My Prince Edward 金都 (2019), dir. Norris Wong
Golden Plaza, Kowloon, Hong Kong
My Prince Edward is a romance film talking about a story of two about to get married. Cheung Lee Fong (張莉芳) and Edward (殷俊榮) are working in Golden Plaza and living above Golden Plaza. They are preparing for the wedding in Golden Plaza since most of the materials can be purchased in there. However, Edward discovered that Cheung had fake marriage 10 years ago. They have vigorous arguments when trying on wedding dresses in Golden Plaza. Also, Cheung discover that their values are very different during the preparation work. Unfortunately, they failed to get married because of these conflicts.
Pic 1, the view of the Golden Plaza.
Golden Plaza in the movie is nearly the same in reality. It is because the movie is filmed past 3 years. It locates in Prince Edward and near the hustle bustle Nathan Road. In the Golden Plaza, there are full of wedding shop. No matter dresses, jewelry, wedding souvenirs and wedding cake, you can find everything you need for wedding in the Golden Plaza or nearby. For the contrast, because of the COVID-19, lots of the wedding have been canceled or suspended (pic 4). Therefore, most of the shop in the Golden plaza has been closed. Not only the Golden Plaza, but also for the entire Nathan Road. Lots of the shop closed or have little amount of people in there. It makes a sharp contrast to the lively and joyous atmosphere in the movie.
In the first act, the film showing the inner view of the Golden Plaza. Swapping the shots between different wedding shop functioning in the Plaza. The constant swapping act present how unite it is in Golden Plaza that all the shop are acting different role in the same wedding preparation. After that, an aerial shot form the bottom of the Plaza to the top of the plaza (Pic 1). It shows it is located near the Nathan Road and showing there are some residential buildings above the building. The harmony of working and living. It also links that where are the protagonist living. The shot with a slightly yellow and brown filter combines with the sun set showing that Golden Plaza is a time-honored place for purchasing wedding materials. It also provides me a nostalgia feeling and shows it start to decline. In the act that when protagonists and Edward’s mother walking in Golden Plaza (Pic 2). “Wedding dresses, suit, wedding invitation. You can have all the things you need Golden Plaza” said by Edward. This act shows that all wedding things are available in there (Pic 3). This act it also shows the human warmth in there since protagonists are both working in there and people congregate them when they are walking by. In the act that Cheung is going to leave Golden Plaza and Edward is finding her, the weather change from cloudy to rainy. With an add of the background music, Cheung gets into a bus and turns off her phone. It shows the determination of leaving. On the other hand, Edward rush from home to find Cheung under the rain without umbrella showing that he is very anxious. The moment that the shot capture from the bus create a contrast between Cheung’s disappointment and determination between Edward’s worried.
Pic 2 walking in Golden plaza
Pic 3 leaving
Pic 4 Golden Plaza under COVID-19
—Hung Wai Chung, 3035693040
Aside from the fact that it is the one-stop-shopping centre for wedding preparation, would you think there are anything else the Golden Plaza represents? Think of the “urban everyday spaces as narrative”, it would also be productive to consider what kind of urban experience the Golden Plaza narrates through. In your reflection, you also mentioned how the residential tower on top of the bustling commercial spaces represented the harmony of working and living. You could build your argument by demonstrating how has such balance (or the lack thereof) is portrayed through such spaces in the film. Relating your analysis to one of the key ideas we have discussed in the class will be helpful for you to read through the site and build your argument. Lastly, do not forget to put a proper reference to your writing. The citation must be incorporated in the essay, both for cited text and images which are not yours.