Wong Kar Wai

Wong Kar-wai in Toronto, photo by Karen Seto. creative commons, retrieved from Wikimedia Commons. Click here for original source.

Biography

My name is Wong Kar-wai. I was born in Shanghai, China on July 17th 1956. When I was only 5, I moved to Hong Kong with my mother. I grew up there and spent a lot of time watching movies. This instilled in me a love of film (Tobias). I graduated from the Hong Kong Polytechnic College (in Graphic Design) in 1980. Then, I attended a two year production program and started writing for television. I didn't become a screenwriter until the mid 1980s- my first movie ("As Tears go by") came out in 1988 (Tobias). It was not very successful. I never did attend a film school. Since I am from, and make my movies in, Hong Kong, I do not fit into the "generations" of the film school in Beijing (although I would fit in to the same time-frame as the 5th generation directors).

My first critically acclaimed movie was "Days of Being Wild" in 1990. It didn't do all that well, initially, in the theater, but, in later years, many would consider this to be one of my best movies- in 2011 it was named one of the best 100 Chinese movies. International audiences considered it a sort of "Cantonese 'Rebel without a cause'". It is the first of an unofficial trilogy (the other two shows are "In the Mood for Love" (2000) and "2046" which was released in 2004.(Walsh))

After Days of Being Wild was released, I co-founded a movie production company, Jet Tone Films Ltd. (with Jeffery Lau). This allowed me to make my other movies the way I wanted to.

Style

My style of movie making is unique. When watching one of my movies Lisa Scwarzbaum had this to say about understanding my style of movies: "The best way ...is to prepare to get lost. I mean literally, thrown without compass into a thicket of imagery and time-shifting both undeniably gorgeous and ultimately inconsequential, about characters as interchangeable as they are operatically grand, with their big loves and crazy style." This is how she refers the 2008 redux of my 1994 movie "Ashes of Time", in her Entertainment Weekly review (She gave me a B+...Can you believe that? I thought it was much better than that...)

Here are a few keys to understanding my particular style of movie making.

Time - I have been described as a "poet of time" (Rayns). My movies play with time. When you watche one of my movies, you are bound to observe that my movies never follow a linear time frame, they are fragmented. Whether it be deadlines set by a character (and the "use-by" dates on cans of pineapple used to emphasize this in Chungking Express), clocks appearing everywhere or the special types of filming I've used in my movies (slow-motion sequences in In the Mood for Love, freeze frames and "step printing" or "smudge motion" in Chungking Express and Ashes of Time), time is critical to my movies. It sets them apart. Some have seen this "obsession" with time as related to the historical/political situation of Hong Kong. There is some merit to that- for example; the name of my movie 2046 has obvious resonances with the date 2046, when Hong Kong will cease to be a "Special Administrative Region" and be more fully integrated into the People's Republic of China. Along with time, "The device of the intersection is a Wong Kar-wai hallmark. He has used two parallel stories since his directorial debut in 1988" (Yue; p.144). I like to "double" the story line, where there is an echo between elements- 2 cops in Chungking Express, the double character of Murong East and Murong West in Ashes of Time and 2 couple in In the Mood for Love (even though we only see the one couple). My particular use of time gives a certain "haunting" characteristic to them. (Berry)
Being “stuck” - Related to "time" is this notion of being stuck. As I once said in an interview: "Most of my films deal with people who are stuck in certain routines and habits that don't make them happy. They want to change, but they need something to push them. I think it's mostly love that causes them to break their routines and move on. That's why we always want to repeat shots, to show the routines and the changes as they happen." (Tobias)
Romance -My movies do focus a lot on romance. For example, my unofficial trilogy (Days of Being Wild,In the Mood for Love and 2046) focuses on the different relationship stages that my characters go through. In my movies, I address many complicated relationships and the emotional issues that accompany them.(Walsh)
Pre-Production - I typically don't believe in using pre-production as I believe that the raw material from a first take is what makes a movie. I like my actors/actresses to become the character. This is one reason why the same actor/actresses are in so many of my movies.
Actors/Actresses -I am known for my tendency to use the same actors and actresses repeatedly throughout my films. My main actor, Tony Leung has played in six of my films and is currently filming the seventh (IMDb; Tony Leung). My favorite actress, Maggie Cheung, has been in five of my films (IMDb; Maggie Cheung). The reason I do this is because "[n]ormally, filmmakers would just write a script and cast people to act as certain characters in the story. But in [my] way of doing things, [I have] the actors in my mind already, so [I'm] trying to borrow something that's unique to them" (Tobias).
Non-Traditional Filming method - "As a kid, [I] spent most of [my] time in cinemas" (Tobias) and after working in TV and writing scripts I came to a point where I could make my own movies. "[I] understood that directors always wanted to change what was originally written, to improve on it. In [my] case, [I've] always thought in terms of images, so as these images occur to [me], [I have] to continue to revise the plan in order to accommodate them." (Tobias). Whether that requires that I use actors/actresses that can understand and work with my mode of directing, or that I develop new forms of filming, whatever it takes (or however long it takes- 5 years for 2046 and nearly 15 if you consider Ashes of Time and Ashes of Time Redux as the same movie), I will do it to achieve my vision; to "capture" that image in my mind. As one of my actresses, Brigitte Lin, once said, "Each image is like a painting... The camera is his brush, and it’s only when he picks up the camera that he knows what the film’s about.” (Cheng)

