Wong Kar-wai Read online

  Hong Kong Film Awards: Best Actor (Tony LEUNG Chiu-wai), Best Actress (ZHANG Ziyi), Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Costume and Makeup Design), and Best Original Film Score; nominated for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Design, and Best Visual Effects

  Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards: Best Actor (Tony LEUNG Chiu-wai), Best Actress (ZHANG Ziyi), and Film of Merit

  Golden Horse Awards (Taiwan): Best Art Direction and Best Original Film Score; nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Leading Actor (Tony LEUNG Chiu-wai), Best Leading Actress (ZHANG Ziyi), Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Costume Design, and Best Sound Effects

  Color, 124 minutes

  MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS (2007)

  藍莓之夜 / LAN MEI ZHI YE (THE NIGHT OF BLUEBERRY)

  Hong Kong, USA, France

  Production companies: Block 2 Pictures, Studio Canal, Jet Tone

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai, Lawrence BLOCK

  Producers: WONG Kar-wai, Jacky PANG Yee-wah

  Director of photography: Darius KHONDJI

  Editor: William CHANG Suk-ping

  Art director: Judy RHEE

  Production designer: William CHANG Suk-ping

  Costume designers: William CHANG Suk-ping, Sharon GLOBERSON

  Music: Ry COODER

  Cast: Jude LAW, Norah JONES, David STRATHAIRN, Rachel WEISZ, Natalie PORTMAN

  Color, 95 minutes

  ASHES OF TIME REDUX (2008)

  東邪西毒終極版 / DONG XIE XI DU ZHONG JI BAN (THE ULTIMATE VERSION OF EASTERN HERETIC, WESTERN VENOM)

  Hong Kong

  Production companies: Scholar, Block 2 Pictures, Jet Tone

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai

  Producers: WONG Kar-wai, Jacky PANG Yee-wah

  Editor: William CHANG Suk-ping

  Additional music: WU Tong

  Color: 93 minutes

  THE GRANDMASTER (2013)

  —代宗師 / YI DAI ZONG SHI (THE MASTER OF THE GENERATION) Hong Kong, China

  Production companies: Block 2 Pictures, Jet Tone, Sil-Metropole

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai, ZOU Jingzhi, XU Haofeng

  Producers: WONG Kar-wai, Jacky PANG Yee-wah

  Director of photography: Philippe LE SOURD

  Editor: William CHANG Suk-ping

  Art directors: William CHANG Suk-ping, Alfred YAU Wai-ming

  Martial arts director: YUEN Woo-ping

  Music: Shigeru UMEBAYASHI, Nathaniel MECHALY

  Cast: Tony LEUNG Chiu-wai, ZHANG Ziyi, Max ZHANG Jin, ZHAO Benshan, SONG Hye-kyo, CHANG Chen

  Hong Kong Film Awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress (ZHANG Ziyi), Best Supporting Actor (Max ZHANG Jin), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume and Makeup Design, Best Action Choreography, Best Original Film Score, and Best Sound Design; nominated for Best Actor (Tony LEUNG Chiu-wai) and Best Visual Effects

  Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards: Best Film and Best Actress (ZHANG Ziyi) Golden Horse Awards (Taiwan): Best Actress (ZHANG Ziyi), Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Makeup and Costume Design, and Audience Choice Award; nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Leading Actor (Tony LEUNG Chiu-wai), Best Action Choreography, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Effects

  Academy Awards: nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design Color, 130 minutes (Hong Kong and China); 123 minutes (International); 108 minutes (USA); 111 minutes (3D version)

  Anthology Films

  THE HAND (2004)

  《愛神》之〈手〉 / AI SHEN ZHI SHOU (THE HAND IN EROS)

  One of the three segments in Eros

  Hong Kong

  Production companies: Block 2 Pictures, Jet Tone

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai

  Producer: WONG Kar-wai, Jacky PANG Yee-wah

  Director of photography: Christopher DOYLE

  Editor: William CHANG Suk-ping

  Art director: Alfred YAU Wai-ming

  Production designer: William CHANG Suk-ping

  Music: Peer RABEN

  Cast: GONG Li, CHANG Chen, TIN Fung

  Color, 48 minutes (in Eros); 60 minutes (screening at Hong Kong International Film Festival)

  I TRAVELLED 9000 KM TO GIVE IT TO YOU (2007)

  One of the thirty-four segments in To Each His Own Cinema for the sixtieth anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival

