IN THE MOOD FOR WAN KAR-WAI
Its almost exactly 6 years since I watched Wan Kar-Wai’s (acclaimed film director from HK) unofficial trilogy Days of Being Wild, In the Mood for Love and 2046. All three films are compelling viewing, all are loosely connected (more so ‘Mood’ and 2046) via a web of interconnected stories, the big difference being that ‘In the Mood for Love’ catches the director at the peak of his career.
Yes ‘Mood’ is a carefully crafted experience from beginning to end. The dreamy and flowing scenes present contrasting and bold colour palettes that reflect the emotions of the moment, the photography becomes a visual aid to the narrative, pulling together the performances and the story.
The DP’s credited for ‘Mood’ were Christopher Doyle and also Mark Lee Ping, as the shoot went over schedule Doyle who collaborated with Wong Kar-wai on 6 previous films had to be replaced by Ping, some critics say this is noticeable though others describe the photography as bring seamlessly blended. I would side with the later as I never felt jolted out of Wongs immersive world.
Interestingly the production took in locations from Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore and Cambodia, in an attempt to capture the charm of old Hong Kong from the 1960’s. Bangkok was used for a number of interior scenes and some older parts of the city used for exterior shots. After looking it up I found the Portuguese colonial facades of Phukets old town was also used in scenes towards the end of the film, where the couple draw towards the inevitable conclusion.
The locations and interiors are complimented by the costume design, helping to immerse us in this time period, noticeable throughout is Maggie Cheung’s Cheongsam (or qipao in mandarin) dresses she wears, in many different prints and colours, setting them against the scene the impact is stunning, sometimes these blend together almost like urban camouflage while at other times they stand out in hard, bold contrast.
Wong has been quoted as referencing Hitchcock’s Vertigo as a big influence on ‘Mood’, personally I didn’t notice this at the time as having recently just viewed Vertigo and working my way through some of Hitchcock’s filmography in the past couple of years, thinking back I do recall the opening scene in Vertigo where Stewart watches Novak cross the restaurant out of his periphery having some ethereal and dreamy quality that the two films share.
In closing ‘Mood’ is a bright and colourful film that mixes Wong’s usual artistic flair within a period setting. The performances are on point and everything comes together to a satisfying though typically mysterious conclusion.
For anyone interested in design you should definitely check it out to be inspired by the flawless colour schemes and emotive weaving of aesthetic, writing, acting and sound. It’s a great film and highly recommended!