Awards

I have been nominated for, or won awards, from 30 different institutions over the years for my films. Some of my awards include:
1991 Hong Kong Film Awards, Best Director (Days of Being Wild)
1995 Hong Kong Film Awards, Best Director (Chungking Express)
1997 Cannes Film Festival, Best Director (Happy Together)
2000 European Film Awards, Screen International Award (In the Mood for Love)
2004 European Film Awards, Screen International Award (2046)
2001 César Award, Best Foreign Film (In the Mood for Love)
2001 German Film Awards, Best Foreign Film (In the Mood for Love) 1991 Golden Horse Film Festival, Golden Horse Award (Days of Being Wild)

Filmography

1988 As Tears Go By: My first film; a love story.
1990 Days of Being Wild: The movie that shot me into international popularity. This is the first movie in my unofficial trilogy. The movie is about a man who finds out the he is adopted but can't find his mother because his adopted mother won't tell him. He develops a relationship with two very different women and doesn't have the emotional capability of choosing between the two which ultimately leads to heartbreak all around.
1994 Chungking Express: A movie about two separate cops and the relationships they have. This film brought me into the American spotlight when director Quentin Tarantino watched it and became a major fan and promoter of mine (Tobias).
1994 Ashes of Time: A movie about a swordsman who goes to the desert to seek out men to fulfill his contract killings.
1995 Fallen Angels: A movie about a hitman and his attempt to deal with his less murderous emotions.
1997 Happy Together: "a luminous road movie examining the tumultuous relationship between gay lovers in Argentina." (Scott Tobias)
2000 In the Mood for Love: Considered the second movie in the unofficial trilogy(Walsh), In the Mood for Love is a movie about a man and woman who find out their spouses are cheating with each other and form a relationship around this awkward bond. The movie deals with struggling against society and against emotion.
2004 2046: Started at the same time as In the Mood for Love, 2046 is about a man seeking the woman he loves in another time and dealing with other relationships as he seeks to fill the space she left. This movie is considered to be the final movie in the unofficial trilogy (Walsh).
2007 My Blueberry Nights: Wong's only American production, My Blueberry Nights is about a disillusioned young woman who travels seeking love and the characters she meets along the way.
2008 Ashes of Time Redux a remake of the first film.
2012 The Grandmasters The story of Ip Man.

