CHUNGKING EXPRESS, DIR. Wang Kar-Wai (1994)
CHUNGKING MANSION, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
(Chungking mansion)
“Chungking Express” is one of the most famous and classic Hong Kong movies created by Mr Wong Kar-Wai. The word “Chongking” in its name comes from Chungking Mansions located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. The film mainly narrates two love stories that are barely intertwined from two policemen: No. 233 and No. 663, who meet new people after being lovelorn. In addition to the main story content, the film also shows the vibrant side of Hong Kong by depicting the living environment of people in Hong Kong at that time: long mountain roads and stairs, crowded vegetable markets and bazaars, and Indians buying curry in Chongqing mansion.
(Vague forms of expression)
This article will focus on the impact of the atmosphere set off by the director through the plot and the choice of places used. We will start with the concepts of space and place. Space refers to a location or a geographic point in the physical sense, while the place is generated by the connection between characters and characters or characters and scenes, which endows space with profound meaning. As in the story of 663 in the second paragraph of the film, Fei, the new waitress at fast food restaurant, helped police officer 663 clean up his apartment. Although the cabin in life may be highly ordinary, it became a bridge between Fei and 663 in the film. It was also through this bridge that brought police 663 back to his confidence and picked himself up from his previous relationship experience, even ready for “the second plane landing”.
（Police 233 eating a hamburger） (The killer walking on the street)
From my perspective, “Chungking Express” is a film with an urban sense. Especially the first paragraph of 663’s emotional story, which is in line with the characteristics of Hong Kong: the scene of debauchery in the 1960s. Through the description of the large and various populations in the Chungking mansion as well as the design of the whole atmosphere of Hong Kong, the word “distance” is strongly emphasized. The congestion of the city has brought about the encounter between different people, just as the film describes: “only 0.01 cm apart”. However, this actual or physical closeness estranged the distance between people’s hearts. For example, although the blonde killer walks on the busy street, she can only walk in the dark side of the street, lonely and afraid. In addition, Wong Kar-Wai used a unique shooting method that severe jitter and using lower framerates at the beginning to show the tension, anxiety and hurried of people’s lives in the film, which can also be concluded from the sense that police 233 eating a hamburger from Mcdonald. It is also such a fast pace and spiritual distance that creates so many fluctuations, including 233 and 663’s love, and have a “time to expire”. Even if what they pursue is stability (such as love), in real life, they often experience rapid changes. This makes the movie, although it is a romantic love movie, has a deeply melancholy temperament.
— Zhu Silun, 3035771749
It seems that you have also analyzed settings outside Chungking Mansion. It would be more specific if you could focus on one setting and carefully compare and analyze the relevant scenes instead of attempting to understand the whole movie generally. Your fieldwork research seems to be rather limited. You may try comparing the setting in film and that in reality to understand the director’s choice in using the site to shape the atmosphere as you have mentioned. Lastly, you should use proper citations for all the sources you have used.