53:22 After Mr. Yi said “I’ll send you back first”, tremolo played by violin
2 and viola in Sul. Ponticello comes in in low range as accompaniment. As she
realized this could be a good opportunity to kill Yi, this texture portrays the trembling
heart of Wang Jiazhi.


 

15
 

0:53:23-0:53:30 With the movement of her turning head ,followed by her facial
close-up, the melody is transited to cello, the violin 1 play in high range with long note
and violin 2 play a ostinato. This is a smooth transition to the following phrases, in
terms of building up the tension with the ostinato and introducing the low-frequency
instruments gradually. The ostinato also describes the nervousness in her heart.
0:53:31-0:53:43 The shot switched from the car inside to the outside-near the gate
of Wang Jiazhi’s apartment. The cello and bass come in, playing together a low part
and the melody goes back to violin 1. This makes music sounds heavier, coordinating
with the tension developed in plot.


 

16
 

0:53:44-0:53:50 The scene switched to the inside part of Wang Jiazhi’s apartment,
the other students found out Yi’s arriving and were in panic. The editing and the
movements of the shot became fast. Timpani hits in soft with pizzicato on basses,
describing the restless heart beats of them. Cellos play 16th triplet note arpeggios in
Sul. Ponticello, the unique sound makes the atmosphere even much tense.

0:53:51-0:54:03 The shot went back to the car. Wang Jiazhi got out off the car with
Yi. Yi kept following her and did not mean to go. The movement of the lens became


 

17
 

eased and meanwhile the rhythm the timpani and the basses played together is
changed to half note,which build up the texture with the eighth note staccato played
by cellos. Compared with the texture of the last part, this one releases the tension but
still implies that some drastic plot would happen.

0:54:04-0:54:20 In the apartment, the students looked for weapons in panic. The
editing and the movements of the shot became fast again. Meanwhile the texture of
the music goes back to the way used in 0:53:51-0:54:03.


 

18
 

0:54:21-0:54:27 Wang Jiazhi and Mr. Yi went to the door slowly. The violin and
viola play a eighth note ostinato, which is a transition to the next part in different mood,
and releases the tension the music created before.


 

19
 

0:54:28-0:55:26 Wang Jiazhi slowly walked to the door, turned back, said to Yi:
why don’t you ask your driver to go away, come in and have a rest with tea. Then she
took her key out tardily to unlock the door and turned her head: her face was mixed
with nervousness and temptation. Mr. Yi looked at her with smile, moved to her
slowly.
Being consistent with the plot here, the lust and caution theme is played twice,
alternated by different textures-ostinato or long note, which are used to make the
music variegated and avoid the confliction with the lines.
The violin 1 play the lust and caution theme at first; violas, cellos, basses and harp
play in quarter note every four beat, imitating the feeling of heavy breathing; and the
violin 2 plays the quarter Spiccato note ostinato, which sounds like the heart beats. All
these three elements combine together to depict the mental activity of Wang Jiazhi at

 

20
 

that moment vividly.
After 17 beats of transition, which uses the texture strings and harp created to keep
the mood floating, the theme plays again in the same technique, with piano coming in.
After this repeated section the Spiccato ostinato in quarter note is changed to legato,
and followed by legato on violin 1 in high range, which lead the music to the next part.


 

21
 

0:55:27-0:55:44 In the apartment, Kuang Yvmin was waiting in the dark, holding a
gun aimed the door in his hand and others hid behind the door. A glimmer of light
penetrated into the room with the door slowly opening, then Wang Jiazhi walked in
alone: Mr. Yi left at last.
The last part of music is about releasing the tension, meanwhile create an
unresolved mood. It starts with the long note on violin 2 then an octave higher on
violin 1.Vibraphone plays 8th single repetitive note and harp plays arpeggio in between,
which creates a fade out effect.


 

22
 


 
 
 
 
 

Narrative
 Analysis
 

We use this approach to discuss the relationship between different time points
when different cues appear and the development of the plots. This approach is talking
about how video effect music, in terms of context and narrative relationship.
Back to the relationship between novel and film, since the film express the
changes in personalities of main characters, which the novel left for readers’
imagination, it is important to make it reasonable to audience. Besides the acting,
foreshadowing of the plots, music also played an important role here.

