Trigger

Let me preface what I'm about to say by letting you know there are things in this review that may or may not be spoilers.

In The Mood For Love
***/***** (3 Stars)

This film has generated a fair amount of buzz in the festival circuit. To be quite honest, I wasn't all that impressed. It looked promising for the first half, but then just became sludge... nothing was really going on and the spineless characters made me sick. I loved where the story was going, but it never actually got there in my opinion. It just felt as though they ran out of steam. I got rather bored with it near the end - and the ending itself really ticked me off... Well it would have, but by then I had somewhat lost interest.

Maggie Cheung was exquisite as usual - even more so than usual - beautiful and radiant. Tony Leung played his part well - he was less than charismatic, but I believe he was supposed to be a fairly rigid character. I found the cinematography to be quite excellent. It was well crafted and filmed and acted and even the score was great - reminded me of some italian cinema or even Peter Greenaway-esque. The whole thing was very stylish and
fresh. The score got old really quickly when they kept playing the same looped bit of song over and over and over... it sounded like it was supposed to be a small orchestra doing a live score, but it was totally a recording. Minor flaw. I was prepared to give it a 4 Star rating or better, but the ending stunk it up. Not just the very ending, but the last 20 minutes before that just dragged and then they leave us with "that".

Unsatisfying.

Not tragic, not happy, just "blah". Plus, it made me realize how pitiful the characters were for allowing their spouses to cheat on them and not do anything about it except fawn over each other while treating it as forbidden territory. I understand the time and location at which this was supposed to take place and all - but still... I cry at movies sometimes - I'm not afraid to admit it - but I felt nothing for these characters... I wanted to and I kept waiting to, but nothing. Oh well... different strokes for different folks I guess since most people seem to really love this film.

The Mei Ah DVD was truly weak compared to what I imagine the French version to be like. Mei Ah has been improving, but this one doesn't show that. The AR is damn close to 4:3 - too close to even call it widescreen - although it's a little widescreen. The sound was a bit bass heavy during the talking which was annoying. The picture was fairly clean with the normal amount of specks here and there (for a recent Mei Ah release). The subtitles were bad as well - they missed a few pieces of dialogue - but it was stuff that wasn't crucial anyway... they did however neglect to subtitle the chinese text between the film's different acts except for one... I think the DVD should've been one of Mei Ah's $40HKD discs instead of 150HKD. Overpriced for what I got. It was still cheaper than the French version which I'm glad I skipped since I wasn't all that jazzed about the film anyway.

rkndkn

I watched it on the Mei Ah version as well. I had procrastinated on seeing this film at the theatre, then ended up missing it. Although I normally love Wong Kar Wai, something about my impression of this film didn't make me want to rush out to see it.

I ended up REALLY liking this film! My co-worker HATES this movie, saying it should have been called "In the Mood for Chop Suey" -- she feels it's slow, and nothing happens! However, I found myself totally drawn into the story and mood of the film. The look of it is fabulous, and the low-key performances are so poignant. I particularly was taken with the scene between the 2 leads over the meal as they gingerly try to gauge what the other knows/suspects. I also thought the decision to never fully show their spouses was an effective way to mirror the characters' state of knowing what was happening, yet being unable to satisfy their almost painful curiosity.

Frankly, after my experience with my first Mei Ah DVD of "The Mission" (I mean, LOVE that film, but we all know about the burn-in problem), I was pretty satisfied with the video quality, especially since I found it at a good price.

Yellow Hammer

Obviously your co-worker hasn't seen any other WKW movies, because they're all typically slow and drawn-out....

Concerning the quality of the movies, others might disagree with me, but I don't think it's a coincidence that all the WKW movies are of below-average print quality. I think it is intentional in order to give it that arthouse feel that he likes to portray in every one of his movies.

Concerning the ending, WKW movies make you think, and the ending gives you endless possibilities of what may have happened. There's not necessarily one right answer as to what happened or should have happened. I personally think In the Mood For Love is WKW's best movie since Days of Being Wild and should have won the HKFA Best Movie instead of the non-HK-made CTHD.

rkndkn

No, I don't think she has. She's not a real movie buff, anyway, and goes to Asian films to accompany her mother. She couldn't tell you any director's or star's names. In fact, she totally forgot the name of this film until I figured out which one she meant.

Grimfarrow

Not this again.....

You obviously never saw a WKW in the theaters. If you saw Ashes of Time and Happy Together on the big screen, then compare them to the incompetent DVD transfers, you won't be saying something like that. Saying that it's "intentional" is really daft.

Vanian

It's ironic that the most visually stunning movies have the worst transfers. I really like all of WKW's movies and I would like the DVD's to be remastered. I am really looking forward to the IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE DVD from France that I should be getting any day now. I still like the laser disc of Chungking Express better than the DVD version.
I know different films stocks were used to get different effects but this is totally different than the transfer of the DVD's.

Vanian

Trigger

I did notice and appreciate the way they didn't show the other spouses - and as a creative choice I think it gave the film a bit more style... as for the ending - I guess by the time it arrived, I just didn't really care much anymore. I admit that this film had moments and I liked alot of it, but as a whole - it was just not that impressive or interesting for me. I'm a fan of films like this too, and figured I would like it... oh well...

Trigger

I ended up getting the French version after all and It easily blows away the Mei Ah version. I also enjoyed the film a little more but I still found it to be trying a little too hard to be artsy for artsy sake. Many people will love this film, but I didn't really see it as much better than average. The french DVD is awesome though and it certainly made me appreciate it more. The Mei Ah version should be skipped I think since this version is out there.

cirrus888

I have the French version which is of extremely good quality. There is also a UK R2 2-disc Tartan version too which maybe a little cheaper and is supposedly the same as the 2 disc french version.

