Film series: World of Wong Kar Wai

image from the film Chungking Express

With his lush and sensual visuals, pitch-perfect soundtracks, and soulful romanticism, Wong Kar Wai has established himself as one of the defining auteurs of contemporary cinema. Joined by key collaborators such as cinematographer Christopher Doyle, editor and production and costume designer William Chang, and actors Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung, Wong (or WKW, as he is often known) has enraptured audiences and critics worldwide and inspired countless other filmmakers with his movies’ poetic moods, narrative and stylistic daring, and potent themes of alienation and memory.

Whether tragically romantic, soaked in blood, or quirkily comedic, the films in this retrospective are an invitation into the unique and wistful world of a deeply influential artist. Cornell Cinema is proud to present the following Wong Kar Wai classics in brand-new 4K restorations by the Criterion Collection in collaboration with L’Immagine Ritrovata and Wong Kar Wai: As Tears Go By, Days of Being Wild, Chungking Express, Fallen Angels, Happy Together, In the Mood for Love, and a new director’s cut of the featurette The Hand.

Additionally, Fallen Angels is newly presented in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio, a format that Wong had originally envisioned for the film. “The restoration provides the opportunity to realize our artistic intention that we couldn’t have achieved technically twenty-five years ago,” says the director. Other films have each received minor edits and tweaks, as well as a consistent look to all the credits, to signify these as the restored versions: “[T]hese are not the same films, and we are no longer the same audience.” (WKW)

Cosponsored with the East Asia Program.