The Wedding Banquet (1993)

Jason Leavy

International Film

Professor Tung

10/10/13

                                       The Wedding Banquet (1993)

            The Wedding Banquet (1993) directed by Ang Lee, is a film about a man named Wai-Tung Gao who is often nagged by both his parents to get married because they are both getting older and the father is very sick.  Wai-Tung is hiding from his parents that he is gay because he feels that they would be highly disappointed. So throughout the duration of this film Wai-Tung and his lover Simon set up a fake wedding with a woman who is trying to get her green card in order to please the parents. Things start to get out of control and little by little what seemed to be such a good idea takes a turn for the worse.

            This film focus on three main cultural references the first is the though on gay relationships in the Taiwan culture. First Ang Lee wanted audiences to see the positives in gay marriage and how it can be view throughout the civilization. For example the relationship between the two men in the film was very strong indicating a bond that would be unbreakable. Next Lee shows the many traditions that take place in a Taiwan wedding. The wedding scene in the movie show great examples of what the occasion is all about. Finally the last was how strong a Taiwan family is. For example in the film the father found out in the end that his son was gay but he was very supportive. Although he was very surprised, he welcomed Simon and told him that he would treat him like family.

         The Wedding Banquet (1993) reminded me of a movie called The Birdcage  (1996), the reason being is the story. I felt that both of these plots had a similar motive, which was to show the positives of gay marriage, and both of these films did a wonderful job with coming up with a fun and entertaining script. The Birdcage (1996) it also tells a story about two gay couples trying to cover up their true identities in order to please the soon to be daughter-in laws parents.  The Wedding Banquet (1993) had so many interesting camera angles. For example during the wedding sequence in the film Lee did a lot wide dollies, which related to the audiences the fun and excitement.   The color in the film was very warm which indicates a cozy and relaxing feel. Finally I felt that this film was very funny at points. The writing throughout the film kept audiences, like myself interested till the very end. I enjoy this film a lot and I would definitely recommended to others.