Background
Wong Kar-Wai has carved out a
distinctive niche for himself in world cinema. His films (including Ashes
of Time, Chungking Express, and Fallen Angels)
have won critical acclaim. His last critically-applauded film, Happy
Together, was released in 1997, and since then his newest effort has
been eagerly anticipated.
The film was a success at the Cannes
Film Festival in May and was well-received during its theatrical run in
Hong Kong. It is slated for a February 2001 theatrical release in
the United States.
Foreground
It's safe to say that Wong Kar-Wai has
created an alternate universe for Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung to
inhabit. They play next-door neighbors who slowly discover that
their spouses are having an affair. He is a newspaperman and she is
a secretary; they interact with one work colleague each and maintain civil
relations with the other neighbors, but otherwise have no apparent
friendships or relatives. Naturally they are drawn to each
other. The remainder of the film deals with how their relationship
slowly develops.
The film moves quietly, which is
appropriate considering the characters' uncertainty as they come to grips
with the disintegration of their marriages. The performances by Tony
Leung and Maggie Cheung are subtle and moving; most of their feelings and
changing moods are conveyed by their eyes, no easy feat.
After one viewing, though, I am not
convinced that Tony and Maggie's love deserves the stature of tragedy,
which is how Wong Kar-Wai seems to treat it. Especially in the early
parts of the film, the pacing and camerawork are sublime and effective.
On the other hand, the circumstances
which conspire against them are internalized to such an extreme degree
that it's difficult to accept. In other words, the audience must assume
that outside forces are exerting pressure upon them to conform to the
mores of the time - but these outside forces are never depicted (the
neighbors seem like stereotypes from another movie) and it's difficult to
see how the two main characters conform in other aspects of their lives
because they are both so incredibly polite -- or is a reticent attitude
endemic to that place, time, and people?
The cinematography, credited to
Christopher Doyle and Mark Li, is splendid but muted, as though everything
were photographed through a filter. The art direction beautifully
renders the period of the film without resorting to kitsch. The use
of music, including several songs by Nat King Cole (in Spanish) is superb.
The film is rated as Category I.
No bloodshed, obscenities, nudity (or even kissing) can be observed.
DVD: look, sound, and features
As noted above, the colors are muted,
and my assumption is that this is a reflection of an intentional choice by
the filmmakers. With that assumption made, the DVD's letterboxed image quality is
good. The source print reveals no distracting imperfections.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is rich and
full, especially noticeable when a song is playing. Both Dolby 5.1
and 2.0 audio tracks are provided in both Cantonese and Mandarin.
Removable white subtitles, easy to read but with a number of mistakes, are
provided in traditional and simplified Chinese as well as English.
There are just 9 chapter markings and no
time coding is provided. The only "features" supplied are
a brief synopsis and cast and crew listing.
Buy, rent, or pass?
An evocative film that probably requires
more than one viewing. Definitely worth seeing, so I rate this as a
rental for now, and perhaps a buy for fans of Wong Kar-Wai.
(Reviewed 12/14/00)
