Customer Reviews

Happy Together

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Happy Together, by Chinese director Wong Kar-Wai, is one of my all-time favourite movies, and - along with The Tango Lesson - one of the movies that has affected me the most. To me, HT is one of those (rare) art products that manage to combine formal beauty, intellectual sharpness and emotional depth all into one.

I have watched HT many times, and each time I felt that it had a new meaning to convey. My impressions about this movie have therefore shifted with time, leading me not to a definite interpretation but to the knowledge that art - as life itself - can be looked at from different points of view.

The story line is quite simple: two lovers leave Hong Kong and go to Argentina; once there, they argue so much they decide to break up; one of them (Ho Po-Wing) prostitutes himself, while the other (Lai-Yiu Fai) works in a tango-bar and virtuously puts money aside to return home; one day, chance unites them and for a short while they live happily together; inevitably, however, the friskier one becomes dissatisfied with their conjugal life; they separate again, and this time it's really the end. Needless to say, the movie's title - as light-hearted as it sounds - is actually quite deceiving: the two men's relationship turns out to be a rather "unhappy" one.

The first few times I watched HT I couldn't help feeling disgusted by Ho Po-Wing's moral hideousness - I thought of him as the negative-model the movie meant to point the finger against. I thought the movie proved that although there are no "real heroes" some people do behave better than others, and that by self-discipline one could "redeem" one's soul... I thought the movie was about Aesthetics as a means of purification, as if Beauty could protect one from squalor. I admired Lai-Yiu Fai and mercilessly condemned Ho Po-Wing.

I still admire Lai-Yiu Fai, of course, but I now feel I was too superficial in judging Ho Po-Wing. I see he's not the monster I made him out to be in the past: he's a victim of his own temperament, a person misfortunate to the point of being unable to grasp the good life offers him. In this, I feel he well portrays many homosexuals, who, I'm afraid, often let happiness slip out of their hands, perhaps because a sick environment has taught them not to "love" but to "want." In my opinion, not only are we "all the same when we feel lonely," as Lai-Yiu Fai puts it - that is: inclined to promiscuous sex - we're also "all the same" in that we are all constantly on the verge of self-inflicted unhappiness.

Last time I watched HT, about a week ago, I got extremely sad, because I realised how easy it is for anyone to fall, and because through experience I've come to understand that so many of us are like Ho Po-Wing, damned to suffer the pains of degradation and solitude because of our "insatiability." We are taught that since we aren't attracted to someone of the opposite sex we are "bad" and have no values. Of course the effect of this is that we end up believing they are right. Thus, monogamy and fidelity become accessories, as tenderness and mutual support.

To me, Happy Together is about all this.

The first time i saw this movie, I have to admit, I fell asleep. And the second time I saw "HAPPY TOGETHER", I fell asleep again. But each time, I just wanted to slap myself because I had been told and knew deep down inside, it was a great movie. And finally, the third time I saw it, the movie just captured my heart.

"HAPPY TOGETHER" is a love story in it's most darkest and bittersweet form. Two gay lovers venture out to Argentina from Hong Kong and the idea of them being happy together is seriously tested. One lover (I can't remember the name) is stable, diligent, and so giving while the other one is just simply a selfish gay slut. They try several times to start over, but each time, the selfish lover wants to eat his cake too.

Like all of Wong Kar-wai's films, this one has little dialogue and the story is told mainly through visuals. The waterfall is a major theme running through the movie. The beginning opens up in black and white and later on, when the lovers start over again, color (in a very Wong Kar-wai-esque cinematic sense of it) comes in. And the soundtrack (mostly Astor Piazola) is just an unforgetable part of the movie.

I heard that before making this film, Wong Kar-wai was reading a lot of Manuel Puig (gay Argentine writer of "KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN"). Puig dealt with mainly the themes of unrequited love, impossible love, the love that hurts you more than gives you pleasure. And often, his characters where pretty much society's castoffs, whether because they were gay, revolutionaries, or just plain freaks. You can see a lot of these same themes in many of Wong Kar-wai films, but it hits the hardest in this one.

