Ashes of time Redux

[alexandral]

My husband and I watched this re-edited version of 1994's film by Wong Kar Wai a week ago. We both loved the film. This is something I would love to recommend to everyone. If you are interested in Asian cinematography and haven't seen this film yet - this is a must-see. If you haven't seen any films from Asia yet and want to know what is the fuss all about and why nowdays even the best of Hollywood directors re-make Asian movies - this is a very good film to start.



It is hard to begin explaining what I like about this film because I like EVERYTHING. The photography is exquisite and translates the sense of yearning and regret and the undertones of approaching changes. Many Wong Kar Wai's films are built around a certain colour. For example, "In the Mood for Love" uses red. "Ashes of time" is built around yellow, a special, royal colour.I was told that the colours in China represent the five primary elements, the directions and the seasons. The role of yellow is the centre, the earth. This is what the role of the main character, Feng Ou-yang, is - he is the centre of the four different stories about four different swordsmen who represent four different directions - North, South, East and West.

The story is is based on a Chinese novel, "The Eagle-Shooting Heroes". Each of the main four arcs adds a new piece to the puzzle of the main storyline and at the end, when the last peice is in, the structure is perfect.

The action elements in "Ashes of Time" pre-date the era of flying swordsmen. The film was originally made in 1994, prior to "Crouching tiger, hidden dragon" and escaped this overwhelming trend of the current period action movies from China and Hong Kong. I found this to be very refreshing. Take me right, I like to watch well-choreographed fight scenes as much as any other person, but when they aren't the main point of the film. And there is only so much of contradicting the laws of physics that I can take. People can fight beautifully and show their real selves through their swords, but levitation is impossible.

The film's cast is out of this world: Brigitte Lin, Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung, Jacky Cheung.

Comments

[dianora77.livejournal.com]

Another one to put on my list. Hehe... Oh, wasn't the pretty lady with the swords in Hero?

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

YAY! I am glad you like the photographs!

yes, Maggie Cheung (the lady with the flower) and tony Leung (the first photo) are the tragic couple Broken Sword/Flying Snow in "Hero"!!!

[wistfulmemory.livejournal.com]

Pretty...

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I loved how sandy and grainy everything looked, so evocative!

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

WOW! FABULOUS PICS! I want to watch now! Thank you for posting! Somehow the images remind me of Hero..

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

The visuals are much less of eye-popping variety than in Hero (not that I don't like "Hero"! I like!). :D Two of the five leads are the leads in "Hero" too so I guess this gives the feeling of similarity.

[linfer.livejournal.com]

The story is is based on a Chinese novel, "The Eagle-Shooting Heroes". Each of the main four arcs adds a new piece to the puzzle of the main storyline and at the end, when the last peice is in, the structure is perfect.
Yesterday and today I was thinking of testing the newest drama based on this novel, so I'm definitely curious enough for this film.
Especially concering the fighting. I like the flying, but like many things, too much and starts to irritate. The cast is awesome, more than just a big plus.

And I like the pictures :o)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am glad you like the pictures. The film made a huge, huge impression on me. I keep thinking about some things that were said in it and I keep turning the story around in my mind.

[linfer.livejournal.com]

Where did you watch it by the way? Because I looked for DVDs and there is still only the old version out there.
I believe they showed it at one of the Fantasy Film Festivals around here, but those are always too far away. *sighs*

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

We watched it in a movie theatre. The are some fabulous screens in National Media Museum (http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/) and they show the movies from Asia and Europe there.

I think it will be released on DVD eventually.

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

Yay, I'm so glad to hear you liked it :)

I can't wait until it's released here. I HOPE it reaches my town. I really want to see it on the big screen.

Mmm, Tony Leung. I've missed him ;-)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Mmm, Tony Leung. I've missed him ;-)

Me too. He is so young in "Ashes of Time"!!! I wonder if you have seen "Lust, Caution". I loved it, it reminded me some of the best stories about Russian revolutionaries.

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

No, I haven't seen it yet, and I definitely plan to.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I think I have seen the "apbrided" version :D, I want to watch the full one..