  Production company: Block 2 Pictures

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai

  Producers: WONG Kar-wai, Jacky PANG Yee-wah, Gilles CIMENT

  Director of photography: KWAN Pun-leung

  Editor: William CHANG Suk-ping

  Production designer: William CHANG Suk-ping

  Cast: FAN Chih-wei, Farini CHANG Yui-ling

  Color, 3 minutes 49 seconds

  Commercials and Other Short Films

  TO MAKE YOU HAPPY (1992)

  討你歡心 / TAO NI HUAN XIN (TO MAKE YOU HAPPY)

  Music video for Tracy HUANG Ying-ying

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Director of photography: Christopher DOYLE

  Art director: William CHANG Suk-ping

  Music: Johnny CHEN

  Cast: Tracy HUANG Ying-ying, Tony LEUNG Kar-fai

  Color, 4 minutes

  WKW/TK/1996@7’55”HK.NET (1996)

  For Takeo KIKUCHI

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Director of photography: Christopher DOYLE

  Cast: Tadanobu ASANO, Karen MOK

  Color, 7 minutes 55 seconds

  STARTAC (1997)

  Commercial for Motorola

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Director of photography: Christopher DOYLE

  Cast: Faye WONG, Tadanobu ASANO

  Color, 3 minutes

  IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000)

  花樣年華 / HUA YANG NIAN HUA (THE AGE OF FLOWERS)

  Music video for Tony LEUNG Chiu-wai and Niki WU

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Editor: William CHANG Suk-ping

  Music: Sandee CHAN

  Cast: Tony LEUNG Chiu-Wai, Niki WU

  Color, 4 minutes 15 seconds

  HUA YANG DE NIAN HUA (2000)

  花樣的年華 / HUA YANG DE NIAN HUA (THE AGE OF FLOWERS)

  Montage of images from old Hong Kong films

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Archival footage selected by WONG Kar-wai

  Editor: William CHANG Suk-ping

  Music: “The Age of Flowers”(花樣的年華)(singer: ZHOU Xuan, composer: FAN Yan-qiao, lyricist: LIN Mei)

  Color, 2 minutes 28 seconds

  UN MATIN PARTOUT DANS LE MONDE (2000)

  (ONE MORNING EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD)

  Commercial for JC Decaux

  WONG Kar-wai directing the Hong Kong part

  Color, 1 minute

  IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE 2001 (2001)

  Short film shown at the Cannes Film Festival under the rubric “Leçon de Cinéma”

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai

  Cast: Tony LEUNG Chiu-wai, Maggie CHEUNG

  THE FOLLOW (2001)

  Commercial for BMW

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Screenplay: Andrew Kevin WALKER

  Director of photography: Harris SAVIDES

  Editor: William CHANG Suk-ping

  Art director: Artin WHIS

  Production designer: William CHANG Suk-ping

  Cast: Clive OWEN, Mickey ROURKE, Adriana LIMA

  Color, 8 minutes

  DANS LA VILLE (2002)

  (IN THE TOWN)

  Commercial for Orange S.A.

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Color, 41 seconds

  LA RENCONTRE (2002)

  (THE MEETING)

 
; Commercial for Lacoste

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Director of photography: Eric GAUTIER

  Music: Shigeru UMEBAYASHI

  Cast: CHANG Chen, Diane DE MAC-MAHON

  Color, 1 minute

  SIX DAYS (2002)

  Music video for DJ Shadow

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Director of photography: Christopher DOYLE

  Music: DJ Shadow

  Cast: CHANG Chen

  Color, 3 minutes 41 seconds

  THE CAPTURE TOTALE COMMERCIAL (2005)

  Commercial for Christian Dior

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Cast: Sharon STONE

  Color, 30 seconds

  THE HYPNÔSE HOMME COMMERCIAL (2006)

  Commercial for Lancôme Paris

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Cast: Clive OWEN, Daria WERBOWY

  Color, 20 seconds

  THE MIDNIGHT POISON COMMERCIAL (2007)

  Commercial for Christian Dior

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Music: “Space Dementia” by Muse

  Cast: Eva GREEN

  Color, 1 minute

  THERE’S ONLY ONE SUN (2007)

  Commercial for Philips

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai

  Director of photography: Philippe LE SOURD

  Editor: William CHANG Suk-ping

  Production and costume designer: William CHANG Suk-ping

  Cast: Amélie DAURE, Gianpaolo LUPORI, Stefan MORAWIETZ

  Color, 9 minutes

  BUSINESS / WHITE / BLACK (2007)

  Set of three commercials for Softbank

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Cast: Brad PITT

  Color, 1 minute 30 seconds

  NOTORIOUS (2008)

  Commercial for Ralph Lauren

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Cast: Laetitia CASTA

  B&W, 1 minute

  BLUEBERRY DAYS (2008)

