One week left to see meticulously restored Wong Kar-Wai films at The Cinematheque
The celebrated Hong Kong auteur had a direct hand in bringing his films back to vivid new life
Wong Kar-Wai’s Happy Together
With his lush and sensual visuals, pitch-perfect soundtracks, and soulful romanticism, Wong Kar-Wai has established himself as one of the defining auteurs of contemporary cinema. There is just one final week left to enjoy seven brand-new 4K restorations streaming virtually as part of The Cinematheque’s Wong Kar-Wai retrospective.
Whether tragically romantic, soaked in blood, or quirkily comedic, the films in this retrospective are an invitation into the wistful world of a deeply influential artist. Wong oversaw all of these restorations, a process that took five years, and decided that this was a unique opportunity to restore the films to how he had originally envisioned them.
As well as fixing aspect ratios and sound mixing, the resulting changes included being able to restore some footage from the devastating and deliriously romantic Happy Together. The footage had been damaged in a fire so couldn’t be included in the original cut.
Wong reflected on the reaction of some audience members when watching these new restorations, as they noticed the slight differences to their memories of watching these films for the first time – sometimes discovering them on pirated copies and watching them in back-alley theatres.
“Memories are hard to beat. As the saying goes: ‘No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man,’” Wong Kar Wai says. “Since the beginning of this process, these words have reminded me to treat these restorations as an opportunity to present new works, from a different vantage point in my career. Having arrived at the end of this process, these words still hold true. I invite the audience to join me in starting afresh, as these are not the same films, and we are no longer the same audience.”
Whether you are familiar with WKW’s beautiful films, or have yet to discover them, don’t miss the unique opportunity to escape into these emotionally resonant, visually stunning films available to stream online until midnight January 27. Purchase a WKW Virtual Series Pass to enjoy all seven titles screening virtually at a reduced rate.
This post was sponsored by The Cinematheque