Chungking Express -- What Makes This Movie Great? (Episode 25)
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- Опубликовано: 28 июл 2024
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In this episode of my great movie series, we're discussing one of the great movies of the 1990s, Wong Kar Wai's "Chungking Express."
Chungking Express is a movie that Quentin Tarantino loves. In fact it makes him cry for joy at its cinematic awesomeness.
And it's a fascinating example of a movie that pulls off the near-impossible: it switches storylines and main characters in the middle of the movie.
See joshmatthews.org for more great movie criticism. 
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My feeling of Chungking express will always be the feeling or memory I had with the stylist way movies were made in Hong Kong during the very year I immigrated from Hong Kong to Canada. The filming techniques of the streets of Hong Kong really depicted what Hong Kong was like back then and the recorder ( I remember I had a recorder like that and we used it endlessly during the 90s and we had cassettes and we had to fast forward or rewind for songs lol). The foreigners in the movie really depicted what Chungking tower was like pre-handover days of Hong Kong, lots of drug dealing lol. It was told a lot on the news and there was a special on it on Hong Kong connection. Note: this movie was made during the time of the old Kai-Tak airport in Hong Kong, the very airport I was at when me and my family flew to Canada not the huge Hong Kong international airport we have now. I even had a picture, such different times lol.
thank you. that's all really interesting.
I’m from the city of Chungking, China. It’s my first time heard about the movie. I don’t understand what’s special about it
Same. Which part of Canada are you in? I'm in Edmonton.
@@hindenburgminsky7638 Check out Chunking Mansion of Hong Kong and study the building and it's history and surroundings and it's people who are living there. Then everything will be clearer for you. There is nothing related to your city in China.
@@dawnnadir I was in Edmonton from 94-98, then our drove to Vancouver and lived there ever since. Dreams by Faye Wong was the song of the summer back then.
I think this movie is really about how differently people adapt or accept change. The woman at the start didn't want to change because she liked the American guy and dated her before as the costumes with the other girl were the same with her. It took a life threatening situation for her that forced her to depart from that relationship. The policeman was in a situation where sometimes we become blind to our surroundings when we loose our bearings (in his case that he didn't see that the woman he was helping is a criminal). This is because we're blind when we are desperate to find that same sense of comfort based on what we recently lost, especially relationships. Faye is an interesting character, because she was attracted to the policeman not necessarily because of the guy himself, but because he is dating a stewardess which she wants to be. That's why when he finally asked her for a date, she thought it would get in the way of her real dream of being a stewardess and seeing California (a representation of change from Hong Kong) . Finally the Policeman #663, is a guy who runs away from change and could't handle it, that's why he doesn't read the letters because he wants to stay in the past. He talks and takes care of his/her ex's belongings since these are relics from their past. Sometimes we have this phantom memory of how we remember our past relationships and really dwell on them, filtering out the bad and succumbing to our longing of the good times. But at the end, I'm so satisfied that he accepted that his ex is not for him, you can see that the guy his ex is dating is much different from him and he realizes this with a smile that they are not meant for each other.
I've visited hong kong once, so I can't really say much about the culture, but I did feel a heavy sense of longing for something there (home? love? family?) which I can't explain maybe because its a major trading city where people come and go and relationships are more or less temporary.
thank you.
It's such a good perspective you explained!!! I love how you interpret this movie.
Great review. Thanks
One of my favorite scene is when the first cop bumps into the girl to introduce the second story.
yes!
@@LearningaboutMovies I forgot the line, 0.5 about few seconds we bump into each other, I dont know the girls . "Hours later she fell in love another Cop"
So I went to see it in the movie theater a few days ago and I started crying at that moment.
I wanted to see him at least once in the second story...
I've watched Chunking again today and that scene... woah, dude, It's worth it just for that particular moment. Few seconds of masterful work. My fav scene.
I loved both stories in the movie, but what really struck me was how well the second story portrayed the attraction between the two characters and how they're drawn to each other but also try to keep it cool in front of each other. Their personalities fit so well together and they would be a perfect match, but something always gets in the way, be it their own insecurities or something from the outside. It's beautiful and sad at the same time.
although she tries hard, I thought.
the first time i watched chungking express, i told myself "hhhmm its ok i guess???" and then for like 2 or 3 weeks i keep thinking about this film and talking about it by myself lmaoo. There is A LOT to talk about because it has so many layers to uncover by your own. Watching this film gave me a new whole experience that i could never forget in my life time.
that is when you know you watched a provoking film -- it sticks with you for days. I admit that this is the main reason I watch films: the experience is rare, but it's fabulous when it happens. Glad you liked this movie!