[winterspel.livejournal.com]

*carefully skipping the caps* :) This opens here next weekend, and I've already made plans to go see it. I've been waiting to see this since I first heard it was being re-edited and screened again. :)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Please don't worry - I don't think caps are spoilery at all!!

EEEEE! I can't wait to hear what you think about the film!!!! I was so glad Mr.Alexander liked it, he and I rarely share the same tastes in films. I think he is much less forgiving then I am. :D

[trailer-spot.livejournal.com]

Sadly there isn't yet a release date for Germany. But it's still early, hopefully it will be shown here in the coming months too.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

This doesn't seem fair. How do you know when the release date is going to be? I always get confused.

[trailer-spot.livejournal.com]

There's a German website that lists upcoming movies chronologically. And so far I can't find it there. I also look at imdb if there's a "release date" for Germany or under "company credits" if there's a German distributor listed. But so far that isn't the case.
Right now I would say that if it will be shown here it will be some time next year. But even then there's the question if it will reach my hometown. So so far I would say there's a 50:50 chance at best that I will see it at a theatre. But it's still early. And if not, then I can still look for a DVD version. :)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the information! My film-watching is always hit and miss and I am never sure about the release dates.

[pansy-burke.livejournal.com]

The action elements in "Ashes of Time" pre-date the era of flying swordsmen.

Maybe I do get you wrong, but martial arts scenes with flying swordsmen have been invented by King Hu in the 60ies. The most famous of those is Touch of Zen (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064451/) from 1969. If you don't know this, it's highly recommented. Very magical movie.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Oh, my apologies - it just seems that every period/action wuxia film that is released nowdays has people flying and performing some tricks that aren't at all physically possible and this direction become the norm after "Crouching tiger, hidden dragon" success.

Thank you very much for the rec - I am definitely going to check it!

[pansy-burke.livejournal.com]

I hope, my comment didn't sound rude or pretentious. It wasn't meant like that at all. It was more that I thought, I got you wrong, since you know so much about asian cinema. :-)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Oh, not at all! My knowledge was imcomplete on this and I am so very glad you provided me with the information on "Touch of Zen"!!! I am trying to find it now!

[vierran45.livejournal.com]

I saw this film a little while ago in the Helsinki International Film Festival and thought it was gorgeous! I'm really glad I saw it in a movie theatre since the cinematography was such a big part of the film's appeal to me. Though I did also love how the different elements of the story went a full circle and all the different stories got connected in the end.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

EEEEE! I am so glad you like it too! I also felt very fortunate to be able to see it in a good quality movie theatre. Many of the film's gorgeous cinematographic effects, for example , the way everything was so sandy and grainy , would have been less noticeable on a small screen.

[nikolyaf.livejournal.com]

Thanks for pictures! They are awesome ))
I consider "Ashes of time" as the best Kar Vai movie ) It was a real pleasure to watch it on last weekend in the cinema.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am so glad you like! My Wong Kar Wai's favourite is still "In the mood for love" but "Ashes of time" is a very very close second. May be even a draw.

[mnemo-syne.livejournal.com]

It looks beautiful. It has no release date for the U.S. yet but I'm saving it in my queue. Thanks.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

winterspel says that it opens in USA the next weekend, but this must be not a wide release.

[mnemo-syne.livejournal.com]

I just meant DVD release, but I'm sure it probably won't be playing in my area anyway!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I think the DVD release will soon follow. I'll try to keep on eye on it!!

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

This film is going directly on my "must see" list - especially since it has Tony Leung hotness. hee.

Take me right, I like to watch well-choreographed fight scenes as much as any other person, but when they aren't the main point of the film.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. Fight scenes are fine, but fighting for the sake of fighting is just dull.

Btw - speaking of Asian films, have you seen the old black/white "Harakiri"? I did a mini-post about it some time ago (here (http://baleanoptera.livejournal.com/67414.html#cutid1)) , and it just strikes me as the kind of film you would enjoy very much. It has brilliant acting, beautiful cinematography and the moral questions it deals with are gripping. Highly recommended.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am very interested in "Harakiri". It looks like one of the awesome old-school Japanese films like "Shichinin no samurai". Many revolutionary new things were introduced in Japanese films of that era and got "adapted" completely uncredited by Hollywood.