In the mood for an answer.
July 19, 2008 3:36 AM Subscribe
Help me understand the final scene of Wong Kar Wai's "Days of Being Wild." Yes, the one in which Tony Leung appears in a brief cameo.
The Tony Leung character appears to be dressing, either for a night on the town or work. He's alone in his apartment, which has a painfully low ceiling, forcing him to perform his preparations in a crouch.
Is the Tony Leung character a continuation of the role he plays in the second film of the trilogy, "In the Mood for Love?" (His well-groomed and attired appearance seem to suggest a continuity with the dapper journalist of the later film.) Or is he somebody else? If so, whom? And how is he--and the final scene in general--relevant to the story of "Days of Being Wild?"
And the apartment. Why so odd, so claustrophobic, so unlivable?
The Tony Leung character appears to be dressing, either for a night on the town or work. He's alone in his apartment, which has a painfully low ceiling, forcing him to perform his preparations in a crouch.
Is the Tony Leung character a continuation of the role he plays in the second film of the trilogy, "In the Mood for Love?" (His well-groomed and attired appearance seem to suggest a continuity with the dapper journalist of the later film.) Or is he somebody else? If so, whom? And how is he--and the final scene in general--relevant to the story of "Days of Being Wild?"
And the apartment. Why so odd, so claustrophobic, so unlivable?
subtle-t's comment above is echoed in a note in the film's "Trivia" section at IMDb.
For some reason IMDb now identifies his character as "Chow Mo-wan", which is the name of Tony Leung's character in In the Mood for Love (and 2046). I'm not sure where IMDb got that as the character is unnamed in the film itself (I haven't checked to see what the actual credits say) and I recall a different listing previously at IMDb (or elsewhere). Apparently he was supposed to be a sort of rake (with a very dapper and suave exterior concealing a somewhat inverse reality (viz. the cramped apartment)).[citation needed]
Note that Maggie Cheung's character does, however, have the same name in the two films; apparently Wong Kar-wai told Maggie Cheung that she should imagine the Su of In the Mood for Love to be essentially an older version of the Su of Days of Being Wild (while not truly being the same character as in a formal sequel)[citation needed].
posted by yz at 6:33 AM on July 19, 2008
For some reason IMDb now identifies his character as "Chow Mo-wan", which is the name of Tony Leung's character in In the Mood for Love (and 2046). I'm not sure where IMDb got that as the character is unnamed in the film itself (I haven't checked to see what the actual credits say) and I recall a different listing previously at IMDb (or elsewhere). Apparently he was supposed to be a sort of rake (with a very dapper and suave exterior concealing a somewhat inverse reality (viz. the cramped apartment)).[citation needed]
Note that Maggie Cheung's character does, however, have the same name in the two films; apparently Wong Kar-wai told Maggie Cheung that she should imagine the Su of In the Mood for Love to be essentially an older version of the Su of Days of Being Wild (while not truly being the same character as in a formal sequel)[citation needed].
posted by yz at 6:33 AM on July 19, 2008
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posted by subtle-t at 6:03 AM on July 19, 2008