CHUNGKING EXPRESS FILM SERIES MOVIE

There is also the glorious usage of the step-printing technique which allows the viewer to experience both fast images and slowing down of certain elements in a frame.

In Wong Kar-waiвЂ™s films, the camera can energetically buzz around the characters or it slows down to allow us to observe fine margins of time and distance that separate characters. However, one can still find similarities in the visual language of his films even though he has worked with different cinematographers. Wong Kar-wai has worked with some of the best cinematographers in his films such as Christopher Doyle, Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, Mark Lee Ping-bing, Kwan Pung-Leung, Darius Khondji and Philippe Le Sourd. The colours and music helps set the mood for the audience while the overall cinematography helps shape the visual experience when watching his films. In a similar fashion, we may not end up remembering all aspects of a Wong Kar-wai film but often particular scenes with music persist long after the film has ended. We may not remember everything about our lives but often listening to a piece of music makes us recall a moment in our lives when we were doing something or were at a place when the music first played. Wong Kar-waiвЂ™s usage of music mirrors how many people associate a memory with a piece of music. There is no dialogue in the scene and the score turns a normal occurrence of going to the noodle stand into a seductive waltz.

CHUNGKING EXPRESS FILM SERIES MOVIE

This point is beautifully highlighted in the movie In The Mood for Love when вЂњYumejiвЂ™s ThemeвЂќ is famously used for the noodle-stand scene between Maggie Cheung and Tony Chiu-Wai LeungвЂ™s characters. Instead, the music is married to the visuals in such a way that one associates the memory of the film with a particular piece of music.

In Wong Kar-waiвЂ™s films, the music and songs donвЂ™t exist in isolation. In fact, the title In the Mood for Love is named after Bryan FerryвЂ™s song of the same name. Chungking Express is defined by the song вЂњCalifornia DreaminвЂќ and In the Mood for Love comes to life when the вЂњYumejiвЂ™s ThemeвЂќ score comes on. Music and songs have been an integral part of Wong Kar-waiвЂ™s cinema right from his first feature As Tears Go By which featured a Cantonese cover of BerlinвЂ™s вЂњTake my Breath awayвЂќ. When needed, he has also shown his ability to drain all colour from the frame ( Happy Together) to mirror the broken heart of the main character (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung) who fails to find anything interesting around him. This video by Glass Distortion highlights the usage of rich colours in Wong Kar-waiвЂ™s cinema. In the hands of Wong Kar-wai, these colours help set the mood for the scene which aided by the music turns a scene into a tender romantic moment, a melancholy feeling or something seductive. He often uses both warm (red, yellow) and cool colours (green, blue and purple) to fill the frame. The frames in each Wong Kar-wai film are infused with colours that evoke mood and emotions. Wong Kar-waiвЂ™s films are a feast for the senses and that feast starts with his usage of colours. Wong Kar-wai manages to ensure that each distinct element works in perfect harmony with other elements such that all elements enhance the overall film experience. These common elements are both visual and thematic and include rich colours, memorable music that echoes in each frame and the usage of chance encounters to explore relationships and feelings of the characters. This core style of Wong Kar-wai consists of a few common elements whose presence is akin to his signature on each frame. The four films selected by the Calgary Cinematheque ( In the Mood for Love, 2046, Ashes of Time, The Grandmaster) highlight the core style of Wong Kar-wai but also illustrate the range of his filmmaking and the diverse topics he has covered. This style jumps out even if the film genre is crime ( As Tears Go By, Fallen Angels), romance ( Happy Together, In The Mood for Love), sci-fi ( 2046) or wuxia/martial arts ( Ashes of Time, The Grandmaster). Wong Kar-wai is an auteur whose signature style is instantly recognizable in his films due to the presence of eye-popping visuals, memorable music and characters that linger long in the memory. The Calgary Cinematheque is proud to showcase the films of Wong Kar-wai as part of our Masters series.

Chungking express film series