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Wong Kar Wai
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Screenwriter, Director |
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Birth 1958 - Shanghai, China |
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Occupation
Screenwriter, Director, Producer |
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Years Active
80s 90s 00s |
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Countries
Hong Kong |
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Genres
Drama, Romance |
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BIOGRAPHY |
While a product of the fertile Hong Kong filmmaking community of the
'90s, writer/director Wong Kar-Wai did not traffic in the
over-the-top action blowouts favored by the likes of John Woo and
Tsui Hark. Instead, his films took their inspiration from the
seminal work of Jean-Luc Godard and the French New Wave, painting
idiosyncratic and romantic tales of the young and disenfranchised
uniquely representative of the myriad cultural influences which
distinguish his native land.
Essentially, Wong restructured a sector of the entertainment genre
that thrives on action in a way that would allow him to use its
traditional themes in order to make art films, proving himself to be
a rarity within the genre. Equally unique is Wong's bold style,
which thrives on pixilated slow motion action scenes, distorted
close-ups, and fight sequences shot from several disoriented angles.
Far from being alienated within the film community, Wong has become
a favorite among both critics and the Honk Kong acting circuit.
Drawn to his fascination with mood and texture over a more
straightforward narrative approach, action favorites including
Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Kar-Fai, and Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia have
enjoyed working with Wong, claiming that it gave them a rare
opportunity to play meatier, less conventional roles.
Born in Shanghai in 1958, Wong studied graphic design at Hong Kong
Polytechnic. Fostering an interest in photography, in particular the
work of Robert Frank, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Richard Avedon,
Wong enrolled in a TV drama training program sponsored by Hong Kong
Television Broadcasts Ltd shortly after his graduation in 1980.
After being recognized for his initial work as a production
assistant on a number of serials, he quickly progressed to
scriptwriting, most notably for the popular soap opera Don't Look
Now. After exiting HKTVB's ranks in 1982, Wong became a noted
screenwriter, scripting close to a dozen films over the course of
the following five years. While working on Patrick Tam's 1986
feature The Final Victory, Wong conceived his directorial debut, the
gangster picture As Tears Go By; released two years later, the film
was a sensation on the festival circuit, winning raves for its
gritty portrayal of the mean streets of Hong Kong. 1991's Days of
Being Wild cemented his reputation as a talent to watch, garnering a
number of international awards.
In 1992, Wong mounted Ashes of Time, an ambitious martial arts epic
filmed with an all-star cast. During a break in the picture's
lengthy editing process, Wong began working on another project
dubbed Chungking Express, writing the screenplay in a Holiday Inn
coffee shop by day and shooting each night wherever there was enough
light. Debuting in 1994, the quirky romantic thriller emerged as the
director's international breakthrough when it was selected by rabid
fan Quentin Tarantino as the first product of his Rolling Thunder
distribution company, becoming the first of Wong's features to
receive proper American release. After resurfacing in 1995 with
Fallen Angels, two years later Wong premiered Happy Together at the
Cannes Film Festival, going home with the jury's Best Director
award. Wong followed its success with the well-regarded In the Mood
for Love in 2000.
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WORKED WITH |
Production team: Jacky Pang (Producer) Christopher Doyle
(Cinematographer) William Chang (Production Designer) Frankie Chan
(Composer) Hai Kit-Wai (Editor) Kwong Chi-Leung (Editor) Jeffrey Lau
(Director)
Actors: Brigitte Lin Tony Leung Chiu-Wai Leslie Cheung Jacky
Cheung Maggie Cheung Tony Leung Kar-Fai Carina Liu |
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FILMOGRAPHY
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About the movie
CHUNKING EXPRESS
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