I'm in the same exact place you were. When I finished the movie It was such a different experience from the rest of the movies I've seen, that I didn't know what to think. But after a few weeks, it feels like the smoke has cleared and I can truly see what an amazing film it was.
For me...this movie is about change and the misconception we have when we feel as though we need a change. Whenever we get out of something that we really loved or was fond of, we feel heartbroken and desperate- which is natural. And we begin to look for something to replace that feeling...or perhaps try to grasp onto it. When someone comes into our lives with a little bit of excitement, we don't immediately see it because we are afraid to accept change. It takes time to see that change and to realize that we need to get on the 'express' life has to offer us and "enjoy life" (as Faye puts it).
Also, that's what the blurred and fast motion in the film represented for me: we sometimes can get sucked into our daily routines and constant cycle of our emotions that we don't notice the world go by.
Nonetheless, this movie is different, enigmatic and beautiful.
that's excellent. thank you.
very well put thought 🙂
I don't think the take away shop is called chunking express, actually the Chinese name of this movie (重慶森林/chunking forest) is a name of a Hong Kong building which is famous for cheap rent, so a lot of backpackers stay there when they visiting Hong Kong. I believe it is also a metaphor used by Director Wong to express there are always people come and go in your life.
yes, that's right. thank you.
+1 on this. Chungking Jungle (or Forest) is the literal translation of the Chinese name of the movie 重慶森林. To be precise, Chungking Mansion is the name of the building. We always called Hong Kong a concrete jungle, so my theory is that the Chinese name is a play on the term describing Hong Kong as an international urban metropolis where one can get lost inside easily like one would within Chungking Mansion.
@@hellomichellen chungking express is just the name of the shop where Faye Wong charactor works.
@@sirinnnnnnnn6887 It's not. The name of the food stall is Midnight Express. Again, the name in English has nothing to do with the original Chinese name 重慶森林.
@@sirinnnnnnnn6887 no, it's not. It's the name of the building. It's still there
I love this film. Every time I watch it, I watch it like a child hearing a fairytale. I just let the story unfold and don't analyze it at all. I'm sure there's a lot to be analyzed, but it's also just good storytelling!
thank you!
The 2nd half if the movie is about to visualise the day dreaming process when u fancy Someone 💓 it does not mean that you have to spend rest of your life with him, is about the process ✈️ from a hongkonger 80’s
that makes sense. thank you.
this movie is a Masterpiece!
yes! thank you.
This movie is just amazing. The director knows how to play human emotion - love, loneliness, etc.
yes, thank you.
I loved this movie instantly, I was almost offended when I recommended it to my friend and he didn't get it.
friendship trumps movie opinions!
I think I've recommended this film to every friend I have and told them it's in my top five movies ever....... I don't think one of them has actually watched it yet! :-(
And I'm here to know, what's so good about this movie?? which best part I missed? is it overrated?
I'm from Indonesia. I'm guessing that movies like this is definitely not for everyone. I would even say that there's probably only certain few people who can deeply appreciate & love this type of movies. It's truly a work of art!
I had the honor of discovering this film yesterday, on my 25th birthday :)
Overall, beautiful work of art!
great discovery, and happy birthday!
Funny thing I discoverd this movie a day after my 25th birthday
@@LearningaboutMovies Thank you!
@@mastewaltesfaye2347 Awesome!
Saw this one yesterday, what a beautiful yet complex movie! Didn't realise the place of american culture in the movie before watching your analysis! It really depicts what living in a big city feels like, how you encounter countless of people each living having a rich and complex life, people that you will most likely never know anything about... What a blast it was!!
great!