A: Different cues used to express the change of personality.
Example: different cues for three main sex scenes
These three sex scenes are the most important turn points in the whole film since


 

23
 

they explain why the actress would fall in love with the enemy she had to assassinate,
and express the levels of psychological changes of the main characters.
1:30:00-1:35:11 First sex scene, sound effects, no music
After one and a half hours’ waiting, we see the first sex scene. To Mr. Yi, this was
the explosion after a long time of repression; to Wang Jiazhi, this happened in the way
she unexpected: Mr. Yi did it in an almost raped way. Without any dramatizing and
foreshadowing by music, this scene is full of the sound: the sound of rain outdoors;
the sound of Wang Jiazhi’s shouting, the sound of clothes torn apart and the belt
whipping.

All

these

sounds

without

music

demonstrate

the

cruelty

and

unexpectedness of the scene.
At the end of the scene, there is a close-up of Wang Jiazhi’s face, who showed a
smile, which suggests the change in her mood.
1:40:16-1:43:37 Second sex scene, cue Desire
The second scene expresses the change in the physical relationship between the
two characters: from war to reconciliation. Being different from the first sex scene, in
which the male took the overwhelmingly dominant position and the role of the female
was being trampled, in this scene they are almost equal, which implies the thaw and
release of humanity of Mr. Yi.
The cue Desire is a variation of Lust, Caution theme, which could be divided into
two parts: from 01:40:16 to 01:42:10, the musical expression has a continuation of
darkness and heaviness;from 01:42:11, when the shot was cut to the actor’s face


 

24
 

close-up, the Dinner Waltz theme which represents love comes in and the music
becomes released and melancholy, which echoes the character’s inner change.
1:52:53-1:55:16 Third sex scene, cue Sacrifice
The last sex scene serves as a link between the past and the next development of
plot:it implies the relationship between the orgasm in sex and death; it expresses the
further change in Wang Jiazhi: from downfall to despair; it also has a interesting
comparison with the first sex scene: after the first Wang Jiazhi smiled but after this
she cried.
There is also a big change in physical relationship between the two: in this one the
female took the dominant position in some time. Until here, the change of carnal
relationship completed, which was followed by another scene demonstrated the
change of spiritual relationship.
The cue Sacrifice has an atmosphere of danger and despair,which is a portrayal of
Wang Jiazhi’s consciousness- she realized she was unable to extricate herself out of
the relationship and on the way with no return.

The dissonance played by strings

and brass, and the accents played by bass drum imply the unstoppable ending.

B:Different versions of the same cue used in different plots
There are two scenes in the film have an interesting echo relationship, in terms of
development of plots and the mood of the character, and different versions of the
same cue are used in these two scenes to help build up the echo relationship.

Example: 0:52:46-0:55:44 moonlight drive

 

25
 

1:28:21-1:30:23 moonlight drive (different version)
As we analyzed above, when the cue moonlight was played for the first time, Wang
Jiazhi was on her way back to the apartment with Mr. Yi and she realized this could be
an opportunity for assassination, but to Mr. Yi, this could be the opportunity of their
first sex. Then three years after. When the cue (different version) was played again,
Wang Jiazhi was on her way to the hotel room Mr. Yi booked-though she herself didn’t
aware of that.
These two different scenes share some same settings: the plots happened in Mr.
Yi’s car and something involved with the relationship between them would happen, so
the same cue are used in these two scenes1, which helps to build up the echo effect
between the scenes. Related approach is also used to echo the plots in another level
as:

C:Variations of the same theme echo the development of the character
and the plot
There are two main function of using variations of the same theme for different
scenes, we could have examples for each.

