Wong Kar-wai clearly sees the world differently through his
trademark sunglasses, if the colorful, sensual, visual style of
In the Mood for Love and 2046 are anything to go
by.
My Blueberry Nights, the Hong Kong director's first
English-language feature and ninth film, is as good as it
looks.
Singer Norah Jones heads the cast as Elizabeth, a lovelorn
straggler jilted by her New York boyfriend. She takes refuge at a
diner owned by Jeremy (Jude Law).
Hong Kong film director Wong Kar-wai.
It appears she likes his blueberry pies and their pastry-fueled
friendship grows. Elizabeth then sets off on a journey from New
York, through Memphis, to Nevada.
She has encounters with several lonely souls, including an
estranged couple - the alcoholic policeman (David Strathairn) and
his wife (Rachel Weisz)- and a gambler, Natalie Portman, who talks
a better game than she plays.
The cast is American and British and the background scenes are
of the United States, but the neon-lit settings, bars and lonely
highways seem familiar. Fans of Wong's work, however, will note
that the movie has a more open feel.
"I think the story could have happened in any country, to any
person. The film location is not important, it is the story that
counts. I was curious to see how a different language and filming
method would influence me," Wong said during an interview with
China Daily.
He said the project was conceived overnight and came from a segment
of
In the Mood for Love, featuring Tony Leung and Maggie
Cheung.
The scene was cut from the final print and last year, when
another of Wong's projects (Woman from Shanghai, starring
Nicole Kidman) was postponed, he decided to make a short film in
the interlude.
The plot of Blueberry Nights came to him and he turned
it into a road film, partly because it would cost too much to shoot
entirely in New York. Therefore Jones, the Grammy-winning singer,
was sent on a romantic but melancholy journey.
"Wherever she travels, her heart is still in New York," is how
Wong explained the character. "She needs to get some distance to
find out whether she wants to go back."
The journey, Wong said, is one of self-discovery. He quotes the
story of Christopher Doyle, the Australian cinematographer, as an
example.
"When he was a little boy, he always wondered what the world
would be like on the sea. Therefore, he worked as a sailor. When he
returned years later he said he felt like a guest and thought he
could belong anywhere," Wong said.
"So what I hope the audience will get after seeing this film is
an idea of their real self."
The experience of working with an English-speaking ensemble, was
more fun than challenging, Wong said.
"The culture difference is obvious but I don't think it is a
problem. Human feelings are universal, more than that, when we had
different opinions, I invited everyone to contribute their
ideas."
The much talked about kiss scene is evidence of this. It is
closing time in the diner and Jones, the last customer, is slumped
on the counter, her eyes shut.
Law sees some cream on her lips. He thinks about whether he
should clean it, by hand, or with his lips.
In the discarded segment of In the Mood for Love, Tony
Leung touches Maggie Cheung's face with his finger, before planting
his lips.
Wong was well aware what an Asian guy would do but sought advice
on what a Westerner would do. The guys voted for a straightforward
kiss, while the women wanted a hand first. Finally, it was agreed
Jude Law's character would gaze at Jones first, before stealing a
kiss.
When shooting the scene, William Chang, Wong's long-time
collaborator and a production designer this time around, constantly
fussed over Jones, rearranging her hair and re-spotting the cream
on her lips.
The scene, which runs for less than one minute, was taken at
different film speeds and from a multitude of angles: a wide shot,
his point of view; hers, through windows, with objects in the
foreground. Wong and his cinematographer Darius Khondji, who
replaced Doyle on this project, devised it for 15 set-ups.
"I've never worked with anyone who puts so much emphasis on a
single moment," Law told the New York Times. "It's
extraordinary how he'll take a moment and replay it and slice it
up."
Wong developed the script with crime novelist Lawrence Block.
Still, Wong recycled his ideas, often at the last minute. To his
surprise, Law and Jones were excited with his method, which Law
described as "a living story that's still being decided".
Wong said it was a myth that he never works with a completed
script.
"I started as a scriptwriter so I knew very well what the story
was. I only improvise details. This time Block and I wrote the
story first to respect the actors' habits."
Wong, who has pushed stars like Cheung and Leung to the edge
because of his habit for re-shooting, wrapped up My Blueberry
Nights in a surprisingly brisk eight weeks. He doesn't always
take forever to wrap up a film.
"This is another myth. Not all films need to be shot over a long
period. This time we took the simplest equipment and finished it in
a short time. Also Jones was doing her album, so in the two months
when she could work, we had to finish the filming."
The movie will premiere on the Chinese mainland around
Christmas. Wong said the fact that the filming was done in the
United States does not mean he has "gone Hollywood".
"The production team is from Hong Kong," he said, "so this is
still a Hong Kong film."
(China Daily November 27, 2007)
