Wong Kar-wai Page 5

  WKW: They are all doing things that they ought not do. Maggie Cheung should not be staying together with Andy Lau. He is a temptation to her, but it ends up that she could never own him. Fly (played by Jacky Cheung) keeps on trying to do something of which he is incapable. Andy Lau should not have taken care of Jacky Cheung, but there is no other way out.

  LC: Was this an idea that you had for a long time, or was it just a feeling towards these characters?

  WKW: I do not make up my stories in a box. As a story develops, the personalities of the characters cannot be separated from your own preferences. The story can be developed in various ways, but it originates from you. It is like, based on my own understanding, I think these characters would react in such a way. My films are not about stories. I develop plots from the characters’ personalities. I believe the story is not important, but the characters are.

  LC: Would you talk about the relationship between Final Victory and As Tears Go By?

  WKW: I would say the two films are a match. The two films have similar angles. I wrote both scripts with similar themes and characters so people feel the two films are alike. At that time we had three stories related to teenage characters. I was a bit tired of them. Characters continue to develop and stories might extend from this development. I have come to know these people during that particular period of time. So I portrayed them, thinking they were interesting. I don’t believe in research because it is impossible to know someone’s story just by chatting with them for a day or so. It takes time. I became friends with them, and we spent time together. I came to fathom how they lived. I couldn’t start creating the story until I understood these people. There is a sense of distance if you write without being clear about something.

  When writing about these kinds of people, screenwriters usually portray them in the gangster genre. But I do not want the characters to be too clear-cut, too “black and white.” The characters have a lot of weaknesses. Like Andy Lau, you cannot say he is a positive character. This kind of portrayal might not be easily accepted by the audience. In Final Victory, the protagonists Tsui Hark and Eric Tsang have weaknesses too. But I think they are humans, and humans have weaknesses. The audience’s acceptance of the characters depends on their portrayals. If they are vividly portrayed, the audience can feel it.

  Final Victory is packaged by Patrick Tam. An audience from that social class of the protagonists may feel distant when watching the film. As Tears Go By may have the same problem too. But I believe if I made the film in a raw way, it would be quite innovative. My angle is to express my feelings within the main lines of the characters.

  LC: Why are the relationships between the protagonists so special?

  WKW: Some things are difficult to write about: why a man likes a woman, brotherhood, etc. These things are very subtle. But I want to raise the point that time is the most important factor. It’s the contact between people. If I stay with you for a long time, it is like turning pages in a daily calendar and your marks can be found on every page. This kind of relationship is unconsciously built up. I did not know why I had to help you, but I just did. This is clearly stated in the last scene that takes place by the sea in Final Victory.

  LC: Another example would be the relationship between Eric Tsang and Loletta Lee in Final Victory as well as that between Andy Lau and Maggie Cheung in As Tears Go By. Why would the relationships build up so groundlessly?

  WKW: I feel the relationship between a man and a woman cannot be qualified by the length spent on them in the film, like the protagonists in Waterloo Bridge—they fall in love just after bumping into each other underground. In terms of the lightning during the scene at the pier, it is all a work of nature. It does not imply anything.

  LC: The music in As Tears Go By starts so suddenly; is this your idea?

  WKW: Some use of music is intended. Another reason is that we were in a hurry during postproduction. For example, we planned to insert a love theme in the sequences of “Take My Breath Away,” but we gave up due to copyrights. Shooting was completed on the 27th and the film premiere was scheduled at midnight on the 4th,2 so we used whatever music we had at hand. The theaters are screening the C Copy now. I hadn’t watched the output myself until I went to the theater. I had to spend days and nights filming during the last month, so I asked William Chang to help me edit. He did well as he knew this film best. Patrick Tam edited two action scenes. O Sing-pui edited the scenes with Alex Man. Stanley Kwan helped with the dubbing. I made the final cut.

  I am still working on some mixing to make the soundtrack better.

  LC: Is anything cut out?

  WKW: I changed the ending, deleting the scene at the jail. I let Andy Lau to die during the shootout. I don’t want the scene in which Maggie Cheung remains speechless when seeing Andy Lau being mentally impaired.3 The reason for the change is that the movie is too long. It is impossible to run 9,300 feet of film reel. Also, many people want Andy Lau’s character to die because they cannot accept him as an idiot. Being mentally impaired is more unacceptable than death. I think it does not matter to end [note: WKW said cut] the movie at this point. I only want to express that they have some energy and how they release it. There isn’t much difference in what the consequence is. This is an instinct. At that moment, they do it without considering the consequences. They have never made rational decisions.

  LC: Is it that they plan rationally before taking action but are unusually emotional at the last minute?

  WKW: Maybe they suppress themselves before taking action but finally do it. I know many people of this kind, and I have also witnessed their behavior in this way. When they reach a certain age, they become worldly and their energy fades away. They would feel miserable when they are aware that they could not do whatever comes to mind.

  LC: Are you satisfied with this change in the ending?

  WKW: The ending now is made in the most efficient way. And it is too simple to the general audience. There are not enough time and tension to bring the audience to the climax. I think this ending is weak, but acceptable.

