It's hard to now watch Wong Kar-wai's debut "As Tears Go By" without considering it in the context of his body of work. In many ways similar to his other films, it is also very different; very much a product of its time. His only film released in the Eighties; this feels more akin to a John Woo action flick. But with "Days of Being Wild" acting as a bridge, it is clear to see the starting point of his evolution as a filmmaker.
While "Ashes of Time" and "The Grandmaster" are billed as kung-fu films, and "Chungking Express" and "Fallen Angels" are not without their weaponry, "As Tears Go By" is much more graphic and frequent in its violence. Wah (Andy Lau) and his little brother Fly (Jacky Cheung) frequently find themselves in back-alley scrapes with rival Tony (Alex Man) and his thugs.
The film's love interest comes in the form of Ngor (Maggie Cheung) who comes to stay with her distant cousin Wah in Kowloon. Having never met before, the longer she stays, the more and more Wah is attracted to her. But Ngor seems wholesome compared to Wah's street-wise entrepreneurship.
The crux of "As Tears Go By" is loyalty. Wah is a man clearly more intelligent and respected than his position as a mid-level criminal, and shows signs of wanting to start a quiet life with Ngor. But his loyalty to little brother Fly is his downfall. Fly is young and wild, continually looking for trouble he can't handle. He costs Wah a lot of time, money and beatings. But when the opportunity to walk away from him and start a new life with Ngor presents itself, he can only run to Fly when he is frequently in need.
And this is the essence of a Wong film, though in a less common scenario for him. His work always revolves around love that will remain unfulfilled; so easy to obtain, but is the tragedy of his characters. Wong likes his creations to get close, but never quite touch.
The look, however, is very much Wong, though a more Eighties version. A neo-noir style throughout, with neon lights across the night scene and smoke billowing in the air. The soundtrack too is very Eighties, and not as timeless as his others would become. This is where it is very much like a Woo film in its sounds, as the music soothes those who have just been beaten. The Cantonese cover version of "Take My Breath Away" comes layered in cheese, but fits the tone perfectly.
In look it is most similar to the Brigette Lin scenes of "Chungking Express", with its slowed-down frame speed for scenes of violence, with Andrew Lau's cinematography common to both.
As a debut, this is good, but perhaps many parts are reminiscent of many other Hong Kong action films of the era. The artistic style shows that Wong could break free of this mould and move on to bigger and better things; his flair for atmosphere and mood more original than his action sequencing.
Politic1983.home.blog.
While "Ashes of Time" and "The Grandmaster" are billed as kung-fu films, and "Chungking Express" and "Fallen Angels" are not without their weaponry, "As Tears Go By" is much more graphic and frequent in its violence. Wah (Andy Lau) and his little brother Fly (Jacky Cheung) frequently find themselves in back-alley scrapes with rival Tony (Alex Man) and his thugs.
The film's love interest comes in the form of Ngor (Maggie Cheung) who comes to stay with her distant cousin Wah in Kowloon. Having never met before, the longer she stays, the more and more Wah is attracted to her. But Ngor seems wholesome compared to Wah's street-wise entrepreneurship.
The crux of "As Tears Go By" is loyalty. Wah is a man clearly more intelligent and respected than his position as a mid-level criminal, and shows signs of wanting to start a quiet life with Ngor. But his loyalty to little brother Fly is his downfall. Fly is young and wild, continually looking for trouble he can't handle. He costs Wah a lot of time, money and beatings. But when the opportunity to walk away from him and start a new life with Ngor presents itself, he can only run to Fly when he is frequently in need.
And this is the essence of a Wong film, though in a less common scenario for him. His work always revolves around love that will remain unfulfilled; so easy to obtain, but is the tragedy of his characters. Wong likes his creations to get close, but never quite touch.
The look, however, is very much Wong, though a more Eighties version. A neo-noir style throughout, with neon lights across the night scene and smoke billowing in the air. The soundtrack too is very Eighties, and not as timeless as his others would become. This is where it is very much like a Woo film in its sounds, as the music soothes those who have just been beaten. The Cantonese cover version of "Take My Breath Away" comes layered in cheese, but fits the tone perfectly.
In look it is most similar to the Brigette Lin scenes of "Chungking Express", with its slowed-down frame speed for scenes of violence, with Andrew Lau's cinematography common to both.
As a debut, this is good, but perhaps many parts are reminiscent of many other Hong Kong action films of the era. The artistic style shows that Wong could break free of this mould and move on to bigger and better things; his flair for atmosphere and mood more original than his action sequencing.
Politic1983.home.blog.