Beautiful movie! What a cinematic beauty! But ngl I felt so sad at the ending as I was expecting so much more ...a culmination finally but the ending was quite abrupt and kinda depressing end to things...also we never get to know what happens to the other cop but I guess that's what makes this film so different and special..but i did feel frustrated and desperatly googled the sequel for it 😂😅only to learn that there isn't really one except that Fallen Angels is a similar story that was originally intended to be the third story...This is just one of those films which is so savoury but leaves a bittersweet taste in your mouth...it just has such colourful yet melancholic vibes...Melancholic and so poignantly romantic...as someone rightly said..it's a film to be felt more than understood or analysed. And the ambigouis ending is upto us to make...whatever we choose..it's our version! But yeah thsi film really impacted me✨It's so hard to desrcibe...what I really feel..hard to put into words but the film is so incredibly evocative and artistic...it's real art✨✨
Sequel -- that is interesting. I think ALL of Kar-Wai's movies are deliberately related. Blueberry Nights feels somewhat like a sequel, but Fallen Angels and In the Mood for Love seem as if they are in the same local world as Chungking. Worth watching all of them to see how they reference each other. Excellent comment!
@@LearningaboutMovies thanks☺✨✨
I noticed that the air hostess the second policeman and the woman the first policeman are the same woman, named you guessed it - May
yes! and May is the opposite of "winter," which is featured in the "California Dreamin'" song.
I really enjoyed the first story more than the second. The characters were so engaging and the story was very interesting and when it made the abrupt switch, I really wasn’t with it. I kept thinking about when the stories would intersect. With that said, I still really enjoyed the film and can see myself revisiting multiple times now that I know what to expect. I can see myself enjoying this much more after multiple viewings
yes, it is a rewatchable movie.
I saw this movie about 4 months ago and completely fell in love with it. To me, the second story is about that moment when you realise you've fallen in love with someone and unbeknownst to you, your heart has already been taken over by the thoughts of this person and you see him/her in everything around you.
excellent, thank you
Most movies have a beginning，a climax and an ending. Some directors go back to the essence of film, which is recording. So there is not a complete storyline and/or complete life of the characters, though the fragmented pieces still communicate strong emotion and establish unique characters people can relate to. Director Wong Kar-wai and director Ming-Liang Tsai are both Asian masters with this style, even though they do not like each other in person :)
thank you.
I can't express how I felt while watching this movie but the feeling was so good and comforting , I love every aspects and scenario of this movie ,the music , scene , emotions 💯💯❤️
yes!!
I really love this movie! It's a all time masterpiece. Especially the performance by Faye WONG and Tony Leung!
yes!
Stumbled onto your channel because I had a sudden need to rewatch some clips from Chungking Express. Really loved the video, keep up the excellent work!
thank you.
So..😅this is my second comment here abt the same film but I have to express this as it's been days since I watched this film.Btw this whole video is such a great effort by you! Brilliant! This film is one little gem of a movie. Such a heart touching film. So heart flutteringly endearing. Throughout while I was watching it I had a smile on my face as it felt so heartwarming. One of the best art films ever made ..it's truly art. It's such a quiet and atmospheric film and yet so thought provoking and soul stirring. The first time I watched it I was kinda sad with the ending because it felt so bittersweet after being such a savoury film and felt abrupt. It left me asking and wanting for more. But after some days I realised that the ending was what made it so special and gave it that last effect. The film although is simple but still impactful🖤💛💜Faye Wong is just exceptionally good and makes it seem like she was made for the role and or it was written for her🤩tailor made for her. So cute and weird and whimsical. Glad this film did not release in this time as she wud have instantly been labelled as a "manic pixie dream girl" and I would have hated that as I wud have hated her being given a label since she's so precious. Her childish innocence and impish gestures are so endearing😍She's just so genuinely cute that it's hard not to fall for her. As Quentin Tarantino perfectly said "he doesn't know anyone who didn't come out of the film having a crush on her(Faye)". In one word the film is just beautiful. The cinematography is award worthy! So masterful! This is the first film of Wong Kar Wai that I watched and it's such a beautiful and artistic portrayal of the human condition..lonliness , love and loss. I read in reviews that Hong Kong which occupies such a great role in the film was just as shown, bustling yet people are lonely and a certain sense of not knowing and uncertainity pervaded. Tony Leung has such killer eyes that can melt any heart🧡😍 The love