I love the films of Wong Kar-Wai and in particular, Chungking Express and to learn that it was shot guerrilla fashion with $0s amazes me even more.
And then you have the cinematography of Chris Doyle (a legend in my books), and the performances of Tony Leung, Faye Wong and Valerie Chow, well, this seems to be the perfect synergy.
Take a look at this video essay from Just One More Thing and enjoy the ride. I’ll drop a trailer link in the comments.
Are you a lover of Wong Kar-Wai films? Which one is your favourite?
Enjoy.
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Here you go:
https://youtu.be/C3NDz_7KP2g?si=L6WiE0boXUEgEkye
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Chungking Express, Fallen Angels, Happy Together (although not seen this one in a while)... great run of films. Watched about a third of In the Mood for Love then the dvd went walkabout so have not watched 2046 yet because of this. Days of Being Wild is supposed to be really good too.
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Mark Giacomin hi Mark, it’s good to see you around the place. In the Mood for Love is fantastic. It’s been a while since I saw 2046, so I may have to have a WKW fest soon and revisit these classics.
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The only Wong Kar Wai movie I've seen is The Grandmaster, Geoff Hall. I saw it a while back. Incredible film! I need to check out his other movies.
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Maurice Vaughan I’d not heard of this film of his before, Maurice. He loves working with Tony Leung. I like the look of it, from the traler!
https://youtu.be/TsSSfBfGWPg?si=6eLoTP9OGAcWIVZs
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I love his films, which are usually about vibes, not plot. This is unusual for me, since plotless films often annoy me. I suppose the photography and performances really do the heavy lifting here. Beautiful.
If I recall, Chunking Express was during a hiatus in the shooting of the big budget Ashes of Time. So it’s at the opposite end of budget and scale.
I’d be wary of taking away filmmaking tips from his movies. They often were written during production, with extra stuff being shot and not used as Wong Kar Wai would figure out the story in the edit.
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Mike Boas I think there’s always something to learn from a master filmmaker, Mike. Lighting, camera techniques, his relationship with Chris Doyle, the DP, story and character development.
In the Mood for Love is one of my favourites of his, which again has Tony Leung in a lead role. I take from that, that he works with people he trusts and over time they develop a shorthand communication, and they are comfortable with how he works. I think Chungking Express shows what is possible when there’s great trust amongst filmmakers.
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Geoff Hall Good call, need to round up my DVDs or sign up to The Criterion Collection. I really enjoy watching Tony Leung, there's something about him, like the old type of film stars, an aura. While The Departed got a lot of plaudits, I still prefer Infernal Affairs. Leung was good in Cyclo too.
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Mark Giacomin yes you're right Mark. You just have to see him on screen and there's an immediate 'presence'. Yes, Criterion are a great source of films. I'm thinking of subscribing to the Criterion Channel, sometime and checking out more films.
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I learned something today Geoff Hall and the video is amazing and with $0 money is wow!!
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Mark Deuce I think there’s a lesson to be learnt here Mark, and it’s about creative resilience. As Mike pointed out, in a hiatus in the shooting of one film, what does the filmmaker do? Yes, shoot another! That to me is remarkable and why I love WKW so much.
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2046 was actually the first movie I watched of his that made me fall in love with cinematography (ok, 3, Christopher Doyle, Lai Yiu-fai, and Kwan Pung-leung). No one seems to give enough cred to Australian cinematographers, even though they've shaped the industry and won Oscars :D
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Lukas Strautins what’s your favourite Australia movie, Lukas?