The plot is rather simple, but Wong Kar-wai seems to be the master of capturing those feelings people don't talk about-- those feelings that show up only on our faces. In the end, I cried. Not because I had my heart broken in the same fashion, or because I'm one of those people uncapable of attaining love. I cried because the movie just eats away at your heart little by little and anywhere within the last 15 minutes of the film, the tears come and you don't know if you're crying because you're sad or you're happy.

Here's a movie I can hardly imagine myself ever getting tired of. Though it is, indeed, the story of an unfortunate and - as it turns out - unhappy love affair, it is not just that: Happy together is a wonderful (and yet sad) fairytale about life and human nature. In this movie I saw the good and the bad that's in each one of us, the potential for happiness which so often succumbs to the stronger inclination to self-destruction, and yet the hope that in the end something good will come out of sorrow. There are no "real heroes" (is there really such a thing anyway?) in this movie, for - as Lai-Yiu Fai puts it - we're all the same when we feel lonely. But there are some differences between people... Though we are all likely to fall (sooner or later), only some of us seem to recognize the fall in time to rise, finding the will to smile and move on with dignity and self-acceptance, looking forward to life and its surprises (though they may be both good and bad). Awareness is a big issue in this movie, and it seems to me to be the most important difference between the two lovers: Lai-Yiu Fai seems to have a much deeper understanding of life and sex, as well as of the consequences each choice bears along. Ho Po-Wing only sees the surface of things and lives for today, thus making their being "happy together" nothing but a temporary illusion. In the end, Ho Po-Wing too seems to gain in awareness, and so maybe (though I'm inclined to think some people never change) there is hope for him as well. The point is, I think, that there is no difference between what you do and how you do it. How you do a thing (that is, with what attitude and degree of awareness) obscures what you do to such an extent that the latter is no longer relevant at all. Lai reaches the bottom of his personal hell and finds he isn't so different from Ho after all, even though he had told his friend more than once "I'm not like you." So why do we sympathize for Lai and inevitably feel Ho is behaving badly? Is it the money factor? Personally, I don't think so, 'cause sure it's hard to approve of someone who, so to speak, exchanges sex with money, but if Lai too had decided to become a hustler we still would have teamed up with him. The fact is, he seems to be so conscious of his weakness, of his need to be "happy together," and yet so disillusioned, that his deviancies from his usual conduct - degrading as they may be - seem to contribute to his heroism rather than betray it. It's his honesty with himself (and us) that makes Lai a positive character, as opposed to Ho, who has something sneaky about him (then again, we are only provided with Lai's point of view: he speaks to us, Ho does not. I wonder if maybe his truth was different from his friend's...). Lai's dignity remains intact throughout the movie, and to me what he really symbolizes is honesty's redemptive force. His interpretation of his own actions (which surfaces through his many monologues) makes everything he does seem beautiful, and therefor right. This movie is a lot about esthetics. It is so as regards human relationships, and it is more so cinematically. What could have been an "already seen" love-story with an inevitable unhappy ending, is turned into a work of art, in my opinion a real masterpiece, by the beautiful photography and the director's brilliant ideas. Modernistic techniques come together beautifully in this movie, conveying emotions that otherwise would not arise. The visionary beauty of this film is what makes it morally edifying and what makes anyone who sees it stop and reflect upon a lot more than just the meaning of the movie. Words, images and music all balance out perfectly, urging the spectator to think "this is real life," or at least "this is the way real life should be."

Fans of Chinese director Wong Kar-Wai will be thrilled by this new DVD edition of his classic film Happy Together.

The movie is slow-paced, low-key, and often shot in black in white. It is the story of two gay Chinese men in Buenos Aires, who are more often unhappy together than happy together. It is not an easy movie to watch perhaps and will not appeal to everyone, but as an art film and a gay-themed love story it is a contemporary classic.

