Wang Kar Wai interprets the formal elements of filmmaking in his own way to make his productions be outstanding. He largely uses film techniques such as sound effect, visual design, literary devices, cinematography, montage and editing in his productions. The film In the Mood for Love is a typical example.
It is about a married woman falls in love with a married man in the 1960s’ Hong Kong. The bitter love experience is hopeless and both of the two main characters are struggling.
Wang Kar Wai always uses music to link different scenes in order to let them be more fluent and create atmosphere. Further more, music is also used as a communication tool between characters, characters and audience and linking the plots to tell the stories.2 Two scenes are typical examples. Nearly at the end of the film, Wang Kar Wai cites an old song which is also named In the Mood for Love. The song sings about life is colourful but it is short. The song creates the atmosphere and plaint the love story of the two characters is beautiful but short. It presents the amazing love to audience. The other scene is the “acquaintance” scene. The actions of the characters’ are slowed down when every time they encountered on the stairs. The background music links those scenes to show their relationship develops from strange to familiar. The plots imply that the acquaintance and the love can not be avoided and this is fate.
The visual designs of most of his films are always excellent and contribute to the emotion of the films. If Ashes of Time is seemed like a traditional Chinese painting of the desert, then In the mood for love is a oil paint of a developed city. They both contribute to the mood of loneliness, struggling and depressive atmosphere. In the films, he uses light and shadows to create the atmosphere for plots and characters.3
One scene in In the mood for love is a typical example of showing the characteristics of Wang Kar Wai’s productions which mentioned above. The man tells his lover that he will go abroad and may not come back. By cinematography and acting, the character’s emotion is presented clearly as well. With the film music, the camera focuses on her hands movement in order to present her heartache while he goes farther and farther. Music suddenly stops. Wang uses montage to show that the man comes back. She cries on his shoulder. The man comforts her that it is just a joke. However, the camera turns to focus on the man. Audience can feel that he is serious and he will leave. There is only a little light in the corner. The man walks towards to the darkness. The darkness creates an atmosphere which is depress, unease and unknown. Therefore, audience now can be sure that they are in love and this love is hopeless. Many of the scenes in Ashes of Time can be seen as examples of using light and shadow. The killer is killed and his wife is sad. She stands in the water at night. The water reflects the moon light on her. By using the light and shadows, audience can feel that her sadness is quiet and lonely. It is very oriental.
Wang Kar Wai directs the film follow by the plots of the story but not the time. Time is broken into pieces. Such as Ashes of time, the film presents the killers’ story through the recalling of the characters. The recalling is out of order. Therefore, montage is widely used in his films and these scenes are linked together by monologues.4 However, it does not break the fluency of the film. Contrarily, incidents of the story are emphasized and impress audience. This technique is widely used in Ashes of Time. By the monologues of the owner of the thatching, the stories of his employees, his friends and his own are linked together and audience can feel that “life is fleetness that you cannot tell”. The monologue is always a kind of self-analysis in order to create images of characters and presents the inner of the characters directly. In Ashes of Time, the killer says that “I want to be strong because I do not want others are happier than me”. Therefore, the personalities of the characters are completely presented to audiences.
The monologues and dialogues appear as the form of adage and are estimated highly among audiences. In Ashes of Time, the killer’s friend says, “Although I like her, I do not want her to know. Because I know that the thing is wonderful because you can not get it. I know she is missing someone while she is looking at that child. I am jealous about him. I want to know the feeling of being loved by others. As a result, I hurt many people.”
All of his productions are about one theme which is the communication between people.5 It includes strange and familiar, accept and refuse, pursue and depress and escape to pursue freedom. His unique way of directing films is a development of filmmaking. Although he might not be the whole future of the filmdom, he does point a direction for the development of film.6
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