story was so heartfelt right from the sexual tension between the leads at the cafe from the first meeting . The unspokenness between them said so many words. But the more I delved deeper into reflecting on the film the more unsettling/problematic/complicated aspects I found after reflecting on the film days later was how shrewd Faye was...it just felt so vicious of her to delete the cop's girlfriend's message which I can still understand but I just had a thought what if the gender roles were reversed...what if a guy had obsessively been sneaking in a girl's apartment😅..it wouldn't be all that cute then..wud it be? It wud be rather creepy/unsettling I guess😁Anyhow a beautiful film both style and substance wise. Really poignant and visceral..a film more to be felt than analysed or understood. Sorry for the long comment but this film is very hard to desrcibe into words. A mesmersing beautiful and almost soul soothing hypnotic experience. Also I just did not get sick of the constant california dreamin played in it😅😂which is amusing. Such a quite and fascinating flick🖤What are your views on the gender reversal aspect and Faye being odious and so selfish almost wicked in erasing the cop's girlfriend's message ...I mean he might have gotten back with his gf (whom he was pining for) had he got to know? And then the makers show that the girlfriend has way too easily moved on implying she was never serious abt the cop in the first place which imo is messy writing in order to make Faye's actions seem justified after all..what do u think?😁😅
thank you, and thanks for coming back. I didn't see a reversal of gender roles; in fact, Faye secretly cleans his apartment, which is a mess -- that is a common man/woman stereotype! Anyway, there's some crossover or connection between Faye and the drug-dealing female with the blond wig in the movie's first half. Are they mirror opposites? Are they different Types -- a femme fatale and an anti-femme fatale? Faye may be the latter. She seems devious and yet everything is for a decent and sweet purpose. I do think the movie shows two different versions of the same, or a similar, story.
@@LearningaboutMovies I fully agree with you. I do see the man /woman stereotype of men being more unorganised and the woman sweetly and genuinely organising the mess but if one does reverse the genders it's quite unsettling😅😁 🤷♀ .Faye is pretty endearing and harmless but I found it quite wicked of her to delete the cop's girlfriend's message as they might have had gotten back together and the cop also happened to be so desperately pining over her but I get that Faye was in love with him and did not wanna let go of him and being the child woman she deleted it. Regardless of it I really liked the film✨It's a classic.
@@LearningaboutMovies Now I'm looking forward to watching Fallen Angels and then will rewatch Chungking Express. I wanna watch more of the director's films as I especially like art films✨:)
I see this film is on the Criterion Channel - will be adding to my watchlist.
the only way to see it. the Bluray is out of print.
Can you please help me find it?
1th story prepared me for the second/main story. Not getting over someone, not know a person because of constant changing, yet some are characteristic for our girl and what is the city like to help to undestand these characters, getting used to/being familiar to a new idea (of being with someone new), to make someones' mind/change him (with little gestures or manipulations) let's see what else? I am still digesting, be back here if anything comes up. Cheers
thank you.
Great job man, keep it up!
thank you.
Just watched this today for the first time. What a trip, absolutely loved it
Excellent!
Great video! I just showed this movie to my brother and he hated it. I don’t think he got it. I’ll admit, I didn’t get it either when I first watched it, but I’ve grown to love it for its bold uniqueness
thank you. It's a movie about its own style, which usually requires good attention and some thought, if you're not predisposed to loving art just for its aesthetics (and most aren't). So I don't think many, at least on first viewing and without conversation, will appreciate this movie. Glad you like it though.
I saw this movie in an arthouse cinema in the early 90s. I said it was my favourite movie for years. I always loved plots that were asymmetrical or non-linear- David Lynch. This movie has wild rebellion (smuggling crime) but is grounded in honest jobs and lone urban workers who express healthy desire for love and can get lost in the joy of music or enjoy looking cool. And there is the eastern wisdom of contemplating life and everyday objects. I always remember the lover's shirt, and something about how it needed to get wet, and how we need to excrete water, to release sorrow. Something like that. This movie made cramped, neon, fast food Hong Kong beautiful, and charmingly depicted the suffering of love and loss.
Just watched this first time and went in blind. Was not expecting the 2 different plots and it did not resonate with me at all. I could not get care or invest myself in any of the characters as I feel like I only knew them on a very surface level. Perhaps I need to give it another watch but I feel like all of the praise this movie gets is rather unwarranted
sure, probably yours is a majority opinion.
