Flower like years
Cinematic flapper
Anna Nguyen
Issue date: 10/20/08 Section: Lifestyles
In countless interviews, Maggie Cheung, my favorite thespian, said she might not make another film after completing the 2004 French production of "Clean." I'm not too saddened by the news, as there are more than 100 film titles in her filmography that I could select from.
As much as I adore Cheung's lovely, elegant presence, her earlier films do not interest me, especially when she starred alongside the dreadful Jackie Chan in his police comedies.
There's a certain image I have of Cheung, whether correct to her true personality, and I'm a bit skeptical to watch her in a film that might ruin my impression of her as an actress.
The two characters that will forever resonate in my mind are the cheongsam-wearing, well-coiffed Su Li-zhen in "In the Mood for Love" and the chain-smoking, multilingual, aspiring rock star in "Clean."
I am not too familiar with Cheung's earlier works, with the exception of the impeccable "Days of Being Wild" and some fluffy Jackie Chan slapstick comedies. There are two films that I purchased recently that were deemed as her fruition as a real actress. Wong Kar-wai's directorial debut, "As Tears Go By" released in 1988 and Stanley Kwan's "Centre Stage" released in 1992.
"As Tears Go By" is the only Wong film I've not viewed, and I finally purchased it to add it to my collection of his films. It is, perhaps, the most straightforward film that Wong has, and ever will, make. It's a gritty gangster flick set in Hong Kong, starring Andy Lau as a small time gangster trying to keep his mad "little brother" out of trouble. Cheung's role, which marks her first collaboration with Wong, is brief and her character only serves as a romantic interest for Lau's character. The film, inspired by Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets," is entertaining and quick-paced, and I enjoyed every minute of it. But I do enjoy a good gangster film and I might be a bit partial as this is a Wong piece. As his first film, "As Tears Go By" foreshadows the auteur's stylistic techniques that will become his trademark signature. Quick-paced and vivid cinematography that Christopher Doyle will adopt in his partnership with Wong; scenes of paper planes and actual airplanes that will be an important part of the second story arc of "Chungking Express"; and the use of English songs in his films, hence the title from a Rolling Stones song and a Cantopop cover of "Take My Breath Away" in Wong's first feature.
As much as I adore Cheung's lovely, elegant presence, her earlier films do not interest me, especially when she starred alongside the dreadful Jackie Chan in his police comedies.
There's a certain image I have of Cheung, whether correct to her true personality, and I'm a bit skeptical to watch her in a film that might ruin my impression of her as an actress.
The two characters that will forever resonate in my mind are the cheongsam-wearing, well-coiffed Su Li-zhen in "In the Mood for Love" and the chain-smoking, multilingual, aspiring rock star in "Clean."
I am not too familiar with Cheung's earlier works, with the exception of the impeccable "Days of Being Wild" and some fluffy Jackie Chan slapstick comedies. There are two films that I purchased recently that were deemed as her fruition as a real actress. Wong Kar-wai's directorial debut, "As Tears Go By" released in 1988 and Stanley Kwan's "Centre Stage" released in 1992.
"As Tears Go By" is the only Wong film I've not viewed, and I finally purchased it to add it to my collection of his films. It is, perhaps, the most straightforward film that Wong has, and ever will, make. It's a gritty gangster flick set in Hong Kong, starring Andy Lau as a small time gangster trying to keep his mad "little brother" out of trouble. Cheung's role, which marks her first collaboration with Wong, is brief and her character only serves as a romantic interest for Lau's character. The film, inspired by Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets," is entertaining and quick-paced, and I enjoyed every minute of it. But I do enjoy a good gangster film and I might be a bit partial as this is a Wong piece. As his first film, "As Tears Go By" foreshadows the auteur's stylistic techniques that will become his trademark signature. Quick-paced and vivid cinematography that Christopher Doyle will adopt in his partnership with Wong; scenes of paper planes and actual airplanes that will be an important part of the second story arc of "Chungking Express"; and the use of English songs in his films, hence the title from a Rolling Stones song and a Cantopop cover of "Take My Breath Away" in Wong's first feature.
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stillsingle
posted 10/20/08 @ 1:56 AM CST
If you want to know more about Maggie Cheung, let me recommend you some of her classics: Comrades, Almost a Love Story (1996), Green Snake (1993), Dragon Inn (1992), Irma Vep (1996), Ashes of Time (1994, Redux, 2008), while In the Mood for Love (2000)and Centre Stage (aka Actress, 1991) are two gems of the classics as you've mentioned. (Continued…)
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