Variations of the same theme echo the development of the character
Examples: Wang Jiazhi theme- 0:26:08-0:27:18 Falling Rain
2:21:18-2:24:54 Angel

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1
 

There is no vibraphone in the second one so we could infer that the vibraphone part was over dubbed
with other parts of the cue when recording
 

 

26
 

These two scenes directly described the change of the actress. In the scene from
0:26:08 to 0:27:18, after their theater performance, Wang Jiazhi took the bus with her
classmates when it was rainy outside. Kuang Yvmin came close and thanked her for
the contribution she made to the show,then they looked at each other, smiled in
silence.
In the cue Falling Rain, the Wang Jiazhi theme is played in piano, accompanied by
vibraphone, harp and string ensemble,the vibraphone plays quarter notes and harp
plays eighth. The texture adds a romantic atmosphere to the rainy environment,
meanwhile reflects the personality and mental activity the actress had: innocent,
romantic and longing for love and life. In the film we could take this as the beginning of
her life.
In the scene from 2:21:18 to 2:24:54, after she let Mr. Yi run away, meanwhile
betrayed her colleagues and herself, Wang Jiazhi walked on the street driven to
distraction. The paper windmill on the rickshaw and fragments came from the
flashback memory represented the end of her disguising. The dialogue between
Wang Jiazhi and the rickshaw puller, the plot she didn’t eat the suicide pill-all these
simplicities are full of deep sorrow.
Compared with Falling Rain, the cue Angel doesn’t use vibraphone, and is written in
lower key and slower tempo. The theme is played in piano then developed to strings,
accompanied by ostinato in string tremolo and harp arpeggio. The music describes
the trembling of the heart of the actress to sorrow,and ends with acedia. We also


 

27
 

could take this as the ending of the character.

Lust caution theme- 0:47:32-0:48:04 Seduction
1:40:16-1:43:37Desire
The Lust, Caution theme is focusing on describing the development of the
relationship between the two. The scene from 0:47:32 to 0:48:04 expresses their first
private appointment. In the cue Seduction the theme is played in electric cello and
violin, accompanied by harp, vibraphone, glass, which are combined together to play
the arpeggio, and string ensemble, which play the pad. The music shows the color of
the theme: dark and emotional.
With the development of their relationship, the theme becomes darker and distorted.
In their second sex scene from 1:40:16 to 1:43:37, the cue starts from the dissonance
the string ensemble play with the bass drum hitting on beat, the Chinese flute Xiao
even gives more dark and strange atmosphere to the music. Then the theme comes
in with tubular bell, accompanied by the pad played in portamento by strings. In the
interlude the brass ensemble, the timpani and the bass drum play together a dramatic
crescendo, followed by a dirty and heavy pad the electric cello and string ensemble
create together.

After that the theme is played once more, then at the end the harp

and the strings play the melody emotionally and the whole music becomes lyrical and
graceful, which echoes the change between the two-from using each other to vent
desire, from hunter and prey to falling in love with each other gradually.
As we see above, the color of the theme Lust, Caution constantly changes with the


 

28
 

changes of the relationship between the two.

Variations of the same theme echo the plots
Example: 0:51:14-0:52:43 Dinner Waltz
2:30:36-2:32:32 An Empty Bed
The dinner waltz theme is played for the first time in piano solo, when Mr. Yi and
Wang Jiazhi had dinner together during their first appointment, the music there is
used as background music, and also a marker of the beginning of their relationship.
In the last scene of the whole film, after signed the executing Wang Jiazhi and
her colleagues’ document, Mr. Yi sit on Wang Jiazhi’s bed in silence, then left. Here
the cue An Empty Bed comes in with harp playing fragments of Wang Jiazhi theme,
and when the screen turns to black, we hear the dinner waltz theme again, which
represents the ending of the relationship.

D: Different themes used alternately to help section division
The whole film is mainly divided to several sections as below:
0:00:24-0:14:29 Opening, explains the characteristics of characters, shows the
environment of the era. In this part, two main themes are shown in Lust, Caution and
Street Of Shanghai1.
0:14:30-0:27:18 The family background and initial traits of personality of the actress


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1
 


 