Just watched it and to be honest I don’t understand why everyone is praising the movie has most of the plot not even explained properly and like you said we don’t know the character so how can we care about their story plus I really didn’t got into the second story has the other cop was not interesting to me and the fact that Faye just randomly got to his apartment like why even was so weird and creepy to me.
@@honeypurply i think that’s the theme of the movie. That’s just how life goes. If you would recall at the introduction of the movie, the narrator talked about how you will meet different kinds people and you might get close to some of them and some or not. The characters were loosely introduced and it depicts a reality of people. You meet people in your life and they just come and go. The ending gives the viewers a bittersweet, confusing ending because there was no closure. That’s also a part of a person’s reality. Not everyone gets a closure to everything. People go out of your life without a proper ending or closure. Moreover the elements, cinematography, and metaphors in the movie was great and excellent which makes it a masterpiece.
@@hardcoreprimadonna07 the cinematography was good in this movie not gonna lie especially liked what they did with the first story which was a bit more interesting for sure but disappointed of the change for the second one. For that I personally would not consider it a masterpiece but I get it some people might like it.
I just watched the movie and It was great. It gives me the old nostalgic vibe and I also love how they use colors in this movie
excellent!
Chungking Express shows the importance of the experimental cinema. Is clear like this amazing result can’t be reached only with a script.
Thanks a lot for this video
you're welcome.
Amazing video. 🎯 Thanks. 👌
thank you.
Absolute masterpiece! I constantly go back & forth on whether this or In the Mood for Love is my favorite movie. Fantastic review you bring up so many things I love about the film and more.
I’m really excited for the upcoming Criterion Boxset, but I’m also super nervous about the changes in the restoration, particularly several of the color retouches. Color is so important to Wongs films and the mood they create, and I love the somewhat hazy 90s look of this film. I hope we don’t lose that
did you watch his movies on DVD? I have seen the Criterion's versions of them, in HD on their channel. So I am used to those color choices, but you are right, that hazy look needs to be maintained.
@@LearningaboutMovies The Criterion channel versions are the ones I have seen. I didn’t know that they were the same restoration as the ones that will be in the Boxset. Thank you for clarifying that.
I'm not sure but I am guessing they are. Not sure what other versions they would've been using in HD!
@@LearningaboutMovies Is it the In the Mood for Love restoration on the Boxset the same restoration used for the standalone Blu-ray?
that's what I don't know. feel free to email them and ask, and then report back!
saved my whole film assignment
Even if all it had to offer were the director's thrilling distinctive visuals, this Wong Kar-Wai masterpiece would be well worth watching because of its thoughtfully drawn characters and naturalistic performances that packs a potent dramatic wallop. I give this film a 9.2/10 rating. This is definitely one of the best films of the 1990s for sure. 😊😊👍👍
great!
i watched this movie for the first time tonight. to be honest i really didn’t understand at all what was happening, and i wasn’t feeling anything at all. watching this video, i think i’m really missing something and i definitely this is one of those movies that need a couple rewatched your understand what it’s about and what’s going on. i really, really love the cinematography though, and the music is awesome, especially faye wong’s cover of dreams, with california dreamin i kinda got annoyed at it being played over and over again, but yet again maybe it’s something i need to understand. so yeah, i’ll definitely make time soon to watch this again. great video man ❤️
thank you. not every movie is for everybody, of course. funny how many commenters love the first half more the second half, but I'm the opposite.
@@LearningaboutMovies same here, i really love the second half of the movie. and i think i developed a major crush on faye, there’s also so much quotable dialogue in the movie. i’m planning to watch it again today, in hopes that i get to enjoy the movie properly
one of my favourite films, too
I'm from Indonesia. I'm guessing that movies like this is definitely not for everyone. I would even say that there's probably only certain few people who can deeply appreciate & love this type of movies. It's truly a work of art!
I got bored of it but after watching this analysis...i guess i appreciated it more
excellent, thank you
It looks hella boring.
(knowing the back story) ......when recalling the past such as childhood, memories take on a dream state and may even lack a chronological order....the message is you don't know the love you have lost until it's gone...nor do you know the love you can achieve until the next one....but do not hesitate for the love you seek may have already moved on.... 💔
thank you.