  LC: The action scenes are very special; are they improvisations? And do they intentionally represent different stages?

  WKW: Actually I do not like formulated choreography. The real violence does not rest with movement, but with feeling. There should be one point in every fight scene, like in the scene at the open-air food stall. I shot it from the viewpoint of Andy Lau. When he wants to kill a guy, the camera focuses on that guy. Andy Lau stares at that guy and cannot see what happens around him. He is full of rage; he is as furious as the horrendous heat at the food stall. The only thing in his mind is that his rage will fade away after the killing.

  The chase scene at the pool hall is a sudden event. The ending scene was shot from Jacky Cheung’s viewpoint. At that very moment, he can hear very acutely, so you hear the noises from the police vehicles and people.

  LC: How was the shaking effect made in the fight scenes?

  WKW: I made it by ‘adding frames’ when shooting. I shot with the frame rate at twelve frames per second (usually a film is shot at twenty-four frames) and then printed every frame once more. This is how the effect was achieved.

  LC: Is there any difficulty when shooting other scenes?

  WKW: We shot a fight scene outside the Broadway Cinema on a weekend night. We wanted to film it in secrecy, but once we set the camera, people gathered around us. We stopped shooting every time the police arrived and continued after they left. Our crew took three hours and had good morale. Some of the crew members were worried that it would not work, but I was not scared at all. I believe there is nothing impossible to film. I think it was fun and challenging.

  LC: Is there any special meaning about the interior of Andy Lau’s home?

  WKW: I want [his home] to reflect a sharp contrast between day and night. When night time arrives and the TV is on, these people become active. It marks the beginning of nightlife. During daytime, everything in the house is still. There are more camera
movements and strange angles at night. One example is the shots of Andy Lau getting up and turning on the TV.

  During the interview, Wong kept mentioning several things: his strict control over cinematography and lighting; his feeling towards Mean Streets (directed by Martin Scorsese); what if As Tears Go By was directed by Patrick Tam; his realization at a later stage of shooting that he should stay relaxed like Juzo Itami when he made films. Wong also reminded himself that making films is for fun. He explained this would make him ignore the difficulties while being on set and see the outcome as less important.

  NOTES

  1. The Chinese title of As Tears Go By can be literally translated as Mong Kok Carmen. Mong Kok is the most crowded place in Hong Kong where many gangster films are set. Carmen is drawn from Carmen the opera composed by Georges Bizet.

  2. Midnight premieres were a common practice in the Hong Kong film industry from the 1980s to 1990s. Filmmakers would re-edit the film based on the audience reaction; therefore, the final cut could be different from the premiere/midnight cut.

  3. The alternative ending of Andy Lau being mentally impaired is used in the Taiwanese version. Also, the Chinese title Mong Kok Carmen was changed to Hot-blooded Boys.

  Wong Kar-wai Takes Charge

  Cheuk Chi/ 1988

  From City Entertainment (Hong Kong). No. 244 (p. 17). Interview conducted in Cantonese in 1988. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Translated by Silver Wai-ming Lee from Chinese.

  Cheuk Chi: Among exceptional beginner screenwriters, Wong Kar-wai is considered to be both talented and lucky. He is thankful for the opportunity given by Kam Kwok-leung and has taken the opportunity to migrate from television to the silver screen. He has been keeping up with the good work since then.

  Looking back at his individual screenplays, Wong is only happy with Final Victory. As Wong explained, he thinks director Patrick Tam is more capable of bringing the screenwriter’s ideals into reality.

  Wong Kar-wai: Every director with whom I have cooperated has his or her own strength. As a screenwriter, I certainly understand the importance of rapport and recognition between directing and scriptwriting, and this importance cannot be established in a meeting or two. This is the reason why I prefer working with directors with whom I am familiar and share a mutual understanding. It does not mean I am shy about working with others, but true communication can only happen after collaboration in two or more films. I believe many screenwriters have faced situations in which their scripts are altered; it is up to the individuals whether they accept the changes or not. For instance, the screenwriter might want to express a love scene with many lines, but the director could clearly express the scene in one or two shots. I can accept this kind of change, though; I believe this helps me gain experience. It is surely ideal if the director and the screenwriter are totally in sync, but this is impossible. In accordance, I tend to give what the director asks for, especially those whom I know well. I try to understand his or her way of directing without straying away from my original thought.

  CC: Wong Kar-wai has worked for Cinema City and Always Good Film in the industry. He had another opportunity given by producer Alan Tang Kwong-wing. These opportunities have not only led Wong to produce Flaming Brothers and The Haunted Cop Shop, but they have also led him to become the writer and director of As Tears Go By.

  CC: It is undoubtedly ideal when the director is also the writer because writing and directing can be very subjective. There is less conflict. Would this total control become too extreme, particularly when the director wants to satisfy him/herself at the expense of budget?

