Wong Kar-wai: Interviews

by Silver Wai-ming Lee (Editor), Micky Lee (Editor)

Overview

Fans and critics alike perceive Wong Kar-wai (b. 1958) as an enigma. His dark glasses, his nonlinear narrations, and his high expectations for actors all contribute to an assumption that he only makes art for a few highbrow critics. However, Wong's interviews show this Hong Kong auteur is candid about the art of filmmaking, even surprising his interlocutors by suggesting his films are commercial and made for a popular audience.

Wong's achievements nevertheless feel like art-house cinema. His third film, Chungking Express, introduced him to a global audience captivated by the quick and quirky editing style. His Cannes award-winning films Happy Together and In the Mood for Love confirmed an audience beyond the greater Chinese market. His latest film, The Grandmaster, depicts the life of a kung fu master by breaking away from the martial arts genre. In each of these films, Wong Kar-wai's signature style--experimental, emotive, character-driven, and timeless--remains apparent throughout.

This volume includes interviews that appear in English for the first time, including some that appeared in Hong Kong magazines now out of print. The interviews cover every feature film from Wong's debut As Tears Go By to his 2013 The Grandmaster.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496820259
Publisher:	University Press of Mississippi
Publication date:	10/02/2018
Series:	Conversations with Filmmakers Series
Pages:	222
Sales rank:	906,000
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Silver Wai-ming Lee earned his master of philosophy in cultural studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is a film critic and researcher of the cinema of Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan. Micky Lee is associate professor of media studies at Suffolk University, Boston. A Hong Kong native, she is author of Free Information? The Case against Google and coauthor of Understanding the Business of Global Media in the Digital Age.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

Filmography xx

Chronology xxiii

Wong Kar-wai on As Tears Go By Lok Ching / 1988 3

Wong Kar-wai Takes Charge Cheuk Chi / 1988 8

The Days of Being Wild: Eight-day Location Shooting in the Philippines Angel / 1989 11

All about Days of Being Wild: A Dialogue with Wong Kar-wai Jimmy Ngai / 1990 16

The This and That of Wong Kar-wai Yeung Wai-lan Lau Chi-kwan / 1994 21

Working like a Jam Session Michel Ciment / 1994 36

The Northern Beggar and Southern Emperor in a Pleasant Forest: Dialogue with Wong Kar-wai Lin Yao-teh / 1994 47

A Coin of Wong Kar-wai Gary / 1995 56

The Film Supermarket of Wong Kar-wai Gary Mak / 1995 61

Open Communication: Wong Kar-wai Yik Ming / 1997 70

Each Film Has Its Own Ounce of Luck Michel Ciment Hubert Niogret / 1997 76

Interview with Wong Kar-wai: In the Mood for Love Michel Ciment Hubert Niogret / 2000 85

Muse of Music: Interview with Wong Kar-wai Tony Lan Tsu-wei / 2000 94

2046 Mark Salisbury / 2004 100

All Memories Are Traces of Tears: Wong Kar-wai on Literature and Aesthetics (Parts 1-2) Tony Lan Tsu-wei / 2004 104

Because of Norah Jones: My Blueberry Nights: Exclusive Interview with Wong Kar-wai Hong Kong Film / 2007 115

The American Way Tony Rayns / 2008 129

Exclusive Interview: Wong Kar-wai (Ashes of Time Redux) Damon Houx / 2008 134

The Grandmaster or the Grand Barber? Multiple Choice Questions for Wong Kar-wai Li Hongyu / 2013 141

The Grandmaster, Director Wong Kar Wai David Poland / 2013 151

Interview: Wong Kar-wai Jake Mulligan / 2013 162

Wong Kar-wai: The Grandmaster Should Have Been a Trilogy An Ying / 2015 166

Additional Resources 172

Index 000