IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE --------------------
In 1962 Hong Kong, Mr. Chow (Tony Leung Chiu-wai, "Happy Together") finds out from Mrs. Suen (Rebecca Pan, "Flowers of Shanghai") that the room she had for rent was just taken by Mrs. Chan (Maggie Cheung Man-yuk, "Irma Vep") and directs him just down the hall, where another room is available. Within these crowded quarters, Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan frequently cross each others paths, alone. When they gradually realize their spouses are engaged in an affair, the two begin a friendship, vowing to be 'nothing like them' in director Wong Kar-wai's Cannes Prix du Technique (editing, cinematography and production design) winner "In the Mood for Love."
LAURA:
Writer/director Wong Kar-wai, known for his hip, visually stylized, modern films like "Chungking Express," steps back in time not only for his story but for his presentation.
His Hong Kong of 1962 is a memory of a golden age where neighbors formed mini-communities in close quarters, observing bourgeois proprieties. The elegant beauty Mrs. Chan is married to a man usually away on business trips to Japan (he, like Mrs. Chow, is never really seen, just heard). He brings back foreign goods such as pocketbooks and rice cookers to the delight of all, although the uniqueness of his gifts betrays his affair. (In a beautiful foreshadowing scene, Mrs. Chan asks her husband to bring back two pocketbooks for her boss, Mr. Ho (Lai Chin). When her husband inquires as to why he needs two, she wearily replies, 'you know,' referring to the general ways of men rather than personal experience.) Handsome Mr. Chow's wife is a modern woman working as a hotel receptionist who frequently calls her husband with stories of having to work late that eventually give way to visits to a sick mother.
The lonely two cross each others' paths on rain slicked streets fetching dinners-for-one at a local noodle stall. Their hesitant relationship begins as they compare notes before confirming what they each already knew. They practice what they will say to their spouses with each other, then begin spending more time together collaberating on writing the martial arts serials they both love. Soon neighbors begin to talk and the emotionally restrained Li-zhen withdraws forcing Chow to declare his love and ask her to leave with him for Singapore.
This heartbreaking tale of unrequited (or is it?) love is an elegant romance for the ages and a masterpiece of its genre. Kar-wai's cinematographers Christopher Doyle ("Days of Being Wild," "Ashes of Time," "Fallen Angels") and Mark Li Ping-bin ("Flowers of Shanghai") brilliantly set their camera as an interloper viewing his subjects on the sly, creeping along halls and from behind objects. Slow motion is used several times to underline the melancholy aspects of the moment. The cheating spouses are shown in shadow, from behind, or via obstructed view.
Hyphenate William Chang Suk-ping, (production design, costume, editing) who's worked on all of Kar-wai's films, is a maestro here, from his recreations of 1962 offices, apartments and restaurants to the stunning dresses worn by Cheung (all of the same design, all boasting different shades of personality in their fabric, always consumately elegant).
Western musical choices, such as Nat King Cole's Spanish version of 'Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps' and other Latin music strongly aid in rushing us back to another era while setting the stage for love.
Tony Leung, who won Best Actor at Cannes for this role, is an honorable man of the time whose romantic nature is engaged by Mrs. Chan's natural beauty, quiet nature and companionship. Maggie Cheung evokes the pathos of a splendid woman who, unjustly treated by her husband, continues to cling to respectability even as her emotions are being pulled to the surface for what may be the first and only time. Never has a more elegant creature (Cheung cites the costumes as a great aid to her physical interpretation of the character) graced the screen. The two have enormous chemistry without needing any histrionics to convey their depth of feeling.
Wong Kar-wai has created a classic of the genre with "In the Mood for Love" that can stand alongside David Lean's "Brief Encounter." He's capable of moving your emotions with a shot of a woman's embroidered slippers left abandoned on the floor.
A
For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com
laura@reelingreviews.com robin@reelingreviews.com
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews