Thursday, October 14, 2010

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Cantonese) (2000)

For some unknown reason, I avoided two fine and timeless pieces of art from long. The first is reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s classic ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’ and the other is watching Wong Kar-Wai’s ‘In the Mood for Love’. Transcending the differential boundary between the medium, language, culture and plot both of them follow the universal and eternal theme of ‘Love’ touching all our strings at right chords. Where Marquez’s epical love story follows fate of unrequited love with a period of fifty one years, nine months and four days between Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza , Kar Wai’s cinema just like a short story follows fate of restricted love with pairs of lovers ending up playing those myriad expressions of LOVE and its hide and seek…so sublime and subtle to put in words!

Two people living as next door neighbor realize their spouses having an affair with each other’s spouse. Fate has put both of them in the same boat; feeling hurt, dejected and angry they slowly starts liking each other’s company. They resolve not to tread on path of their unfaithful mates but who can chain their hearts? “Feelings can creep up just like that!” said Marquez.

The film is not just a piece of serenading romance but the most personal tragedy and the opera of heartfelt emotions and its disturbing vacuum. The struggle of virtue to stay apart when destined by vice to be together both of them gave the immortal resonance to love and its longing. Both Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung looks so elegant and enigmatic pair of lovers corresponding restraint act in the most sublime way possible. With unpredictable twists and turns of tangled and tugging emotions the narration of film invokes magical feelings for anybody watching it first time. I just can’t resist tears watching the separation rehearsal scene.

Both Wong and cinematographer Christopher Doyle deserves standing ovation for capturing the emotional pitfalls of modern day lovers never filmed as ‘a piece of poetry’. Doyle’s slow motion camera captured the aesthetic high capturing moments that last forever; each frame seems like witnessing luminous art gallery with brilliant use of color and effects. Musical interludes combined with piano and violin heightens the emotional echoes.

My eyes and ears craving more of Wong Kar-Wai cinema.

Ratings-10/10

2 comments:

nanda said...

Ah i was just hoping for a wong kar wai movie review by you.
And fortunately i haven't seen this.

He is a brilliant director in this genre, dealing with human emotions. The movies of his have a great lyrical quality to them.
What astounded me was how perfectly i could connect with the characters despite them speaking an alien tongue.

Do watch 2046 and "where the wild things are" of wong kar wai if you haven't. They are masterpieces.

HIREN DAVE said...

Wong is revelation of the year for me and i'm surely gonna download and watch most of his films in coming time. Thanx for commenting and yeah Keep watching this blog.