In a way, WKW and Doyle’s work is reminiscent of the French New Wave – with those rebellious filmmakers – and how they wanted to break from traditional standards of the medium. Other times, the camera will stop in place, having the patience to witness moments of quiet intimacy. He plays with color and frame rate, occasionally manipulating the motion to create a jerky, blurry visual presentation. Doyle’s kinetic and impulsive photography perfectly sets the tone. Much of the mood and style can be attributed to WKW’s long time collaborator, cinematographer Christopher Doyle. His featured players are just a handful of contrasting personalities – he emphasizes these smaller, personal stories in the midst of a larger canvas. And yet, with a place that is as diverse and large as Hong Kong, WKW narrows his focus on a just a few people. The way we move through all these different people and places give the effect of a nighttime odyssey, where we can meet just about anyone and get into all sorts of unpredictable situations. Nearly every other shot includes people hustling through their daily routines, selling groceries or clothing to anyone walking along the street.
We weave our way through back alleys, small corner restaurants, street vendors, smoky bars, apartments, and hotels. The setting places us into a cramped city bustling with life and excitement. It operates like a ‘90s pop kaleidoscope, mixing romance, music, and melancholy into a kind of noir-ish collage of color and emotion. In a place such as Hong Kong, where overpopulation and limited space makes it almost impossible not to bump into others, WKW created a film that highlights the importance of human connection.Ĭhungking Express feels like a blast of youthful energy. In Chungking Express (1994) a character comments on how they come within 0.01cm of another person, not knowing how their dynamic will somehow change or how their lives may evolve beyond that singular moment. His characters are constantly moving, interacting or separating, or barely missing each other. Throughout his career, WKW has consistently revisited the ways in which people come together or fall apart. Whether tragically romantic, soaked in blood, or quirkily comedic, the films in this retrospective are an invitation into the unique and wistful world of a deeply influential artist.There are few filmmakers who can capture the feeling of longing the way Wong Kar Wai does. This retrospective of his work includes new 4K restorations overseen by Wong Kar Wai in person. With his lush and sensual visuals, pitch-perfect soundtracks, and soulful romanticism, Wong Kar Wai has established himself as one of the defining auteurs of contemporary cinema. QFT presents The World of Wong Kar Wai – a retrospective of the Hong Kongese director. It was supervised and approved by Wong Kar Wai.ĭir: Wong Kar Wai | 1994 | Hong Kong | 1 hr 42 mins | In Cantonese with English subtitles | Cert 12 This 4K digital restoration was undertaken from the 35mm original camera negative by the Criterion Collection in collaboration with L’Immagine Ritrovata and Jet Tone. Two heartsick Hong Kong cops (Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tony Leung), both jilted by ex-lovers, cross paths at the Midnight Express take-out restaurant stand, where the ethereal pixie waitress Faye (Faye Wong) works.Īnything goes in Wong’s gloriously shot and utterly unexpected charmer, which cemented the sex appeal of its gorgeous stars and forever turned canned pineapple and the Mamas and the Papas’ California Dreamin’ into tokens of romantic longing. The whiplash, double-pronged Chungking Express is one of the defining works of 1990s cinema and the film that made Wong Kar Wai an instant icon.
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