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Fans and critics alike perceive Wong Kar-wai (b. 1958) as an enigma. His dark glasses, his nonlinear narrations, and his high expectations for actors all contribute to an assumption that he only makes art for a few high-brow critics. However Wong's interviews show this Hong Kong auteur is candid about the art of filmmaking, even surprising his interlocutors by suggesting his films are commercial and made for a popular audience.
Wong's achievements nevertheless feel like art-house cinema. His third film, Chungking Express, introduced him to a global audience captivated by the quick and quirky editing style. His Cannes award-winning films Happy Together and In the Mood for Love confirmed an audience beyond the greater Chinese market. His latest film, The Grandmaster, depicts the life of a kung fu master by breaking away from the martial arts genre. In each of these films, Wong Kar-wai's signature style--experimental, emotive, character-driven, and timeless--remains apparent throughout.
This volume includes interviews that appear in English for the first time, including some that appeared in Hong Kong magazines now out of print. The interviews cover every feature film from Wong's debut As Tears Go By to his 2013 The Grandmaster.
About the author
Silver Wai-ming Lee earned his master of philosophy in cultural studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is a film critic and researcher of the cinema of Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan.
Micky Lee is associate professor of media studies at Suffolk University, Boston. A Hong Kong native, she is author of
Free Information? The Case against Google and coauthor of
Understanding the Business of Global Media in the Digital Age.
