Post by galvatron prime on May 15, 2015 7:23:18 GMT
Ashes of Time
東邪西毒
Ashes of Time (Chinese: 東邪西毒; pinyin: Dōngxié xidú; literally: "Eastern Heretic, Western Poison") is a 1994 Hong Kong film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai, and loosely based on four characters from Jin Yong's novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes.
Wong completely eschews any plot adaptation from the novel, using only the names to create his own vision of an arguably unrelated film. During the film's long-delayed production, Wong produced a parody of the same novel with the same cast titled The Eagle Shooting Heroes.
Although it received limited box office success, the parallels Ashes of Time drew between modern ideas of dystopia imposed on a wuxia film has led many critics to cite it as one of Wong Kar-wai's most under-appreciated works.
Due to the original prints being lost Wong re-edited and re-scored the film in 2008 for future theater, DVD and Blu-ray releases under the title Ashes of Time Redux. The film was reduced from 100 to 93 minutes. Both the original and Redux versions can still be found on Asian markets, while only the Redux version is available to western markets. Several criticisms of the Redux version have been noted, such as poor image quality and color mastering from the source material, cropping and removal of portions of the bottom image, poor English translations, and the re-scoring.
Cast
Leslie Cheung as Ouyang Feng, the Venomous West
Tony Leung Ka-fai as Huang Yaoshi, the Malicious East
Brigitte Lin as Murong Yang / Murong Yin / Dugu Qiubai
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai as Blind Swordsman
Carina Lau as Peach Blossom, Blind Swordsman's wife
Charlie Yeung as Girl with mule
Jacky Cheung as Hong Qigong
Maggie Cheung as Ouyang Feng's sister-in-law
Li Bai as Hong Qigong's wife
Siu Tak-Fu
Collin Chou
Lau Shun
Plot
In this film, set in ancient times in China, Leslie Cheung plays an agent, Ouyang Feng, hiring famous bounty hunters. His character is portrayed as a fallen swordsman driven by greed and heartless to both friend and foe. He was perpetually being spiteful of love as his own love history was not nearly so beautiful. His bounty-hunters came and went as was narrated by Ouyang Feng himself as based on the Tung Shu predictions.
In essence, he was a loner with little love, but the bounty hunters that worked for Ouyang Feng, like Blind Swordsman and another of his best fighters, Hong Qigong, discovered the intangible secret of true love while Ouyang retained his attitude towards his fighters and the precious lessons that they have taught. However, the thread that runs through the entire narrative has clearly the spirit of refusal in the sense that one should reject another before he gets to be rejected in the future. To illustrate, nearly every character in this story has resorted to being selfish and malignant in order to prevent being rejected by others, be it in love or in comradeship as their individual hardships have moulded their attitude turning them into heartless and cold individuals in order to survive in the uncompromising desert where the story is set.
It has many moral implications but is less evident since the main character is Ouyang himself and most of the narration would unquestionably be centred on him.
Soundtrack
The music was composed by Frankie Chan and Roel A. García, and produced by Rock Records in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It was released in 1994. The redux version features additional cello solos by Yo-Yo Ma.
Reception
Critical
When the film opened in Hong Kong it received mixed reviews. Critics found it so elliptical that it was almost impossible to make out any semblance of a plot, something very rare in a wuxia film.
In The New York Times, Lawrence Van Gelder also gave Ashes of Time a mixed review:
For those who seek metaphors, Ashes of Time... presents the eye as well as the illusions of vision. One character is nearly blind. Another, a swordsman, goes blind in the middle of a horrendous battle. Two characters, Yin and Yang—one presented as a man, the other as his sister—are identical. And there is a brief appearance by a legendary sword fighter who hones his skills against his own reflection.
For those who seek battle, Ashes of Time offers intermittent blurs of action, streaks of flying figures, flashing steel, and rare spatters and gouts of moist crimson, all washing across the screen like hurried brush paintings.
Like the attainment of wisdom, Ashes of Time requires a long journey through testing terrain.
Note that this review contains a number of errors as regards the plot of the movie.
Awards and nominations
1995 Hong Kong Film Awards
Won: Best Art Direction (William Chang)
Won: Best Cinematography (Christopher Doyle)
Won: Best Costume and Make-up Design (William Chang)
Nominated: Best Picture
Nominated: Best Director (Wong Kar-wai)
Nominated: Best Action Choreography (Sammo Hung)
Nominated: Best Film Editing (Patrick Tam, Kai Kit-wai)
Nominated: Best Original Score (Frankie Chan)
Nominated: Best Screenplay (Wong Kar-wai)
1994 Golden Horse Awards
Won: Best Cinematography (Christopher Doyle)
Won: Best Editing (Patrick Tam, Kai Kit-wai)
1995 Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards
Won: Best Film
Won: Best Director (Wong Kar-wai)
Won: Best Actor (Leslie Cheung)
Won: Best Screenplay (Wong Kar-wai)
1994 Venice Film Festival
Won: Best Cinematography (Christopher Doyle)
1997 Fant-Asia Film Festival
Won: Best Asian Film – Third Place
Box office
Ashes of Time grossed HK$9,023,583 during its Hong Kong run.