One of my favorite movies of all
I can't put my finger on exactly why I like this film, except for Faye Wong...I got a serious crush on her from this film...but other than that it really worked. I had visited Hong Kong just a couple of years before the film was made and it really captured my impressions on the city. Visiting in 2019, I got much of the same vibe...Even walked by the Bottoms Up Club in Kowloon, where the first guy meets the Bridgitte Linn's character. Funny thing, in 2007, I met Faye Wong briefly, while she was visiting the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino, on the island of Tinian where I lived at the time. She was gorgeous, but didn't have the cute short spiky hair she had in the movie. The odd thing, I was one of the only people there that was living on Tinian, who wasn't Chinese, who knew who she was...and I knew her from this movie.
excellent comment, thank you.
He should be a movie producer he has a very articulate voice
thank you.
Got to be honest I wish the film kept with the first cop for its duration. Found his story far more interesting
I'm the other way.
Excellent explanation
Thank you
it's actually my favorite film of his... which is even more amazing given the fact that he supposedly made it to step away from the production of Ashes of Time and take a break.
his bizarre methodology is the stuff of legend. he shoots, and shoots, and shoots, and _then_ figures out what he's made. he was literally still editing 2046 in his hotel room at the premiere in Cannes...
for someone like that to come up with a gem like ChungKing Express as a "throwaway" is absolutely remarkable.
forever in my top 10.
yeah, that's like Malick -- just figure out the story in the editing room!
I appreciated the art of this film and the complications and weird things of falling in love. But what I mostly got out of it was how gorgeous Takeshi Kaneshiro is. Wish it was me who spent the night at the hotel with him lol.
thank you.
Great movie, Fallen Angels is a sister movie from WKW with some throwbacks to Chungking Express check it out if you haven't already. I like the second story slightly more than the first one it has some really funny moments saw it years back and still remember Tony Leung talking to his soap when it was almost used up and thin saying that don't get depressed you'll bounce back and when the soap was replaced with a thicker new bar he was like no need to be so cheerful don't let yourself go. LMAO.
yes!
"Please subscribe" Halfway through this video, it was a no-brainer really ;)
thank you.
NOTE: "The fast-food restaurant in "Chungking Express" is called "MIDNIGHT EXPRESS," a direct reference to the movie of the same name."
thanks.
The movies backbone is "California dreamin" song and the color grading.
Okay just to make a lil point - this is a really strong analysis, really like it, only thing is it's very America-centric. Hong Kong at this point was still British and was just about to gain independence. Obviously there are clear lines linking it to the US (e.g. California, Hollywood style look of girl) but the general struggle for identity doesn't seem to be a cultural draw to America, rather Hong Kong's change of national identity from British to Chinese. To illustrate, if America suddenly became British again your artistic output would probably show some reflection of this!
thank you. It's funny to think of America becoming British, which there is less chance of than America becoming Chinese!
This film I think is leaning more to abstract expressionism in terms of the setting and the plot that revolves around very unique characters and the story turned away from conventional Hollywood scripts/films that we are used to.
it has some of those elements, French New Wave influence and beyond, but somehow that all grounds it in a story that's familiar and I think realistic (I mean the 2nd part in particular).
much of asian film and entertainment is far more open ended and subject to interpretation than western cinema...
there's far less need to "spell out" every single thing and wrap it all into a tidy package for the audience.
Me, a Hong Konger: *sees a RUclipsr talk about Wong Kar-wai*
Me: *SUBSCRIBE IMMEDIATELY*
thank you. I have another video on In the Mood for Love.
great flick ♥️
It's an amazing movie. Thanks for you thoughts. But isn't the restaurant called Midnight Express?
thanks. yes, I think you are right about the restaurant. good correction. (Someone might look into the movie of the same name and see iif it has anything to do with "Chungking Express" the movie.
@@LearningaboutMovies both stories take place in and around ChungKing Station.
I was slightly underwhelmed with this movie and it irks me because I've heard really good things.
Visually it's so beautiful, one of the best movies I've 'seen' but couldn't get into it enough. Hoping it'll grow on me.
Wish it would be released on Prime Video, so many people have missed out on this one.
probably on Criterion channel still.
@@LearningaboutMovies Thank you, i will look to see.
Everyone wants to be an american. Thats why bar where Tony and Faye supposed to meet is named after California. Beautifully led out subtle references to pop culture. Thats one of the things which makes this movie fascinating.
yes!
