No shame in 'NC-17,' says Lee

His new spy thriller, "Lust, Caution," has received the most restrictive "NC-17" rating, but Oscar-winning director Ang Lee says he hopes the movie will change the public perception that the category is reserved for pornography.

"In the past, NC-17 movies were equated with pornographic movies. Most movie theaters don't show them," Lee said after arriving to attend the Venice Film Festival, where "Lust, Caution" is competing for the top Golden Lion prize.

"We hope to send the message in the U.S. that NC-17 is a respectable category and that it's not pornography. It's just unsuitable for children," Lee said. The NC-17 rating bans viewers under 17.

"Lust, Caution" is about a group of students who plot to assassinate the intelligence chief in the Japanese-backed Chinese government during the World War II era.