Ashes of Time (1994)
[director Wong Kar Wai]
Wong Kar-Wai’s existential “Jiang Hu” epic (for an explanation of “Jiang Hu,” see “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”), following the lonely, lonely lives of a plethora of mythical swordsmen. Wong takes writer Louis Cha’s source material (a pulp swordplay novel called “The Eagle-Shooting Heroes”) and reinterprets it in his own unique style, resulting in a film that one critic called “”he Seven Samurai at Marienbad.”
Indeed, the narrative of the film is severely fractured, following characters into side-stories and flashbacks intermittently as the action progresses in the vaguest way possible. Eventually, a series of stories emerge, following a passel of wandering swordspeople trying to rectify their stunning abilities with their lack of romantic courage.
Brigitte Lin is stunning in her role, playing a schizoid swordswoman who acts as both her own character and her character’s nonexistent brother. Leslie Cheung’s performance anchors the film. It is easily the deepest, most complex performance in a 20+ year career (a career, I should add, that has been filled with challenging roles). Both Tony Leungs are on hand (as best friends, no less!), and Wong favorite Carina Lau is back, stroking a horse in the sexiest way possible. Plus, Jacky Cheung and Charlie Yoeh are there, as well as Maggie Cheung, in a beguiling sort of performance ad miniature.
The film is beautifully lensed by master cinematographer Christopher Doyle, who shades his canvases with rippling shadows. Art director William Chang provides fascinating textures in both costuming and in the naturalistic sets. The movie was ravishingly created in the Gobi desert, creating a feeling of abstraction in terms of time and place. This movie was a major achievement for director Wong Kar-Wai, and, along with the simultaneously-filmed Chungking Express, his first couple of claims to greatness.
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