  Commercial for Louis Vuitton

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Cast: Natalie PORTMAN

  Color, 2 minutes 5 seconds

  MASK (2011)

  Commercial for Shu Uemura

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Cast: Sandrine PINNA

  Color, 46 seconds

  DÉJÀ VU (2012)

  (ALREADY SEEN)

  Set of two commercials for Chivas

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai

  Director of photography: Philippe LE SOURD

  Editor: Ronald ZEE, Marut SEELZACHAROEN

  Cast: CHANG Chen, DU Juan

  Music: Roel A. GARCIA

  Color, 4 minutes

  REGENERATION (2014)

  再生 / ZAI SHEN (REGENERATION)

  Commercial for Maysu

  Director: WONG Kar-wai

  Cast: SHU Qi

  Color, 1 minute 30 seconds

  AS SCRIPTWRITER

  Feature Films

  ONCE UPON A RAINBOW (1982)

  彩雲曲 / CAI YUN QU (THE SONG OF RAINBOW)

  Hong Kong

  Production company: Cinema City

  Director: Agnes NG Siu-wan

  Screenplay: HO Hon-kiu, WONG Kar-wai, LO Man-sang, YEE Chung-man

  Producer: Teddy Robin KWAN

  JUST FOR FUN (1983)

  空心大少爺 / KONG XIN DA SHAO YE (THE BROKE PLAYBOY)

  Hong Kong

  Production company: Always Good

  Director: Frankie CHAN Fan-kei

  Screenplay: Frankie CHAN Fan-kei, WU Ma, WONG Kar-wai

  Producers: Frankie CHAN Fan-kei, Guy LAI Ying-chau

  SILENT ROMANCE (1984)

  伊人再見 / YI REN ZAI JIAN (GOODBYE FAIR LADY)

  Hong Kong

  Production company: Always Good

  Director: Frankie CHAN Fan-kei

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai, Barry WONG Ping-yiu

  Producers: Frankie CHAN Fan-kei, Guy LAI Ying-chau

  CHASE A FORTUNE (1985)

  吉人天相 / Ji REN TIAN XIANG (GOOD FORTUNE FOR THE GOOD PEOPLE)

  Hong Kong

  Production company: Always Good

  Director: LIU Wai-hung

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai

  Producer: Guy LAI Ying-chau

  UNFORGETTABLE FANTASY (1985)

  小狐仙 / XIAO HU XIAN (LITTLE FOX FAIRY)

  Hong Kong

  Production company: Always Good

  Director: Frankie CHAN Fan-kei

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai

  Producer: Frankie CHAN Fan-kei

  THE INTELLECTUAL TRIO (1985)

  龍鳳智多星 / LONG FENG ZHI DUO XING (THE QUICK-WITTED TRIO)

  Hong Kong

  Production company: Always Good

  Director: Guy LAI Ying-chau

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai, Barry WONG Ping-yiu

  Producer: Guy LAI Ying-chau

  ROSA (1986)

  神勇雙響炮續集 / SHEN YONG SHUANG XIANG PAO XU JI (THE BRAVE TWIN CANNONS SEQUEL)

  Hong Kong

  Production company: Golden Harvest

  Director: Joe CHEUNG Tung-cho

  Screenplay: Barry WONG Ping-yiu, WONG Kar-wai

  Producer: Sammo HUNG Kam-bo

  SWEET SURRENDER (1986)

  我要金龜婿 / WO YAO JIN GUI XU (I WANT A WEALTHY HUSBAND)

  Hong Kong

  Production company: Always Good

  Director: Frankie CHAN Fan-kei

  Screenplay: Frankie CHAN Fan-kei, WONG Kar-wai, Chan Fai-hung

  Producer: Frankie CHAN Fan-kei

  GOODBYE MY LOVE (1986)

  惡男 / E NAN (NOTORIOUS MAN)

  Hong Kong

  Production company: Always Good

  Director: Frankie CHAN Fan-kei

  Screenplay: Frankie CHAN Fan-kei, WONG Kar-wai

  Producer: Frankie CHAN Fan-kei

  FINAL VICTORY (1987)

  最後勝禾 / ZUI HOU SHENG LI (FINAL VICTORY)

  Hong Kong

  Production company: D & B

  Director: Patrick TAM Ka-ming

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai

  Producer: John SHAM Kin-fun

  THE HAUNTED COP SHOP (1987)

  猛鬼差館 / MENG GUI CAI GUAN (THE HAUNTED POLICE STATION)

  Hong Kong

  Production company: In-Gear

  Director: Jeff LAU Chun-wai

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai, Jeff LAU Chun-wai

  Producer: Alan TANG Kwong-wing

  THE FLAME BROTHERS (1987)