Anglicized Indian who Wants to be an American? You mean the Orange Head Man, Psychos who shoots people in restaurant, schools, concerts from hotels, Psychopathic cop who put his knee on Black man.............................................No wonder Modi wants to drop English class in Indian schools.
everyone wants to be somewhere, or someone, else... and they're missing out on what's directly in front of them.
Just saw Fallen Angels, next movie will still be of Kar Wai and I'm fine with that :D
Masterpice especially second story
I love the world of this film. Its somehow so authentic. The yearning of all the characters in the movie is always so palpable to me. Its the only thing that seemingly makes the two storylines interrelated.
I really liked the second story
excellent!
The fastfood joint is actually called midnight express and not chungking express.
Thanks for the video on my favorite film
you're welcome.
I don't see the two storylines as mirrors to each other. Instead, they are continuous cycles. When the two characters from each part meet at the middle of the movie, it's like the passing of a torch. The story is reborn, elements are carried over: a young police officer, a shady woman, indian workers, commercialization, the alienating presence of American influences and demands on the locals, etc. It's like everyone and everything from the first part was reborn with the same essence and they relived their fate in a slightly different light. This cyclicality goes against our traditional view of the linear progress of history that invalidates Hong Kong's "rootless" existence. Things repeat over and over again, they are created and then expire, and again and again. Now this is either a curse specifically for Hong Kong or a liberating concept: if this is realy a delocalized experience, then these cycles are universal and its opposite -- linearity -- is just an illusion that is used to falsely justify and validate "rooted" imperial forces, like mainland China and the US. Whether the glass is half full or half empty is up to the viewer. (Excuse my mistakes, I'm not a native English speaker.)
thank you
what are those black rectangle shaped plastic in the back?
don't know what you mean.
@@LearningaboutMovies 0:19, on your wall, not the dvd cases on the left of the screen, they look like books, but there is a sticker on the spine of the book, its black in color...
Where can you watch this
go to letterboxd, and search for the movie. letterboxd tells you where any movie is streaming for free and for subscribers, on almost any service.
@@LearningaboutMovies awesome, thanks for the tip.
will you do a video about fallen angels?
Yes, I should thanks.
Was David lynch (mohalndsrive)inspired by this?
Hi there! Today is the last day of the screening of this wonderful film as part of the recently appeared retrospective from "Other Cinema" in Kaliningrad. And I'll tell you what: "It's cooler than sex!"
ha!
Nice film agree👍👌
thank you.
The way I look at it, the first story is about what a man thinks he wants in a woman; the second's about what he REALLY wants in her.
Gertrude Stein said, "The USA is the oldest country in the world because it's been in the 20th century the longest." I'm tempted to say that Hong Kong is the place that's been in the 21st century the longest...
Fucking brilliant film. Oddly introduced me to tarantino. Amyways, one point sir, the place isnt called chungking express. The title is a combination of the chunking manor (the, grimy area of the first part) and midnight express (which is the name of the snack bar).
thank you for the correction.
Wong Char Way? I think you mean Wong Kar Wai (pron. why)
I have heard them all.
How is someone with a doctor in their name misprounced a name so badly? Wong Kar Wai is not Wong Char Wai. Kar as in Car, not Char. Other than that, the video is good.
no thanks but thanks.
You should watch Fallen Angels, you will understand it holds similar nuances.
thank you.
There were some parallels and emphisis on items between the female characters that makes me think maybe the drug smuggler girl went into hiding and turned into the shop girl.
So, I wasn’t the only thinking that that had happened when the first girl ditched the wig
Great great great movie, and I'm not Chinese
me neither. thank you.
@@LearningaboutMovies you're welcome. I was amazed by it!! I watched all the movies, didn't know what to watch, so I came to the Asian section, I don't regret it at all.
Wong char wey
thank you.
Learning about Movies idk how you Americans botch names this hard 🙁
@@travel6482 lol he pronounced it correctly
@@travel6482right
Can anyone tell why the small hair girl used to break into the cops house everyday?
she likes him.
