Doyle uses the camera to isolate characters within the frame – cutting them off and framing them narrowly within shadowed frames and doorways. Particularly the city of Hong Kong, which itself embodies transience, with its focus on capitalism and development.įraming is also used to generate meaning in the film. Its ever changing nature brings the viewer into the mindset of the characters, and also reminds them of the ever-changing nature of city life. The lighting changes constantly- different colours and lights pulse, creating the highly concentrated and punchy visual look. Equally, the lighter moments in the film are usually accompanied by a play on lights- refractions and lens flare through windows. These tones depict the all encompassing feeling of isolation within the sprawl of the city. The use of colour in the film is also very prominent many of the scenes are coloured with dark and muted gels, particularly green and blue tones- signifiers for depression. The notion of expiration is universal, especially in portraying the notion of transient love.
This heavy focus on time and numbers is illustrated through the names of the police characters, intimate distances between people, and sell by dates. Time and dates are given huge importance in the film perhaps alluding to the Handover, which shook Hong Kong in the late nineties. This is also explored through the use of time lapse: in a particular shot of cop 663, waiting in a bar, his actions are slowed down, while the rest of the scene is sped up and people are, again, a transient blur this plays to the theme of time. Loneliness and transience are highlighted as the characters on screen are alone, despite being surrounded by hundreds of rushing, blurred people. The speed and chaos of the city are also reflected in the cinematography, particularly in the opening and montage scenes- there is heavy use of motion blur, which compounded with the handheld, cinema verité shooting style thoroughly and accurately depict life in the city. These shots reflect the sense of confusion within their identities felt by all the characters, and are a unifying motif within the film. The theme of identity is strongly alluded to through the cinematography of Christopher Doyle- particularly through his use of shots with a focus on reflection and refraction. The overall result is a fairly pessimistic view of unrequited love- all heightened by the energetic editing and shooting styles. Director, Wong Kar Wai, and cinematographer, Christopher Doyle use high energy visuals and heavily edited colour to explore these themes. Chungking Express: What is the importance of cinematography and editing in creating meaning and generating response in Chungking Express?Ĭhungking Express explores the themes of loneliness, transience and identity within the environment of the city.
0 kommentar(er)
