Wong Kar Wai does Kung Fu
There’s always some mention of Manila in the films of Wong Kar Wai. For instance, in In The Mood For Love, Maggie Cheung’s boss asks her if the package has been sent to Manila. Wong Kar Wai has mentioned that in the 1960s all the nightclubs in Hong Kong had Filipino musicians playing Latin band music—the kind we hear in ITMFL.
In the late 80s, early 90s Wong Kar Wai came to the Philippines to film Days of Being Wild. It starred Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau, Carina Lau, and Tony Leung in a cameo that introduces his character in In The Mood For Love and 2046 (Not that one needs a reason to show Tony Leung combing his hair). Tita Muñoz played Leslie Cheung’s mother, and Alicia Alonzo and Maritoni Fernandez had small roles. Parts of the film were shot at Tutuban Station, on the PNR train to Quezon, and at Villa Escudero.
Jude Mancuyas, proprietor of The Frazzled Cook, worked in the wardrobe department of Days of Being Wild. We once asked Jude what it was like to work with the great WKW. He said there was a lot of waiting involved. The director doesn’t have detailed scripts for his movies. He sits silently, smoking cigarettes, composing the scenes in his head. Hours pass.
The production company reportedly ran out of money so they had to sell off equipment and Mark Meily bought cinematographer Christopher Doyle’s light meter.
Days of Being Wild is the first in the sort-of trilogy that continues with ITMFL and 2046. It was the beginning of what we now think of as the Wong Kar Wai style.
We love Chungking Express. Takeshi Kaneshiro and the expired cans of pineapple. Tony Leung and his housecleaning admirer.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
November 20th, 2012 at 07:38
Chungking Express has got to be one of my all-time favorite movies. It goes spinning in the video player at least once a year.
Also, note that In The Mood For Love just got the re-release treatment in Criterion for blu ray. The sharp colors pop out even more so.
Kino also released a blu ray double pack of Fallen Angels and Happy Together which I’m chomping at the bit to get a piece of.
November 21st, 2012 at 01:18
Wong Kar-Wai! No wonder most his characters are always smoking, too. Have you seen As Tears Go By starring Andy Lau and Maggie Cheung? Pamatay ‘yung Chinese version ng Take My Breath Away na tumutugtog tuwing may mga “kilig” moments. Hehe.
November 21st, 2012 at 15:14
I saw Days of Being Wild but can’t remember if Tita Munoz spoke in chinese. Did she, as Leslie Cheung’s mother? May DOBW sa Quiapo at 2046.
Anyway, did any of you saw “Love in a Puff” by Ho Cheung Pang? They say he’s the next WKW. haha meron sa quiapo ito.
November 22nd, 2012 at 01:51
I saw Love In A Puff at a local film festival. It’s a great romantic comedy that I hope will never have a US remake or anything. I even picked up an import DVD of the movie. It’s hardly the same level as the movies that WKW would do though.
November 22nd, 2012 at 17:27
“It’s hardly the same level as the movies that WKW would do though.”
Yeah, Ho Cheung Pang is more mainstream. His last 2 films in 2012 were the biggest moneymakers in HK for that year, even though “Love in the Buff” (set in China) is inferior to the original. Vulgaria, is the one i’m waiting for, though.
Love that scene where they were pretending to be Japanese and Korean to a HK police officer.
Btw, if you have the dvd of Puff, napaso talaga sa leeg si Miriam Yeung ng sigarilyo. watch the dvd around 1:02:48 mark, you can see the burn mark on her neck.