The Cinematheque salutes the sumptuous artistry of Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai, starting December 10
Marking In the Mood for Love’s 20th anniversary, the streamed series features new 4K restorations
Wong Kar-Wai’s gorgeously shot In the Mood for Love is marking its 20th anniversary
The Cinematheque’s career-spanning retrospective of Hong Kong’s best-loved auteur, World of Wong Kar-Wai, kicks off December 10 with a selection of titles all available to watch online.
The series celebrates the 20th anniversary of his most famous film, In the Mood for Love, widely considered one of the most beautiful movies ever made. Created in 2000, it focuses on two neighbours in a ravishingly retro 1962 Hong Kong who form a bond when they suspect that their respective spouses are having an affair. Erotically charged, it leaves their love achingly unspoken and unacted upon.
World of Wong Kar-Wai features this standout and more of his sumptuous, sensual, and unapologetically sentimental films through many brand-new 4K restorations.
Seven WKW titles open this retrospective, all streaming in new restorations and one in a new, extended director's cut. (In-person screenings will be rescheduled at a later date once the theatre reopens after pandemic closures.)
December 10 kicks off with his Days of Being Wild (Ah Fei jing juen) and As Tears Go By (Wong Gok ka moon), with the award-winning Chungking Express (Chung Hing sam lam) and Fallen Angels (Do lok tin si) starting streaming on December 17. On December 24, Happy Together (Chun gwong cha sit), In the Mood for Love (Fa yeung nin wa), and The Hand finish up the series. All films stream to January 27, 2021.
In addition, there will be an interactive visual lecture on January 7 that will explore Wong’s unique directorial style. A discussion and Q&A will follow. You can register for your ticket here.
You can purchase a “World of Wong Kar-Wai” touring retrospective Virtual Series Pass for all seven titles at a reduced rate for $53.50 USD, via the Janus Films platform. Individual tickets are $9 USD.
Wong came of age as a filmmaker during the 1980s, a period of unprecedented commercial success and stylistic innovation for Hong Kong cinema. His films reflect this eclectic mix of influences, combining the crowd-pleasing energy of popular cinema with a penchant for narrative and stylistic excess—including bold, saturated colours and the profligate use of slow-motion and step printing.
His films feature a veritable catalogue of Chinese cinema’s most beautiful people, from Maggie Cheung to Cantopop icons Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai to celebrity superstars Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi
This post was sponsored by The Cinematheque