Wong Kar-Wai claims that 2046 is about promise, but pretty evidently it's at the same time about making changes and letting go of the past. A series of transformation happens on our leading character, Chow Mo-wan and his past/present relationships with other females somehow hint on this notion.
Tony Leung played out the same character, Chow Mo-wan, in both In the Mood for Love and 2046; however, besides those similarities (name, appearance, outfit...) passed down from the earlier In the Mood for Love, many more different characteristics have been displayed throughout the later 2046.
Tony Leung played out the same character, Chow Mo-wan, in both In the Mood for Love and 2046; however, besides those similarities (name, appearance, outfit...) passed down from the earlier In the Mood for Love, many more different characteristics have been displayed throughout the later 2046.
At the Cannes press conference, Tony Leung said, "This film is about a man who is trying to get rid of his past. Wong told me that it was the same character as before, but that I should treat him as a completely new character. This was quite different and challenging to do, so I asked Wong if I could at least have a mustache to represent this change in the same character for me." Leung was granted the mustache and, indeed it, does help make the transition for the viewer as well. (Brunette, 102)
Watch the clip and consider how the notion of making changes is portrayed in 2046 through either the protagonist, Mr. Chow, or other characters/cinematic elements that you would like to discuss.
The DVD I showed today has too many scratches, which resulted in several scenes being skipped. If you want to catch up with those missing parts, 2046 is available on youtube with English subtitle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNKn5O_XmwA&playnext=1&list=PL0FD52C22B28F7E5B
The DVD I showed today has too many scratches, which resulted in several scenes being skipped. If you want to catch up with those missing parts, 2046 is available on youtube with English subtitle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNKn5O_XmwA&playnext=1&list=PL0FD52C22B28F7E5B
It seems to me as though both of these themes are not mutually exclusive. The element of promise is certainly present without being hypocritical. In the film, Chow goes through changes of many women, but it's almost as if this is the "tunnel" of his life. In the clip, it's like they are making a promise to meet again at the other side of the tunnel. This is including any chance that the two might face on their journey. So it is both a story of promise and change.
ReplyDeleteI do see how a lot of this film is based on the idea of a promise and sticking to that. However, at the same time it is about the changes that he is going through. It is clear that Chow has decidedly veered away from his past. At the end of the scene he says that what he told Su was actually meant for himself. He tells her to find him when she eventually escapes his past. What he really means is that when he escapes his past love for the "old" Su, then he will be able to love the "new" one properly.
ReplyDeleteHe remains in love with the "old" Su Lizhen, but by rejecting the "new" Su, he is actually letting go of his love for the old Su.
One change that I think was important in his character is that in In The Mood For Love he's really only dealing with his relationship with So, his wife isn't even shown on screen. In 2046 he's going through many different women, which is a new challenge for his character. It seemed to me, considering the two characters as one, like his behavior in 2046 is him dealing negatively with the experience of In the Mood For Love. His lifestyle changes entirely between the two films, as do some of the other characters in 2046 over the course of the film.
ReplyDeleteKnowing that Chow was meant to be the same character as In The Mood For Love does make sense on some levels. Chow speaks of how the woman needs to escape her past, and when she does o find him. This is exactly what he does in the final scene of In The Mood For Love, in burying his secret within the temple walls. He has escaped his past, by avoiding a non-physical relationship, so as to avoid what he encountered in In The Mood for Love.
ReplyDeleteThe notion of making changes is portray through Chow by his use of voice over and change in women. With this clip you can experience his change not by the visuals, but by the voice over. If you watched this without listening (or reading) you would see two sad people supposedly saying goodbye. However, when you have the voice over you realize this is Chow looking back on his past, realizing his change; he was not trying to be with that Su, rather he was trying to hold onto what he used to have with the old Su. The women he goes through signifies his different stages he experiences throughout the film. It is shown when he is brought back to each women how he grew up (or changed) since he last was with them. With Bai Ling he no longer feels the need to drag her around. With Su he realized it was not her, but the old Su he was trying to love, with Mimi he empathized instead of sympathized, and with Wang he feel in love, but did not act on it (as he usually would) because her heart belonged to someone else.
ReplyDeleteIn the process of watching "2046". Will have this post completed by Friday at 5 PM.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, must say I find that thing about the mustache extremely funny. I guess that's a good place to start, as it is the only major thing that lets the audience know time has passed since "In The Mood For Love". Despite the fact that this is supposed to be the same character with some time passed, it is hard for me to think of him as the same man. This is especially true, because Wong Kar-Wai uses so many of the same actors in so many of his films that I'm used to seeing a familiar face being someone different. Like "Days of Being Wild" time is a major theme throughout, but this is portrayed more cinematically than it is through the interactions of the characters. The clothing and scenery lead us to believe times have changed more than the characters, since this is still a true love story of sorts.
ReplyDeleteOne element of change highlighted by Brunette is made apparent by contrasting this film with In the Mood for Love. A change in Chow can be seen through the change from sexual restraint in the first movie to the excess in 2046. This is a signifier for the emotional damage he has suffered, and his inability to heal and maintain a real relationship.
ReplyDeleteHe appears vastly different in the second film, unable to escape the past. In the clip he articulates this sentiment, though still unable to direct it at himself.