Customer Reviews

Wong Kar Wai

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A great book. The photography is well selected. An insightful analysis. A little excessive in intelltualizing the ideas of Wong Kar-Wai's art.

I only wish it would emphasize more on how seductive and sensual his works are, and how skillfully he uses the props and sounds(cigarettes , blood-red bedcover, the Falls, wallpapers etc.), the lighting (mastered by Christopher Doyle), colours (like stained glasses), and the make-up (thick, dark eye-brows rendering a Latin flavour) to exude nostalgia, time, sensuality, sorrow, and romanticism. It's very Hong-Kongish. Wong's art is all about feelings.

(P.S. Try to get Christopher Doyle's Photo Journal on Happy Together. Magnificient photography from the footages. Well written in both English and Chinese).

This is the only book out on one of the most inspirational director around now. Wong Kar-wai inspired me to become a scriptwritter, and a film director. His films are so filled with real energy and feeling that he shows the asian mind on film better than anyone ever has. This book talks about his achievements, and also explains his films. From his first film, As Teas Go By, to his last film, Happy Together, the writters of this book explain the fundamentals of his writtings and goes further by explaining what every film tried to express. If there was ever an aspect in his movie that you never understood, then it is explained in this book. Although costly, the book is worth all the money because of the rich photographhic pictures included. This is a must have for all film enthusiastics, and any Wong Kar-wai fanatic like myself.

Every fan of the Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wei should immediatly check out this book. It contains a critical review of all of his films to date, going into depth on the possible meanings and significant aspects of each film. As a graduate of a Film Production program, it can be a bit heady, but still very interesting. The best part is at the end when two interviews with the famed director are combined. It is a real treat to her Wong Kar Wei talk about his own work! The photography, mostly by Christopher Doyle, gives a great glimpse into the world of Wong's films.

As a big Wong Kar-Wai fan, I had to have the book. But most of the "critical analysis" goes way too far in trying to "understand" his films. He must get a great laugh when he reads about these author's claims of knowing the deeper meaning he was going for. Check out the pictures and forget about the articles.