  江湖龍虎鬥 / JIANG HU LONG HU DOU (THE BATTLE OF TRIADS)

  Hong Kong

  Production company: In-Gear

  Director: Joe CHEUNG Tung-cho

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai

  Producer: Alan TANG Kwong-wing

  WALK ON FIRE (1988)

  獵鷹計劃 / LIE YING JI HUA (THE PLAN OF EAGLE-HUNTING)

  Hong Kong

  Production company: Seasonal

  Director: Norman LAW Man

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai

  Producer: NG See-yuen

  RETURN ENGAGEMENT (1990)

  再戰江湖 / ZAI ZHAN JIANG HU (THE RETURN TO THE TRIAD)

  Hong Kong

  Production companies: In-Gear, Fu On

  Director: Joe CHEUNG Tung-cho

  Screenplay: Joe CHEUNG Tung-cho, WONG Kar-wai

  Producer: Alan TANG Kwong-wing

  SAVIOUR OF THE SOUL (1991)

  九一神鵰俠侶 / JIU YI SHEN DIAO XIA LU (THE EAGLE-SHOOTING HEROES 91)

  Hong Kong

  Production company: Team Work

  Director: Corey YUEN Kwai, David LAI

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai

  Producers: David LAI, CHAN Pui-wah

  AS PRODUCER

  Feature Films

  DONG CHENG XI JIU (1993)

  射鵰英雄傳之東成西就 / SHE DIAO YING XIONG ZHUAN ZHI DONG CHENG XI JIU (EASTERN SUCCESS WESTERN ACHI
EVEMENT OF THE LEGEND OF THE CONDOR HEROES)

  Hong Kong

  Production companies: Jet Tone, Scholars

  Director: Jeff LAU Chun-wai

  Screenplay: Jeff LAU Chun-wai

  Producer: WONG Kar-wai

  FIRST LOVE: THE LITTER ON THE BREEZE (1997)

  初纏恋后的二人世界 / CHU CHAN LIAN HOU DE ER REN SHI JIE (ROMANCE AFTER THE FIRST ENCOUNTER)

  Hong Kong

  Production companies: Block 2 Pictures, Amuse Group, Jet Tone

  Director: Eric KOT Man-fai

  Screenplay: Ocean CHAN Hoi-kei, Patrick KONG

  Producers: WONG Kar-wai, Yokichi OSATO

  CHINESE ODYSSEY 2002 (2002)

  天下無雙 / TIAN XIA WU SHUANG (THE FIRST IN THE WORLD)

  Hong Kong

  Production companies: Block 2 Pictures, Hakuhodou, Jet Tone

  Director: Jeff LAU Chun-wai

  Screenplay: Jeff LAU Chun-wai

  Producer: WONG Kar-wai

  SEE YOU TOMORROW (2016)

  擺渡人 / BAI DU REN (THE FERRYMAN)

  Hong Kong, China

  Production companies: Jet Tone, Alibaba Pictures

  Director: ZHANG Jiajia

  Screenplay: WONG Kar-wai, ZHANG Jiajia

  Producers: WONG Kar-wai, Jacky PANG Yee-wah

  Wong Kar-wai: Interviews

  Wong Kar-wai on As Tears Go By

  Lok Ching / 1988

  From City Entertainment (Hong Kong). No. 241 (pp. 24-25). Interview conducted in Cantonese in 1988. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Translated by Silver Wai-ming Lee from Chinese.

  The test-screening room was almost full when I entered. The film had started before I settled down in the smoke-filled room. I had lots of questions when watching the film. After the screening, I sat down with director Wong Kar-wai and asked him some questions.

  Wong is the screenwriter of Once upon a Rainbow. He met Patrick Tam after joining Always Good Film where he conceptualized Final Victory and Sweet Surrender. After overcoming some obstacles, he eventually directed his first film.

  Lok Ching: Why is it titled Mong Kok Carmen?

  Wong Kar-wai: Mong Kok Carmen is actually another story about a love story between a young police inspector and a dancehall girl. I set the story of Carmen in Mong Kok.1 But some actors thought I was filming that story. When asked by journalists what they were making, the actors said it was “Mong Kok Carmen.” I originally wanted to revise [the title], but everyone thought there was nothing wrong with it. So we just let it be.

  LC: How did you come up with the idea of the film?

  WKW: I had the story outline of As Tears Go By before writing Final Victory. It was inspired by a very short piece of news: two underage youngsters were instigated by the gang to kill someone. After getting paid and having a wild night of fun, they took action.

  LC: Can you analyze the personalities of the three main characters?