  WKW: Looking back at my screenwriting experience, I have come across many situations in which I had to compromise due to production budget. I believe a bigger budget does not guarantee a higher quality film; it does not even lead to a better box office. Although I sometimes insist to a certain extent—especially because I always emphasize aesthetics—this insistence may put pressure on the production department. I believe this applies to every director, but I usually stand more firmly on having a bigger budget when it comes to shooting on location and during postproduction. I personally think the production budget ought to be estimated when the screenplay is finalized. I ask to be informed of the expenses of certain scenes; this is the basic communication requirement between the director and the producer. For instance, if a scene is less than a minute but requires a lot of expenses, we certainly have to compromise. However, I will not accept the working method of arguing about the budget during the shooting. Or else, what is preproduction for? However, a reasonable case to eliminate an on-location shoot would be a conflict in the actors’ schedules because the scene was scheduled to be filmed over three days.

  Directors are supposed to work within the budget to express themselves. I usually inform the producer in advance about shooting and cost details, so we are well prepared if there need to be adjustments. I learned this from my experience as a film producer; I am thus confident in controlling production costs as a director.

  However, the expense of As Tears Go By somehow exceeded the estimated budget. This was due to the lack of detailed planning, which in turn was due to conflicts in actors’ schedules and some sudden script changes. During the shooting we discovered the plot was somewhat similar to a film that was in production by another company, so we had to make a quick decision to change the script. We suspended filming for a period of time. From the beginning to the end, five months were spent on production, but only the last month and a half were fully devoted to filming. The rewrite increased production cost, but this business decision could not have been avoided. Strictly speaking, there were flaws in handling the matter. However, from another perspective, it was understandable why the production cost went beyond budget. We were in a hurry because of the scheduled date to screen. We could not have avoided going over budget.

  The experience has helped me learn new things about shooting, developing ideas, and executing. This might be helpful when I face a similar situation in the future as a director or in other positions.

  CC: Wong is fond of trying different things to make films. He prefers topics that are realistic yet romantic; this taste might stem from his personality. The work of every filmmaker is inevitably influenced by his/her personality, liking and disliking. Everyone has his or her own strengths, and no one is capable of making films in every genre. In his working position, Wong hopes to try different things. According to him, filmmaking is a job that he likes—and he likes it almost madly. Therefore, every position challenges and intrigues him. Perhaps one day he would be the only person in the crew; this must give him an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. And hopefully when he is a producer, he will suppress all his romantic thoughts and become sensibly realistic.

  The Days of Being Wild: Eight-day Location Shooting in the Philippines

  Angel / 1989

  From City Entertainment (Hong Kong). No. 306 (pp. 36–41). Interview conducted in Cantonese in 1989. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Translated by Micky Lee from Chinese.

  This interview, “The Days of Being Wild”—crazy days—documents a week of filming Days of Being Wild in the Philippines. As the film is going to be in theaters soon, Wong Kar-wai pressures the cast and crew to speed up shooting from dusk to dawn.

  “Witnessing a historical event taking place is more important than sleeping,” one crew member told me.

  Another said: “Film people live an inhumane life.”

  I asked, “Flying people?” No wonder the film is called Days of Being Wild.1

  Wong Kar-wai: The biggest reason for the long production time of Days of Being Wild is location. I don’t have a studio to build sets, so I need to find a location that is the closest to my idea and then refine it. But it takes a long time to find such a location. At the beginning we were more optimistic, but afterwards we learned it was very difficult. Basically the slow progress at the beginning is my own style. The beginning is an experiment; therefore, there were the most N
Gs2 because I needed to tune the actors to follow my path. It has taken a lot of time. Because the public is paying a lot of attention to Days of Being Wild and there are many rumors, the filming became a very serious affair. In reality it was not as bad as others imagined.

  My Days of Being Wild has nothing to do with James Dean’s Rebel Without a Cause.3 But when we think of Rebel Without a Cause, we think of the 1950s and ’60s. Because Days of Being Wild takes place in the same era, we used the title. It is a mere convenience. The inspiration of Days of Being Wild comes from my special feeling for 1960s Hong Kong. The story is about human relationships, including those between mother and son and between lovers; there is a misalignment of space.

  I used to be able to make films in a relaxing way. There would only be criticism after the films were done, but the public started to notice me after As Tears Go By. Now when I make films, I attract a lot of bad attention and rumors; these rumors affect everyone’s mood. I don’t know if it is a good or bad thing.

  I have not thought if I’d like to make an art film. When I was young, I would be very happy if I saw a good film. Others gave me this happiness. When I became a director, I hoped to give the audience the same feeling. My expectation for every film is the same: I hope it will be good, that it is not a waste of time. I have never thought of turning a new page in history. After I completed the producers’ training at TVB [Television Broadcasts Limited] and did practicum for half a year, I left the television station to make films. I have worked for different studios for nine years. The greatest joy of my childhood was to watch movies. After working in the movie industry for a while, I wanted to make films. This is something natural … my experience comes from those days meeting more people. When I understand more, the films become more accurate. Everyone has to endure hardships. From an optimistic viewpoint, the experience of the past few years has been beneficial. I ask myself every time, “What do I want?” That’s why you see me making changes at the last minute because I want to make sure I have paid my utmost effort. I can’t have regret in the future.