Ang Lee's America, in living colour

AbstractTo examine the question of whether there is any distinctively ‘Chinese’ cinematic colour palette (so often stereotyped as non-naturalistic and arbitrary, sometimes with very limited saturation, at other times exotically bold), this article examines Ang Lee's use of colour in his so-called ‘American trilogy’ of films: The Ice Storm (1997), Ride with the Devil (1999) and Brokeback Mountain (2005). The conclusion drawn here is that no meaningful generalizations based on national origins can be drawn about either these films or Ang's Taiwan-based films, but that a detailed examination of his use of colour, film by film and scene by scene, is a rewarding exercise that reveals his careful attention to the role of colour, contributing specifically to the artistic quality of his work.