Variation of Wang Jiazhi theme
 
29
 

are shown in this section, and Wang Jiazhi theme is shown two times in the cue
Exodus and Falling Rain.
0:27:19-1:10:42 Development of the relationship between Wang Jiazhi and Mr. Yi,
failure of their first action. Dinner Waltz theme and Lust, Caution theme express the
tension built up between the two in Seduction, Dinner Waltz and Moonlight Drive.
Shanghai 1942 theme appeared at the end of this section and led the plot to go to
next section.
1:10:43-1:22:36 Preparation for second assassination, showing the background in
Shanghai 1942. Shanghai 1942 theme is used in this section in Shanghai 1942 and
Remember Everything.
1:22:37-2:06:47 Changes of relationship between Wang Jiazhi and Mr. Yi, physically
and mentally. Lust, Caution theme is used three times in different variations to show
the changes gradually, as Moonlight Drive, Desire and Sacrifice.
2:06:48-2:31:10 Climax and ending, struggle in Wang Jiazhi’s heart and her final
decision. Four themes appeared at staggered time as: Check Point (Wang Jiazhi
theme), The Secret (Lust, Caution theme), Nanking Road (Lust, Caution theme), On
The Street (Shanghai 1942 theme), The Angel (Wang Jiazhi theme), The South
Quarry (Lust, Caution Theme) and An Empty Bed (Dinner Waltz theme).


 

30
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
  Appendix
 

Cue List
0:00:24-­‐0:01:23

Lust,
 Caution

0:05:28-­‐0:06:08

N/A

Lust,
 Caution
 theme

0:09:23-­‐0:11:27

Streets
 Of
 Shanghai

Wang
 Jiazhi
 theme
 
+
 
Playacting
 theme
 

0:15:12-­‐0:16:21

Exodus

Wang
 Jiazhi
 theme

0:18:09-­‐0:18:28

Exodus,
 part
 2

0:26:08-­‐0:27:18

Falling
 Rain

Wang
 Jiazhi
 theme

0:31:04-­‐0:32:30

Playacting

Playacting
 theme

0:35:20-­‐0:36:17

Tsim
 Sha
 Tsui
 Stroll

Playacting
 theme

0:47:32-­‐0:48:04

Seduction

Lust,
 Caution
 theme

0:51:14-­‐0:52:43
 

Dinner
 Waltz
 

Dinner
 Waltz
 theme
 

0:52:46-­‐0:55:44
 

Moonlight
 Drive
 

Lust,
 Caution
 theme

1:04:57-­‐1:05:49

The
 End
 Of
 Innocence

Wang
 Jiazhi
 theme

1:10:20-­‐1:12:37

Shanghai
 1942

Shanghai
 1942
 theme

1:14:54-­‐1:15:40

Shanghai
  1942(different
  Shanghai
 1942
 theme
version)

1:20:28-­‐1:22:36


 

Remember
 Everything

31
 

Shanghai
 1942
 theme

1:28:21-­‐1:30:23

Moonlight
 Drive
 

Lust,
 Caution
 theme


  (different
 version)
1:37:42-­‐1:38:51

Desire

Lust,
 Caution
 theme
 

 

1:40:16-­‐1:43:37

Desire,
 part
 2

Lust,
 Caution
 theme
 
+
 
Dinner
 Waltz
 theme
 
+
 
Playacting
 theme
 

1:49:14-­‐1:52:52

Sacrifice

Playacting
 theme
 

1:40:16-­‐1:43:37

Sacrifice,
 part2

Lust,
 Caution
 theme
 

1:59:20-­‐2:00:23

Check
 Point

Wang
 Jiazhi
 theme
 

2:06:44-­‐2:08:10

The
 Secret

Dinner
 Waltz
 theme
 
+
 
Lust,
 Caution
 theme
 

2:09:45-­‐2:10:38

N/A

Playacting
 theme

2:15:42-­‐2:18:03

Nanking
 Road

Lust,
 Caution
 theme

2:20:10-­‐2:20:58

Nanking
 Road,
 part
 2

Dinner
 Waltz
 theme
 

2:21:18-­‐2:24:54

On
 The
 Street
 

Shanghai
 1942
 theme
 

+
 

+
 

The
 Angel

Wang
 Jiazhi
 theme
 


 

32
 

2:27:20-­‐2:29:35

The
 South
 Quarry

Lust,
 Caution
 theme

2:30:36-­‐2:32:32

An
 Empty
 Bed

Dinner
 Waltz
 theme


 

33