Days of Being Wild
| Days of Being Wild | |
|---|---|
 Film poster for Days of Being Wild | |
| Directed by | Wong Kar-wai |
| Written by | Wong Kar-wai |
| Produced by | Alan Tang |
| Starring | Leslie Cheung Andy Lau Maggie Cheung Carina Lau Jacky Cheung |
| Cinematography | Christopher Doyle |
| Edited by | Kit-Wai Kai Patrick Tam |
| Distributed by | Rim |
Release date |
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Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Languages | Cantonese Shanghainese Mandarin Filipino English |
| Box office | $146,310 (Worldwide)[1] |
Days of Being Wild (Chinese: 阿飛正傳) is a 1990 Hong Kong film directed by Wong Kar-wai. The film stars some of the best-known actors and actresses in Hong Kong, including Leslie Cheung, Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau, Jacky Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai. Days of Being Wild also marks the first collaboration between Wong and cinematographer Christopher Doyle, with whom he has since made six more films.[2][3]
The movie forms the first part of an informal trilogy, together with In the Mood for Love (released in 2000) and 2046 (released in 2004).[3]
Plot details
The movie is set in Hong Kong and the Philippines in 1960. Yuddy[citation needed], or 'York' in English (Leslie Cheung), is a playboy in Hong Kong and is well known for stealing girls' hearts and breaking them. His first lover in the film is Li Zhen (Maggie Cheung) who suffers emotional and mental depression as a result of Yuddy's[citation needed] wayward attitude. Li Zhen eventually seeks much-needed solace from a sympathetic policeman named Tide (Andy Lau). Their near-romance is often hinted at but never materializes.
York's next romance is with a vivacious cabaret dancer whose stage name is Mimi (Carina Lau). Mimi is also loved by York's best friend, Zeb (Jacky Cheung). Unsurprisingly, York dumps her too and she begins a period of self-destruction. York initiates romantic relationships but refuses to commit to the relationship and is unwilling to make compromises. He is conflicted about his feelings about his adoptive mother, a former prostitute played by Rebecca Pan, and is obsessed about his biological mother, who he eventually discovers is a Filipino aristocrat.
Analysis
Almost entirely ignored on its original release, the film has gathered strong critical interest over time, and has a Metacritic score of 96%.[4] Critics praise the film for its beauty and eroticism, though some do not discern a narrative arc that brings the pieces together.
Cast and roles
- Leslie Cheung – Yuddy[citation needed]
- Andy Lau – Tide, policeman 6117, who becomes a friend and confidant of Su Li Zhen and later, after the death of his mother, he becomes a sailor and goes to the Philippines
- Maggie Cheung – Su Li Zhen, who grew up in Macau and is the ex-girlfriend of Yuddy
- Carina Lau – Leung Fung-ying, Mimi/Lulu, the girlfriend of Yuddy
- Rebecca Pan – Rebecca, a former prostitute who raises Yuddy, has a love-and-hate relationship with Yuddy, because she refuses to reveal the identity of Yuddy's biological mother
- Jacky Cheung – Zeb, Yuddy's friend since childhood; Yuddy used to live above Zeb's family's garage as a kid; Zeb fancies Mimi/Lulu
- Danilo Antunes – Rebecca's lover, who only goes for her money
- Hung Mei-Mei – The Amah
- Ling Ling-Hung – Nurse
- Tita Muñoz – Yuddy's Mother
- Alicia Alonzo – Housekeeper
- Elena Lim So – Hotel Manageress
- Maritoni Fernandez – Hotel Maid
- Angela Ponos – Prostitute
- Nonong Talbo – Train Conductor
- Tony Leung Chiu-Wai – Gambler
- Alan Tang – Producer
Music
- Los Indios Tabajaras, "Always In My Heart"
- Xavier Cugat
- Leslie Cheung performed the song 何去何從之阿飛正傳 loosely translated as 'Choice' or 'The True Story of Ah Fei' as the film's theme song and is also found in his album Beloved (寵愛).
- 梅豔芳 (Anita Mui) – 是這樣的 – the Cantonese cover of the theme song and is featured at the end of the film during the credits.
Box office
Days of Being Wild grossed HK $9,751,942 in its Hong Kong run,[5] a number that would become typical for a Wong Kar Wai film. With the starry cast, this figure was considered a disappointment. Still, the film was successful enough to warrant a parody (The Days of Being Dumb, which also featured Tony Leung), and now routinely tops Hong Kong critics' lists of the best local productions.
Awards and nominations
- 1991 Hong Kong Film Awards
- Won: Best Picture
- Won: Best Director (Wong Kar-wai)
- Won: Best Actor (Leslie Cheung)
- Won: Best Art Direction (William Chang)
- Won: Best Cinematography (Christopher Doyle)
- Nominated: Best Actress (Carina Lau)
- Nominated: Best Film Editing (Patrick Tam)
- Nominated: Best Screenplay (Wong Kar-wai)
- Nominated: Best Supporting Actress (Rebecca Pan)
- 1991 Asia Pacific Film Festival
- Nominated: Best Actor (Leslie Cheung)
- 1997 Golden Bauhinia Awards
- Won: Special Award (Best Hong Kong film of the last 10 years)
- 2005 Hong Kong Film Awards
- Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures (#3)
- Top 100 Favorite movies of Chinese Cinema (#2)
- 2011 Golden Horse Film Festival
- 100 Greatest Chinese-Language Films (#4)
See also
- Andy Lau filmography
- Jacky Cheung filmography
- Cinema of Hong Kong
- Christopher Doyle
- List of movies set in Hong Kong
- List of Hong Kong films
- Alan Tang
References
- ^ "Days Of Being Wild". BoxOfficeMojo.com. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
- ^ Kevin Crust (7 January 2005). "'Days of Being Wild'". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b "What cinema's movers and shakers say about Wong Kar-Wai I may never come back from Shanghai?". The Daily Telegraph. UK. 31 December 2004.
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/movie/days-of-being-wild-re-release
- ^ "Days of being wild". Hong Kong Film Archive. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
External links
- Use dmy dates from February 2012
- 1990 films
- 1991 films
- 1990s drama films
- Films directed by Wong Kar-wai
- Hong Kong films
- Cantonese-language films
- Best Film HKFA
- Films set in 1960
- Films set in Hong Kong
- Films set in the Philippines
- Films shot in the Philippines
- Films whose director won the Best Director Golden Horse Award