@@LearningaboutMovies What kind of love is this 😂
I appreaciate the effort of exploring the movie. But I feel that retelling the plot is not what a person, who wants to dig deeper into understanding the movie, would like to listen to :( And if one hasn't yet seen the movie - so again, may contain any spoilers.
funny how this is the channel's most successful video. as you know, there are all kinds of videos for all kinds of levels -- I am aiming for "general American undergraduate." If that's not what you want, fine. But most people I know do not even aspire or desire even that level.
I love the cinematography and music but the stories weren’t really interesting if i had to he honest. I can see that this is a good film but it didnt move me at all. Maybe im missing something and i’ll rewatch it in a year but idk. Not very tempted to do that.
So who the hell is Wong Char Wai…😅
Come on bro…
"Come one."
@@LearningaboutMovies hahaha thanks for the correction !
it has Nothing to to with "dream of America", believe me,I am CHinese.
they not only go to California, they sing the song throughout. it must mean something....
@@LearningaboutMovies American music is very popular in Asia, and so is European music，they are all regarded as some cool foreign culture,thats it. Faye Wong sang the song of the Cranberries. Wouldn't you say that she has an Irish dream?
...wong char-wei?
I get this comment once every month or so. Do people picking on pronunciation have anything else to do? Do they not know they are on a site called RUclips, which means an occasional small error does occur.
None of them ever comment on the ideas, the philosophy, the historical details, the techniques, nothing. So much richness to discuss and this is the best they can do.
@@LearningaboutMovies wasn't my intent to pick on you, was simply questioning the pronunciation and whether or not it was deliberate. I don't read RUclips comments because they're a complete cesspool so I had not seen other comments about it. My apologies.
fyi, the first place the cesspoolers go, at a medium-sized channel like mine, is minor errors. Pronunciation is the main one they pick on. If you have nothing to say on RUclips and want to cause trouble, this is what you do.
@@LearningaboutMovies wasn't trying to cause trouble, but if you're gonna make a claim like that maybe you should've considered an outcome in which you didn't respond at all? Seems like you'd be giving people the trouble they were looking for in any other scenario.
@@LearningaboutMovies and, quite frankly, this is the first time I've commented about someone's pronunciation of something. If it were a word, I wouldn't care as much. But in this case it's the name of a person, and oftentimes people's names are deliberately pronounced wrong. Hence why my initial comment was questioning it as opposed to attempting to insult it.
I didn't really like the movie
that's fine.
Honestly, I wish the first part of the film was the whole film. The second part really ruined it for me as both had nothing to do with each other. The second the stories changed I lost interest.
I would’ve been fine with it if the two officers sat together at the end and said something to eachother along the lines of them being heartbroken I didn’t hate the ending though it just could’ve been nicer if they connected the stories
@@mono5401 my review for the film would have been much higher if this was the case, there should have been an element of mixing the stories
This film is so pretentious. I still don't get why it is "so good". I get that the camera, the colors and the visuals are amazing. But that's it. Everything else is simply pretentious. The director wanted to be conceived as original, poetic and strange. He tried too hard to look unique. The result is unrealistic, the characters are rupaul'esque and the script... let's not talk about the script. There's no way humans interact the way they do in this film. This is just a wannabe of "essential" that ended up being an essential because the audience isn't educated.
If the courtains of your house changed, you would notice. If a girl entered in your house and cleaned it, you would freak out. If you weren't having serious mental problems you wouldn't buy pineapple cans and eat them 30 in the same night. The characters have behaviours that would be taken seriously if they were drawn better, if they showed something else. But there's no way they can do what they do while being sane. It is just not realistic. If someone believes that these characters are well done then it's time to learn a bit more about psychology. And if the aim was to sound funny, in a comical way, Jesus christ. I'm so disappointed that this film is rated so high. I don't get why Tarantino is so in love with this. I'm so intrigued. For me, a rough 6/10
Anyway, I value your review and the work you do! Leaving a like! (my opinion is about the movie, not your review hehe)
thank you. funny that this is the channel's #2 most popular video. For whatever reason people love this movie and are searching for it on RUclips. You've got me about why. It is style over substance for sure, but anybody trying to create video ought to study Kar-Wai -- there are hundreds of techniques to learn from him. PErhaps that is part of Tarantino's interest.
@@LearningaboutMovies The style is amazing that is true, the colors and aesthetics are incredible. thanks for your reply
:)
Imagine looking at art only through the lense of "realism".