Daily Archives: December 23, 2020

The GOODS from The Cinematheque

Vancouver, BC | As we settle in for a cosy, socially isolated festive season what better to keep us company than the sumptuous, sensual, unapologetically sentimental cinema of Hong Kongs best-loved auteur! The Cinematheque begins theircareer-spanning retrospectivedevoted to Wong Kar-Wai with a virtual run of seven brand-new restorations that can all be enjoyed from the comforts of home.

Occasioned by the 20th anniversary ofIn the Mood for Love a true contender for the title of most beautiful film ever made this retrospective has been long-awaited by cinephiles and it wont disappoint. More titles will be announced in the new year when in-person screenings at The Cinematheque can resume.

On January7 Chelsea Birks, a self-professed WKW fan and The Cinematheques Learning & Outreach Manager, will hosta virtual lectureexploring the directors signature stylistic techniques and artistic influences.

Visual pleasures abound, from Wongs preference for bold, saturated colours to the profligate use of slow-motion and step printing. His films feature a veritable catalogue of Chinese cinemas most beautiful people, from the incomparably glamorous Maggie Cheung to Cantopop icons Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai to celebrity superstars Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi. But while Wongs is decidedly not an austere cinema, neither do his films reflect an unrestrained hedonism: his lovers are frequently paralyzed by repressive social conditions (In the Mood for Love,Happy Together), shyness (Chungking Express), or a general sense of youthful malaise (Days of Being Wild,Fallen Angels). Chelsea Birks

Enjoy all seven of the virtual titles in this retrospective at a discounted rate with aWKW Virtual Series Pass.

Watch online until January 27, 2021.

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World of Wong Kar-Wai at The Cinematheque - Scout Magazine