I had an earlier release of this DVD, but purchased this new edition to see the making-of documentary Buenos Aires: Zero Degrees, which is a special feature on the new release. The documentary itself is a gem as it reveals so many storylines that did not appear in the final film. It is fascinating to see the directions the film might have taken and how such a different film could have come out of the editing room. We can really appreciate Wong Kar-Wai's process, working without a script, and see the difficulties it causes for the actors. Lead actor Tony Leung's comments about working on the film are especially insightful.

Wong Kar-Wai's In the mood for love is the film that brought him the greatest international recognition perhaps, but Happy Together was an important step on the road to that masterpiece. Few new fans will be won by this DVD, but for those who already appreciate Wong Kar-Wai's work this DVD is a must-have.

Nowadays, Hong Kong movies on region 1 DVD is still a small numbers in the American market. In compare the remastered with those Hollywood films, Chinese films of DVD version may not be in top form. The R1 "Happy Together" (1997) that released by KINO is one of the good example of that.

The worse thing is the audio part, the volume level is very low and presented in very bad mono sound. (The problem is also occurred in R1 Fallen Angels, another film of Wong Kar-Wai and released by KINO. I doubt that the audio remasterd is in dolby digital 2.0, because my center speaker is no sound, but there is no indication on the package.) In compare with Japanese R2 Version of "Happy Together" (PIBF-7056, price:4700 yen, released by Prenom H), the audio part is brilliant.

However, the video tranferred in R1 version is quite impressed me. It is because the image is very match with the style of Chris Doyle (cinematography of the film) that done in the film.

By the way, I always thought that the disc is released too early.

Block 2 pictures Inc. recent released the documentary film named: "Buenos Aires Zero Degree: The making of Happy Together" (1999). The most important parts in that 59 minutes film is the cut scene, you will see the alternative version or vision of that film, for instance: Lai (Tony Leung) meets a female character on trip to waterfall and the death of Lai. It is not for promotion purposed, it is really a documentary about "Happy Together". If this documentary could be included on DVD, it would make the DVD most perfect. I wish that KINO would released a new DVD special edition of Happy Together with the documentary film and remake the audio channel.

Personally, I hope the disc could be released by Criterion. I'm so sure that if that come true, the disc would not be the same. Finally, If you are a fan of Wong Kar-Wai, don't miss his new movie: "In the Mood for Love" (2000).

Well, the texture of this film is familiar; it's very Wong Kar Wai, and I wasn't so much impressed by the style of the film as by the content. If you want style, In the Mood for Love is probably the summit of Wong's talent, not Happy Together. I read somewhere that Wong was interested in doing a film about a gay couple, a theme that is currently in vogue in worldwide film. Except, Wong wanted a twist or a stark examination of relationships whose nature is the same irrespect of sexual orientation. Happy Together evokes the masochism, the enslavement, and darkness of relationships between two people who are somehow just incompatible. Even though Fai and Ho are in love, they torture and tyrannize each other with vendettas of rejection, violence, abandonment, and feigned indifference. I find this an exceptional film that speaks a deep, dark truth that most people are afraid to confront and overcome. After seeing the performances of the actors and the all too truthful content of the film, I wholeheartedly agree that Wong won his Best Director award at Cannes resplendently fair and square.

Wong Kar-Wai has abandoned the whimisical romantic trappings of his previous films (i.e. Chungking Express and Fallen Angels) and created a slower-paced, and more introspective film with an astonishing emotional and visceral depth. To describe the plot would be pointless, as the film forgoes conventional story-telling narrative in favor of painting moods and depicting emotions. The film (much of it set in Argentina) creates a haunting sense of loneliness and isolation while exploring the main character's (played by Hong Kong star Tony Leung) rocky relationship with his lover, his futile crush on a younger man, and his distaste for his surroundings. The film isn't completely sad, though, as the end of the film is remarkably uplifting. Much of the credit for this film should also go to cinematographer Christopher Doyle for creating such a visually dazzling film.

