Professor Seng’s article titled ‘Cuts through Hong Kong’ depict the unique spatial elements and urban environment of Hong Kong through the Wong Kar-Wai’s 2000 Movie ‘In the Mood for Love’.
The movie is set in 1960s Hong Kong, and the film accurately showcases the buildings and architectural features of the time period. For example, the protagonist Chow, rents a hotel room in Tsim Sha Tsui, at a time where the area was full of low budget hotels, but by the 1990s most of these Hotels had been demolished. To combat this Wong Kar-Wai filmed these hotel scenes at the British Military Hospital. The filming crew also filmed certain scenes in Bangkok in an attempt to recreate the 1960’s Hong Kong ambiance and aesthetic. The film also brought in historical events that happened during the time period, like the addition of Typhoon Wanda and the Star Ferry Riots, which are prominent and central themes that overlap with the main story. Seng states that the film ’embodies the intersections of transient and conflicting identities and loyalties’ in Hong Kong, and how the City was in a ‘state of transition’.
Apart from the Historical accuracy, the film also highlights the unique urban environment in Hong Kong, bedrooms, mahjong rooms, hotel rooms and other domestic spaces are prevalent throughout the film. Seng points out that in Hong Kong especially, there is a fine line between public and private spaces, as they are so interconnected with each other.
Brayden Lisboa 3036050829
Good attention to historic detail, and I appreciate your focus on the logistics of recreating historical scenery. Is there one particular historical event that you wish was depicted more in period pieces?