What surprised you the most about how Wong Kar-wai works? Let me know in the comments! If you liked this breakdown, check out my video on the making of Chungking Express too. Also, don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell for more behind-the-scenes stories and film analysis! It’s great to see so many people enjoying a deep dive into the difficulties of a production like In the Mood for Love. There’s something special about hearing these artists talk about their craft, and I aim to share those stories by highlighting the most important aspects while adding a bit of humor to show their human side. Thanks for watching!
Wong kar wai makes films the same way romantic poets wrote their poetry. It's an act of spontaneous inspirations and ideas bleeding into their works. In the Mood for love is one of those films that make you realise that sometimes making just one masterpiece like that is enough
there are also couple insight about him. He is always wearing sunglasses, because he had developed an eye medical issue during filming, it is very sensitive to light so he always wear them. He directs with artistic image in mind, but most of the times he doesn't know what exact detail he is looking for, so he will film multi version of one shot then choose the best one. Example is that When he was filming The Grandmaster, Tony had a scene fighting against 10+ people. Director Wong filmed it under bright sun, big rainfall, small rain, etc, the 2 minutes fighting scene went on filming for more than a month.
I've seen In the Mood For Love roughly 10 times in my life, and I consider it a favorite. it's a film I'm almost sad to feel I know too well. This video brought that spark of life back to these characters and this world for me; along with a real rush of nostalgia, and genuine love and admiration for the cast and crew. For that, thank you.
What is your opinion about 2046? I still haven’t seen it because I’m afraid that it wont be as good and somehow ruin my perception of In The Mood For Love.
I've watched it twice, each time was incredible. It is one of those films I want to cherish each time I watch it, so I don't over watch it so that I can get that thrill again. Probably due another watch, been about 10 years...
i've always seen bits and pieces of info re: the filming of In the Mood for Love, but this is an amazingly detailed piece that encapsulates it all. really inspires you to watch the film again in a new light-
Thank you! There's still a lot more I couldn't include in the video, so it's worth checking out Tony Rayns' book on the film published by BFI for some more details (even though half of the book is the analysis of the film, but it's still interesting).
These mini-documentaries you do are really special. I love ITMFL and knew a little about its production, but i had no clue about a lot of what’s here. The idea of both couples being played by Leung and Cheung is crazy lol. Also, the title cards you made for each section are great.
@idiokit Glad you enjoyed it, researching these films and filmmakers always gives me a new insight into their work, and I see them from a different perspective after making these, so I'm happy if people share the same feeling. Also, thanks for sticking around and always giving feedback :)
What a paltry investment 15 months seem to be, given how this film turned out. Thank you for this video, it just gave great context and background to a film i love dearly.
Art of Guerrilla film making at highest level, a drunken Australian Cinematographer has no boundary at the right place and the right time. I witness it all. I was right there.
Who was paying for 15 months of production, countless hours of prep, and a year of post? Director Wong talks like he's making a home video on his own dime, huh
I've never seen a movie dance, and i don't think i ever will other than ITMFL, and to discover it's production process just elevated WKW's genius for me. Unbelievable.
I cried when I finished watching this video. I'm finding it hard to put it into words. I think it captured all the things that I love about this film and painted a picture of the process that went into creating it - how everyone involved devoted this part of their lives to it. How MAGIC it all is. How Maggie was bereft when it was over. The fact that this was the peak for WKW and the nature of that for an artist. My own frustrated desire to do something along these lines. The perfection of this film. I don't know, it really got to me. Excellent video, fascinating insights, thank you SO MUCH for putting it together and sharing it with us. Subbed. Finally - I WISH they'd kept that end scene in where he asks if she ever called and she says "I don't remember". That would have been so poignant. God I love this film.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Comments like this really makes me feel like it was worth it, because I share your appreciation to the film and the artists behind it, so it's beautiful when so many people are moved or motivated by the hard work of actors and filmmakers. That's why I want to help share their stories.
It sounds like such a difficult process, and one can see how tough it was on everyone involved. What we received is a masterpiece of cinema that managed to capture the human experience and the essence of a time period. What this movie has done is so difficult that it feels impossible till you watch something like in the mood for love. Truly this is going to go down in history as an essential piece of 20th century media.
He usually likes to choose his actors before creating the characters, and base the roles on the personalities of the actors and the impressions they give him while shooting. That's why he writes his scripts a few hours before the shoot, because he gets his ideas from the day before. This is a unique approach, most filmmakers, especially in Hollywood have the characters ready and choose actors that would fit the role.
When I first watched this Arty Farty movie, it was sooo boring that I almost died! Natural my slight ADHD itchy bum tendencies didn't exactly help either... 2024... A bit wiser and more learned, I'll try to watch it again and see how far I can go without reaching for the fast forward button this time round. Wish me luck....
