In the Mood For Love (Criterion Collection)
Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Chow Mo-wan
Maggie Cheung Man-yuk as Su Li-zhen
Mr. Chow and Mrs. Su never really had any reason to talk to each other, besides the fact that they are neighbors. But the discovery of their respective spouses having an affair creates a strange, but intimate, bond. Director Wong Kar-wai's movie explodes in color in this cinematographic gem (I sound like Ebert, or Groeper). Beautifully filmed, even the nuances seem to scream at you. The best cinematography from WKW's career so far, and the story, like his other movies (I'm guessing, that's what some critic said), is about (but not limited to) loneliness. It's also more depressing than, say, Kar-wai's first widespread U.S. release, the "quirky" Chungking Express. Not a lot of dialogue, but you knew exactly the mood and the tone of the scene by their actions. Undoubtedly deserves to be part of the Criterion Collection. ****
DVD: ****½ Highlights ~ One of Criterion's best disc sets that I have seen of their's. (A lot of them, especially the older movies, only have one disc and only boasts a high quality image transfer for between $25-$30.) These special features are probably worth the $40 price tag (although I wouldn't buy it under normal circumstances). The set ranks right up there with George Lucas's Star Wars DVDs, who drenches them with lots of behind-the-scene extras. This Criterion set includes deleted scenes with optional subtitled commentary, but WKW wasn't too good on that front, I mean, at least explain WHY you cut it out (however, the four scenes averaged around 8 minutes each, so that's a pretty hefty lot, unlike deleted scenes on other discs); an interactive essay on the movie's music; a short film by WKW dedicated to the Chinese movie actresses of the old days ('50s and '60s); Kar-wai's documentary on the making of the film called @ In the Mood For Love; two director interviews (in English, he seems to end every word with an 's'); Toronto International Film Festival press conference with the stars (where Maggie talked a lot in her British accent and Tony said, "Mmm... no, not really," a lot); an essay (with pictures) by a "film scholar" on 1960's Hong Kong; a photo gallery; promotional tools including trailers, TV spots, and electronic press kit; and cast and crew bios and filmographies. Not included on the back of the case is an "essay" detailing WKW's film career, called 'The Searcher: Wong Kar-wai', which includes pictures and trailers for his movies (only Ashes of Time, Fallen Angels, Happy Together, and In the Mood For Love trailers). Oh yeah and a nice THICK booklet featuring the short story the movie was based on, NOT just a thick booklet of Criterion discs you can buy. But seriously, Criterion is one of the few that could cull together all of these extras to make available to the public. The stuff is so good and not mundane I had to list it all (or most) here. Well done!
Recommended? I don't like Maggie Cheung and this movie overpowered my dislike for her for the time being! Wow! So yes! (But I still don't like her.)
Related: Chungking Express, Ashes of Time