Crazy Aoshi

I liked the movie, and while the Mei Ah disc is nothing special, I didn't like it enough to want to spend a lot of money to import the new version from France. Plus I can't play PAL.

Gary Tooze

The film is a masterpiece 5/5. I was not disappointed by the DVD transfer and will get an anamorphic Region 1 when it becomes available.

My graphic review ( with sound ! ) is here:
http://207.136.67.23/film/Reviews/in...%20Gary.htm#in

jtkv

In The Mood For Love is a stunning movie... the atmosphere and feel is incredible... a must see, but it's prabably not for everyone.
A slow moving movie about the Shanghainese people in Hong Kong of that period, focused on two leads that show how they act, move and feel.... just beautiful.

The French 2 DVD set is great. Comes in a beautiful paper case, and gatefold "box". Lots of extras, including some deleted scenes and interviews with Wong Kar Wai that gives a lot of insight into the movie. The transfer is gorgeous. Only 2 gripes; one cut between 2 scenes is very abrupt, as if the footage was spliced too soon. The second is the bass for the music is too boomy.
I love the music, but the boomy bass is annoying...

Tartan UK has released 2 versions of this movie. The first is a regular movie only edition, and the second is a repackaing of the French release, but supposedly cheaper. Uses normal amaray case.

I am awaiting the R1 release also. Hopefully, it will be as good as the French release, but with the abrupt cut and boomy bass fixed.


J.T.

Beeeil

I personally enjoyed the movie a lot, as did my wife. My wife is a fashion designer and she just can't get over the number of beautiful qi-pao Maggie wore in the film!! Next time you watch this film keep an eye on the nice outfits she has on. We wonder all throughout the movie why she dressed up so elegantly just going out to get some noodle (I know, part of it is for Tony).

I agree the movie is not for everyone. I also think this movie deserve as high quality source as possible. Unwilling to pay $15 for a Meh Ah DVD, I watched it on VCD and the quality was rather poor on my WS FP system. Still we were emmersed in its atomsphere and the characters and their personalities.

My favorite parts were

If this come out on SE I would definately get it.

Beeeil

Beeeil

JT, can you tell us what the deleted scenes were, and would they have made a difference in the movie overall?

Beeeil

jtkv

The deleted scenes would have made a HUGE difference to the movie.... It shows details of their relationship.... The alternate ending is cool too.

There's an alternate scene of when Maggie visits Tony in the hotel the first time. It uses the same dialogue as when she is leaving in the final version, but different presentation, located in the room itself.

There's a deleted sequence of them 10 years later. The style of HK has changed, and it shows in how Maggie's clothes and hairstyle is. Even Tony looks like a lounge lizard, with a little moustache!

Speaking of role-playing, there's a deleted scene of them both sitting on the hotel bed, getting undressed. Maggie then says to Tony "this does not feel right. you don't look like my husband, and I certainly don't look like your wife"

Oh ya, in the final version, as they are in the taxi, Maggie says she does not want to go home tonight, holds Tony's hand and leans her head on Tony. Well, a deleted scene shows them saying the same line while in the hotel, and gets busy(!), and then has the ride in the cab heading home... which is why they hold hands, and Maggie leans her head on Tony.

I prefer the final cut, as it, to me, says they did not become like their spouses. It was more of a what could have been scenario, whereas the deleted scenes says they had an affair.

The alternate ending is more of an extended ending. Tony was in Angkor Wat taking pictures with some reporter friends. A tourist asks Tony to help take their picture, and Maggie was in the group! She is in Cambodia with her husband on a business trip, but went off with the bisuness partner's wife to visits Angkor Watt. Tony and Maggie then walk off for a conversation, and upon parting, Tony then goes to bury his secrets in the hole.

The interview with WKW was very nice. He explains how the movie started (from Story Of Food, about the customers and food stall owners), to the details of the movie. The food used signifies the time of the year (eg: in the Amah makes wonton scene, and asks Maggie to join them. WKW explains that the wonton is made with a vegetable that is only available during June-July).
There's also interviews with Tony and Maggie (they both speak very good English), which I have not gone through yet.


I really do hope that this package is released in R1/NTSC so everyone can enjoy the excellent extras. If you can play PAL and R2, I highly recommend you get this package either from France or Tartan (UK).


J.T.

Beeeil

That's facinating about the supplements. Thanks JT.

Trigger

I played around with the second disc some too and it's one of the best supplement discs I've ever encountered. They went all out. The menus are cool and they have many language options available. I picked english for the small part I checked out and it had Wong Kar Wai speaking English, but I don't know if you choose other languages if it's the same info reshot or if it's dubbed or subtitled. There's no question that the French DVD is the best way to view this film...

Grimfarrow

This is because Mrs. Chan is an introvert- she would prefer to be eating alone than to eat wih her tenants (she rejects their invitation to eat together all the time). It is also to hide her discontent and boredom of her current marriage life. Dressing up for something as mundane as getting noodles slowly became almost ritualistic for her, as a way to escape the banality she faces at home.

cirrus888

The 2 disc french DVD also contains a trailer where Tony is seen kissing maggie on her breasts/ body, this is neither in the movie or deleted scenes.

princessducky

I also thought that this movie was slow and boring. it wasn't getting anywhere for a long time. I never really finished it, but I didn't really like it.

I saw it on Direct TV.