When it comes to the cinematic world of Wong Kar Wai I am still a novice. I watched his film Chungking Express for the first time almost three years ago and have watched it with various friends since then three or four times, but for his other films, In the Mood for Love, Days of Being Wild and even 2046 I have yet to watch them. However, after viewing Tony Leung Chiu Wai's excellent performance in Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung's Cyclo, I wanted to see more of this actor's work. Also, of course, I was familiar with the actor Leslie Cheung and his suicide, but as for his acting I had only viewed Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine. So having coming across Happy Together at my local DVD shop, I figured that I would give it a chance, and, as I felt after watching the films of many other directors that I kept on the backburner, I had to ask myself, Why did I wait so long to watch this film?

Happy Together tells the story of Lai Yiu Fai and Ho Po Wing's on again and off again relationship. Much more serious and steadier than his lover, Lai Yiu Fai loves Ho Po Wing dearly, and even though the other man cheats on him, Lai Yiu Fai always takes Ho Po Wing back when the latter says "Let's start over." Hoping to rekindle their relationship, Fai and Po Wing travel to Argentina, however, while looking for waterfall called Iguazu, the couple becomes lost and Po Wing breaks off their relationship. Being completely broke, both Yiu Fai and Po Wing stay in Buenos Aires with the former working at a tango bar as a doorman and the latter earning his way through his way through his rich beneficiaries. Knowing that Yiu Fai still has feelings for him, Po Wing often flaunts himself with his multitudes of lovers and even calls Yiu Fai a couple of times to engage in more intimate activities, however, Yiu Fai, with the aid of strong alcohol, tries to keep himself from becoming ensnared by Po Wing once again. Yet when Po Wing comes to Yiu Fai one day with his face and hands bloodied, Yiu Fai finds himself once again in Po Wing's grasp.

One of the things that I like the most about Happy Together is that while the lead couple is homosexual little is made of this. This is not a film that is trying one way or another to make an issue of gay relationships, all it is trying to do is display a relationship between two individuals and how it comes apart. Tony Leung does an extraordinary job of portraying someone who loves deeply and whose displays of affection are displayed quietly. Moments such as when Yiu Fai checks on Po Wing while he is sleeping are truly touching and the scene in which he "talks" into his friend Chang's tape recorder is nearly heartbreaking. Combine these elements with an awesome soundtrack and some truly gorgeous cinematography by Christopher Doyle make Happy Together a truly wonderful film.

This is about a tumultuous, sad relationship that just happens to be between two men. It's superbly acted and with yet another exquisite performance by Leslie Cheung. One is the destructive loser while the other tries to keep the pieces of their lives together.."I had no regrets 'til I met you, now my regrets could kill me". Wong Kar-Wai has a way of filming decadence, and the confusion and pain that surrounds it in such a compelling way...filmed in Argentina, the sounds of the country are captured so well it's as if I was there..which brings me to one of my favorite scenes, when the young Chang (Chang Chen, he's wonderful !) explains how you can see better with your ears. This marvelous film is so real, that if you have had a failed relationship in your life, you'll find one or more scenes that will make you think "I remember that...".

I am never a Wong Kar-wai fan. He is obsessed with the topics of depression and self-destruction in all his works, and he did not spare this one. Yet surprisingly, "Happy together" turns out to be tender, beautiful, some how uplifting and even funny from time to time.

The story puts the two characters into a situation many people (more or less) have been through: a foreign land half globe away from home, a relationship that couldn't be fixed and couldn't be given up. You can either sink or climb out. Along the way, when the love and friendship are all gone, one still gets to hold on and move on. The hope relies on one's ability to make decision and take control, whether the result is good or not, doesn't really matter.

A lot of people mentioned the cinematography, I think the music is equally good. I now watch the video just to enjoy the rhythm of the music.

Tony Leung did a super job playing Lai Yiu-Fai. He was reluctant to play the role at first but co-star Leslie Cheung talked him into it. Leslie Cheung used to be a super singer, his albums once dominated the HK music market. Later he shifted his career to acting, taking some very challenging roles many actors dared not to touch. Few have the gut and the talent to do so.

It is not a movie maker's obligation to inspire people in a movie, but an inspiring art work is hard to be forgotten.