Final Thoughts - by Chinese Culture and Film class members

by Keely X. March 1, 2012

As I studied Wong Kar Wai and looked at the trailers for his films, as well as watching In the Mood for Love and 2046, I came to gain a deep respect for him. When I had read interviews from other Chinese film directors, I had been disappointed to find them to be egotistical, just like the typical American director. They all seemed to think they were as special as everyone else thought they were. But as I read and watched interviews of Wong Kar Wai, I was honestly impressed by his humility and his true ingenuity in the film industry. His lack of formal training, I feel, benefited him greatly. By not knowing how everyone else made films, he was able to create true art, unique to him. And yet he is continually humble about this ability and I find that highly admirable.

I will admit that In the Mood for Love is his only movie that I can say is up my alley, but I am more than willing to acknowledge that I just generally don't watch art house films. But In the Mood for Love was just stunningly beautiful. He captured the tension, the raw emotions of the situation so well without ever being graphic or explicit. I also enjoyed his use of colors and outfits. It was a rare film that was both visually and intellectually stimulating. One scene from the movie that just struck me for some reason was when Mrs. Chan went down to get noodles and passed Mr. Chow. For some reason the tension, the strangeness of the situation was so apparent to me. Each scene that they were together after they found out about the affair the tension between the two was tangible. Wong does an incredible job not only picking actors and actresses that have great chemistry but filming scenes where the emotions jump out at you and drag you deep into the movie.

Ultimately, I would be willing to watch more of his movies and to recommend the ones that I have seen. I consider Wong Kar Wai to be an exceptional film maker and a sign of the true creativity that is capable of coming out of the Chinese film industry now.

by Licia K. April 12, 2012

When you watch a Wong Kar-wai film, it is best to do so with no preconceptions. Whatever you think you know about his movies, the one you watch will still surprise you. I have seen two of his movies, In the Mood for Love and Chungking Express. I thought I knew what to expect from Chungking Express since I'd seen In the Mood for Love the year before and I'd read several articles about Chungking Express. Nope, the movie was not what I thought it would be.

I've come to the conclusion that watching Mr. Wong's movies is very much a personal matter. Each of us comes to the movie from a different background and watches it from our own point of view. Outside of the bare plot summary, therefore, each viewer will have a different reaction to the movie. His movies are unique.

Chungking Express is... disjointed. I kept waiting for a connection between the two stories, a connection that never really materialized. I'd read that that is what the movie was like - two stories, two police officers; no connection except the deli where they both eat - and still, the reality of it hit me as a surprise. The stories are almost mirror images of each other; both cops are coming out of relationships - but one is not successful in finding new love and one apparently is. We, the viewers, step into the characters lives at one point and leave at another - with little idea of what came before and no idea of what happens after. This is much like real life. We meet, interact and, eventually, leave.

Wong Kar-wai's unconventional approach to movie making results in truly unique movies. I agree with Keely X.; I too would recommend his movies. To anyone looking for something just a little different, I say "Watch a Wong Kar-wai movie".

References

Berry, Chis and Mary Farquhar. China on Screen. Columbia University Press (2006): 38-46. Bryan Walsh, . ""We love what we can't have, and we can't have what we love"." Time Magazine World. Time, 2004. Web. 29 Feb 2012. <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,702208-2,00.html>.
Cheng, Scarlet. Wong Kar-Wai's Phoenix Project, Rising at Last. The New York Times (Oct. 5, 2008) <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/movies/05cheng.html?ref=wongka/>.
"Kar Wai Wong." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0939182/>.
"Maggie Cheung." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001041/>.
Rayns, Tony. "Poet of Time." Sight and Sound5Italic text',no. 9(1995): 12-14.
"Tony Leung Chiu Wai." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504897/>.
Tobias, Scott. "Wong Kar-Wai." Wong Kar-Wai. Onion Inc., 28 Feb. 2001. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. <http://www.avclub.com/articles/wong-karwai,13700/>.
Yue, Audrey. "18 In the Mood for Love: Intersections of Hong Kong Modernity." Chinese Films in Focus II. London: BFI, 2008. 144-52. Print.

Presentation

File:Wong Kar wai.pptx

--Keeley X. 02:55, 1 March 2012 (UTC)