Y: Good morning and good evening! Welcome to our podcast today! Today’s topic is the movie Crossing Hennesy. We will discuss this movie from an architectural perspective. I’m the host today, Yiru.
A: I’m Aurora.
Y: Aurora, would you like to give a brief introduction to this movie?
A: Sure! Crossing Hennessy is centered around the Hennessy Road and tells a romantic urban love story about Loy and Oi Lin across North and South Wanchai. Loy is the proprietor of an electrical appliance store in South Wanchai. He has no ambition and sleeps every day while Oi Lin is an indomitable and taciturn person who has joined her uncle since she was a child and helped out in his store. They were set up by both parents and began a blind date in which they met and got to know each other, and even put aside the influence of their old lovers to develop a new love.
Y: While the movie explores the romantic complexities of contemporary urban living, Crossing Hennessy is a compellingly innovative and pleasant dramatic comedy that makes excellent use of its Hong Kong settings. Then what’s special about Hennessy Road? And why would it be so important to cross it?
A: Hennessy Road is named after the eighth Governor of Hong Kong. Hong Kong was ruled by the British for nearly a hundred years. At that time, the status of the Chinese was not high. Against the dissatisfaction of the British, he abolished the prohibition of the Chinese from participating in the sale and purchase of land, which laid the foundation for the rapid development of Central.
Y: Wanchai, where Hennessy road is located, is the central location of Hong Kong Island. It is a unique community where the old and the new coexist. It combines the essence of old traditions and new developments with the most extended history and the richest traditional cultural characteristics in Hong Kong. Hennessy originally meant a small bay. With the development of the city and the continuous reclamation, the small old bay has long since disappeared. It is also the dividing line between the old and new neighbourhoods, and the development of high-rise buildings on the north side has become prosperous and modern. The narrow and old streets in the south are dull and vicissitudinous. Crossing it is like travelling through an unreal space tunnel that takes you back and forth between old and new Hong Kong.
Y: Many clips in this movie describe the modern life of Loy and Oi Lin, so what do you think is the traditional architectural representation of Hong Kong in Hennessy Road?
A: On Hennessy Road, the representation of old hong kong is Tongde Daya. Hong Kong used to have many pawnshops. In the 1930s, Japan invaded China. Many refugees have sought refuge in Hong Kong. They are penniless and can only pawn their belongings. In the 1950s, post-war life was generally poor, and pawns were often used in old Hong Kong films, even for the middle and upper classes. The pawn business has gradually declined as time passes, and these pawnshops have also lost their value.
The four-story Tongde Dabao has a typical Hong Kong-style Tenement House design. Tang Lou, as the name suggests, is the residence of the Tang people, and it is also the origin of the construction of the Chinese community.
Y: In contrast with skyscrapers rising behind, the traditional hong kong economy and western capitalism coexist on two sides of Hennessy road, reflecting the perfect fusion of traditional culture and Western culture.
The movie is titled ‘crossing Hennessy, ‘ in the movie we see the two protagonists use the flyover, bus, and tram to cross Hennessy, travel back and forth between the old and new, and walk toward each other step by step. Among all these transportation infrastructures, which one do you think can best represent Hennessy road?
A: The tram is a very important element. In the 20th century, the tram used to have its terminal at the end of this street. It now travels along the street to reach both extremities of Hong Kong Island. Throughout the movie, double-decker trams can be seen passing by from time to time, and the tram’s unique “ding ding” sound can be heard. Even the theme of the movie’s promotional poster is two trams designed with the hero and heroine as the theme.
The tram in South Wanchai shows the authentic Hong Kong style and city culture, which starkly contrasts the modernization and economy in the north WanChai. Let people find the memory of old-fashioned Hong Kong in the high-rise buildings.
A: How does the movie’s visual language express the experience of crossing Hennessy?
Y: I think one gets the impression that “Crossing” aspires to be the swan song for a vibrant neighbourhood going through change as part of the soulless, philistine “Urban Renewal” programme of the government. Yet, this is not sufficiently conveyed by having the two protagonists talk while walking the same few streets. Despite taking an enormous number of shots, no clear sense of location or direction is made clear. He has yet to master a distinctive visual language and seamless continuity; the cinematography is rather flat, the compositions are often unappealing, and certain scenes lack logical progression.
A: The director uses a lot of long shots and still shots to describe the life of Loy and oi Lin. It slows down the pace of the whole movie and provides more time and details for the viewer to observe and think. This shooting method makes the hero and heroine’s love story more ordinary and real. At the same time, the long shot captures the subtle emotions between men and women very well, making the whole film very delicate and profound.
Y: Despite being the urban setting, what other roles do you think Hennessy Road plays in this movie?
A: In Crossing Hennessy, Hennessy Road not only separates the old and new urban areas but also expresses the imagery of the closeness between the male and female protagonists. After the first date, Loy told Oi Lin that he hated going to the North urban area and only wanted to stay in South Wanchai. South and North Wanchai are obviously very close, and there is only one Hennessy Road in the middle, but Loy is completely unwilling to cross it. It shows that, when Loy and Oi Lin met for the first time, they were like the north and south city of Wan Chai, two parallel lines without any intersection, separated by Hennessy Road. It is difficult for two people to forget their old lovers, and they do not want to go to each other.
Y: But the situation changed when they got to know each other. Once, Oi Lin was having an emotional struggle. She crossed Hennessy Road and cried on North Wanchai. Even though Loy greatly hated the North area, he still crossed Hennessy Road desperately to find Oi Lin. At this time, Loy realized that his feelings for Oi Lin had crossed the line. What Loy crossed was not only the Hennessy Road but also the emotional distance between Loy and Oi Lin. They completely let go of their resistance and the past, and gave birth to a new love.
A: The same is true of Hong Kong’s urban development. After crossing Hennessy, which means reclamation and expansion of land to build today’s bustling new district, many things will never go back. The tax building mentioned in the movie dialogue is the core area of Wan Chai New District. After paying the tax at the tax bureau, one gained another identity as a taxpayer. That makes the tax building a place that people love and hate. The more you earn, the more you pay. Some people use this to prove their worth. Pursuing personal wealth and emphasizing commercial competition in the logic of capitalism, using economic development, efficiency, and globalization as indicators of social progress.
Y: In this kind of social environment, many feelings have to be compromised. The 80-year-old Wanchai landmark Tongde Daya was demolished at the end of 2015 and will be rebuilt into a 23-story commercial building. Old buildings are always no match for urban development, and this precious building will disappear from people’s sight forever.
A: Crossing Hennessy is a myth of love and also the myth of Hong Kong. There may also be a Hennessy path between every man and woman. It may not be passed, but once it passes, it may be a lifetime.
Group members:
Yang Yiru 3035844613
Zhao Minrui Aurora 3036101020
I appreciated the in-depth analysis on Wan Chai as a district and the architectural analysis on the buildings and how it conveyed the capital development of Hong Kong. I also thought the spatial analysis of the different infrastructural and transportational conditions is critical and helps the viewer understand Wan Chai in a more comprehensive manner. The map diagram of reclamation was helpful in explicating your points. To further the discussion, you can comment on how the camera angles emphasizes or takes away the street condition and how it demonstrates the experience of the city from the characters’ perspective.