Credit
Wikipedia
東邪西毒
Ashes of Time (Chinese: 東邪西毒; pinyin: Dōngxié xidú; literally: "Eastern Heretic, Western Poison") is a 1994 Hong Kong film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai, and loosely based on four characters from Jin Yong's novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes.
Wong completely eschews any plot adaptation from the novel, using only the names to create his own vision of an arguably unrelated film. During the film's long-delayed production, Wong produced a parody of the same novel with the same cast titled The Eagle Shooting Heroes.
Although it received limited box office success, the parallels Ashes of Time drew between modern ideas of dystopia imposed on a wuxia film has led many critics to cite it as one of Wong Kar-wai's most under-appreciated works.
Due to the original prints being lost Wong re-edited and re-scored the film in 2008 for future theater, DVD and Blu-ray releases under the title Ashes of Time Redux. The film was reduced from 100 to 93 minutes. Both the original and Redux versions can still be found on Asian markets, while only the Redux version is available to western markets. Several criticisms of the Redux version have been noted, such as poor image quality and color mastering from the source material, cropping and removal of portions of the bottom image, poor English translations, and the re-scoring.
Cast
Leslie Cheung as Ouyang Feng, the Venomous West
Tony Leung Ka-fai as Huang Yaoshi, the Malicious East
Brigitte Lin as Murong Yang / Murong Yin / Dugu Qiubai
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai as Blind Swordsman
Carina Lau as Peach Blossom, Blind Swordsman's wife
Charlie Yeung as Girl with mule
Jacky Cheung as Hong Qigong
Maggie Cheung as Ouyang Feng's sister-in-law
Li Bai as Hong Qigong's wife
Siu Tak-Fu
Collin Chou
Lau Shun
Plot
In this film, set in ancient times in China, Leslie Cheung plays an agent, Ouyang Feng, hiring famous bounty hunters. His character is portrayed as a fallen swordsman driven by greed and heartless to both friend and foe. He was perpetually being spiteful of love as his own love history was not nearly so beautiful. His bounty-hunters came and went as was narrated by Ouyang Feng himself as based on the Tung Shu predictions.
In essence, he was a loner with little love, but the bounty hunters that worked for Ouyang Feng, like Blind Swordsman and another of his best fighters, Hong Qigong, discovered the intangible secret of true love while Ouyang retained his attitude towards his fighters and the precious lessons that they have taught. However, the thread that runs through the entire narrative has clearly the spirit of refusal in the sense that one should reject another before he gets to be rejected in the future. To illustrate, nearly every character in this story has resorted to being selfish and malignant in order to prevent being rejected by others, be it in love or in comradeship as their individual hardships have moulded their attitude turning them into heartless and cold individuals in order to survive in the uncompromising desert where the story is set.
It has many moral implications but is less evident since the main character is Ouyang himself and most of the narration would unquestionably be centred on him.
Soundtrack
The music was composed by Frankie Chan and Roel A. García, and produced by Rock Records in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It was released in 1994. The redux version features additional cello solos by Yo-Yo Ma.
Reception
Critical
When the film opened in Hong Kong it received mixed reviews. Critics found it so elliptical that it was almost impossible to make out any semblance of a plot, something very rare in a wuxia film.
In The New York Times, Lawrence Van Gelder also gave Ashes of Time a mixed review:
For those who seek metaphors, Ashes of Time... presents the eye as well as the illusions of vision. One character is nearly blind. Another, a swordsman, goes blind in the middle of a horrendous battle. Two characters, Yin and Yang—one presented as a man, the other as his sister—are identical. And there is a brief appearance by a legendary sword fighter who hones his skills against his own reflection.
For those who seek battle, Ashes of Time offers intermittent blurs of action, streaks of flying figures, flashing steel, and rare spatters and gouts of moist crimson, all washing across the screen like hurried brush paintings.
Like the attainment of wisdom, Ashes of Time requires a long journey through testing terrain.
Note that this review contains a number of errors as regards the plot of the movie.
Awards and nominations
1995 Hong Kong Film Awards
Won: Best Art Direction (William Chang)
Won: Best Cinematography (Christopher Doyle)
Won: Best Costume and Make-up Design (William Chang)
Nominated: Best Picture
Nominated: Best Director (Wong Kar-wai)
Nominated: Best Action Choreography (Sammo Hung)
Nominated: Best Film Editing (Patrick Tam, Kai Kit-wai)
Nominated: Best Original Score (Frankie Chan)
Nominated: Best Screenplay (Wong Kar-wai)
1994 Golden Horse Awards
Won: Best Cinematography (Christopher Doyle)
Won: Best Editing (Patrick Tam, Kai Kit-wai)
1995 Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards
Won: Best Film
Won: Best Director (Wong Kar-wai)
Won: Best Actor (Leslie Cheung)
Won: Best Screenplay (Wong Kar-wai)
1994 Venice Film Festival
Won: Best Cinematography (Christopher Doyle)
1997 Fant-Asia Film Festival
Won: Best Asian Film – Third Place
Box office
Ashes of Time grossed HK$9,023,583 during its Hong Kong run.
Credit
Wikipedia