More than 20 years ago, Wong Kar-Wai presented his timeless masterpiece, In the Mood of Love and will not take long to register firmly in cinematographic heritage. For its anniversary, the film was recently screened on the Croisette beach at the start of the festival, before it offers a true theatrical release, in 4K and restored versions this Wednesday, July 21st.
The Hong Kong director imagined meeting two neighboring couples who, coincidentally, moved in on the same day. After they finished their day at work, Ms. Chan, a very serious secretary, and Mr. Chow, the editor of a local newspaper, wanders the streets, like souls alone, because their spouses are always away. In fact, the survivors soon realize that their respective spouses have become lovers.
In the rain, in a taxi or in a restaurant, the two protagonists begin to get close, support each other and meet secretly to the intoxicating Japanese music of Shigeru Umebayashi, between slow and slow -moving movements. on the camera, crystallizing a noble photograph and never being matched.
completion The Ashes of Time, the filmmaker spotted his favorite actors Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung, the season of a dark and passionate romance. At the Cannes Film Festival, where the film was presented at the official competition in 2000, Tony Leung won the Best Actor award. For her part, the gorgeous Maggie Cheung (her make-up and her hairstyle require an average of five hours of preparation per day!) Was awarded for Best Actress at the Golden Horse Awards. The following year, the film received César for Best Foreign Film.
Behind this critically acclaimed cult film lies a real barrier path for the film’s crew, between long shooting, script rewriting and financial disappointments. For those who have failed at this key work by Wong Kar-Wai, here are three reasons to run and buy a ticket.
A new French poster for Wong Kar Wai’s IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE.
Check out the shocking 20th anniversary restoration during our retrospective, available nationwide: https://t.co/ESJ6UEDfiC pic.twitter.com/aXW4GZBRBX
—Lincoln Center Films (@FilmLinc) November 25, 2020
#1. For its soothing soundtrack
It’s one of the strangest soundtracks in the cinema. He appears a total of nine times in the film, mostly to cover the film’s elitions. This sad waltz composed by Japanese musician Umebayashi Shigeru was originally written for the film Yumejithe last part of the trilogy taishō by Suzuki Seijun. Titled “The theme of Yumeji”, this catchy melody promotes the fulfillment of the passions of In the Mood of Love.
For Wong Kar-Wai, who talks about honesty and sincerity in relationships, this theme also echoes his own view of the deterioration of ethics and morality in early 1960s Hong Kong.
#2. Because it’s one of the most beautiful love stories in cinema
We always talk Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Undefiled Mind or On Madison Street to talk about cinema love stories, with a capital A. But In the Mood of Love deserves his place in this rank. Successful and modest, this romance is entirely dedicated to romantic feelings but refuses to be a true love story, as Wong Kar-Wai explains in Tony Rayns ’book:
“I knew from the beginning that I didn’t want to make a movie about a relationship. It’s very boring, it’s very predictable, and it can only end in two ways: they can be together or they can stop with each other and go back to their normal life. What intrigues me is how people behave and tell stories in situations like this story, how they keep and share secrets.
Prior to the film’s presentation at the Cannes Film Festival, the filmmaker filmed Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan however withdrew in favor of a purer scenario, but less clearly. Actually, and this is the strength of the film, In the Mood of Love relying on the skeptical uncertainty of the protagonists, struggling against their complex emotions.
#3. For its noble game
Shot in Beijing and Macao for 15 months, the film was moved to the middle of filming due to Chinese authorities requiring Wong Kar-Wai to read the script to resume production. Against the backdrop of the Asian economic crisis, the shooting financial and physical exhaustion of the film crew, found the tone of Bangkok’s work. In this regard, Wong Kar-Wai has always meant that “bend In the Mood of Love is the hardest experience of [sa] career.”
Despite these geographical dangers and the many cameramen honored in the film, In the Mood of Love remains a real joy for our retinas, with its bright and green colors, enhanced thanks to this 4K release. Like a touching picture, this romance is painted with grace and noble images that do not obscure a linear and concrete account. While restrained, Wong Kar-wai describes, against the tide, a worldly and captivating idyll.