Thank you for covering this film. It is the one which literally pauses me in my steps should I think of it for a single moment, bringing a stillness to every chamber of my heart. Its the one I look for every 10 years when Sight and Sound update their best film list - and if it is still in the top 10 then I know there is still hope and beauty in the collective world consciousness. It was the first WKW film I showed my son, who has since chosen to go into film making. A real masterpiece.
Sounds a lot like the shoot on Casablanca - incomplete script, chaos on the set and basically a "by-the-seat-of-your-pants" production that, for all it's disparate parts, somehow miraculously came together in the end, going on to become one of the most celebrated films of the twentieth century. And of course In the Mood for Love now sits in the top ten of the Critics BFI list, making it one of the greatest films of the early twenty-first century. Few people can make a great film when they start with chaos, incomplete ideas and an unfinished script, but I suppose the distinction that Casablanca and In the Mood for Love share is they both were made by extraordinary talents.
That was an incredible recap of the production of this cinematic gem. I had the pleasure to rewatch in theaters the 4K restoration a vcouple of years ago, and it was glorious. So glad to see a bit more of the behind the scenes, it makes the movie even more miraculous to know its production was so out of whack, to the point even its lead actress was constantly questionning it, and wondering if it was truly a good idea for her career to have said yes to this one 15 months shooting instead of the usual 12 movies she used to do a year for making money. The answer, as is usually the case, is "quality over quantity". 25 years later, nobody remembers these 12 movies a year she used to make, but everybody remembers how magnetic she looked in In the Mood for Love.
hey, it's a great video that you made here. Learned a lot from this. keep up the great work. Was just wondering. How did you made the title screen for each chapter/ what is the technique called? it feels as if the font and the writing was embedded on the screen. as if it blends and not too digitally added. Thanks, if you mind sharing.
Sure, it's a mixture of things. The base is just a simple white fabric texture, I put another light grunge texture on top and color it red. For the golden text, I use a luma matte with a glittery gold texture, which makes it less unified (it adds some grain and gradient to the color), the white just has a slight yellow tint, which also helps make it look less digital. But what makes it complete is the adjustment layers on top, namely some blur and unsharpen mask, color correction to make it less saturated, and film grain on top. Let me know if you have any questions.
Sometimes in a career you capture lightning in a bottle. 2046 was ambitious but did not stir the soul the same way, and WKW, and i honestly feel like he messed up a part of history with the colour grading alternations in the World of Wong Kar Wai re-release. That's art, as WKW said, you can never step in the same river twice, but things in the past stand still for the rest of time.
I also wish all the earlier versions were easier to buy or access. It's kind of sad to think that in a few decades, they could disappear and a part of cinema history might just be lost.
@@davidlai399 I keep imagining a very flustered but kind Ke Huy Quan asking Wong Kar Wai why he keeps disappearing with Tony in bangkok. Because he was the AD of 2046.
I just finished watching your video, and it left me feeling great. The movie is obviously good, but I especially liked your editing-it was so smooth. I just want to say that your way of showcasing the details so seamlessly made my day ✨
Be fair, Wong also pushed everyone that worked with him or funded him to the edge. When he filmed "The Ashes of Time" the progress was so slow to the point the actors/actresses were so bored and the producer worried about the investors couldn't bear it and withdrew the funding...... they had so much time to make a comedy while waiting for Wong and that comedy became a classic in HK movie history....lol
Loved your Chungking Express video. But this video can be summed up in one sentence.. Why In the Mood for Love Took 15 months to film? Because Perfection takes time.
@@JustOneMoreThing223 Thanks definitely check it out. I have seen the dancing scene before but not the other ones. Finding new WKW contents is like discovering a rare gem.
Thank you so much for including all these snippets of the director, actors, and crew members' perspectives! I love this movie, and I have always wanted to know more about it.
What surprised you the most about how Wong Kar-wai works? Let me know in the comments!
If you liked this breakdown, check out my video on the making of Chungking Express too. Also, don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell for more behind-the-scenes stories and film analysis!
It’s great to see so many people enjoying a deep dive into the difficulties of a production like In the Mood for Love. There’s something special about hearing these artists talk about their craft, and I aim to share those stories by highlighting the most important aspects while adding a bit of humor to show their human side.
Thanks for watching!
Wong kar wai makes films the same way romantic poets wrote their poetry. It's an act of spontaneous inspirations and ideas bleeding into their works. In the Mood for love is one of those films that make you realise that sometimes making just one masterpiece like that is enough
there are also couple insight about him. He is always wearing sunglasses, because he had developed an eye medical issue during filming, it is very sensitive to light so he always wear them. He directs with artistic image in mind, but most of the times he doesn't know what exact detail he is looking for, so he will film multi version of one shot then choose the best one. Example is that When he was filming The Grandmaster, Tony had a scene fighting against 10+ people. Director Wong filmed it under bright sun, big rainfall, small rain, etc, the 2 minutes fighting scene went on filming for more than a month.
I've seen In the Mood For Love roughly 10 times in my life, and I consider it a favorite. it's a film I'm almost sad to feel I know too well. This video brought that spark of life back to these characters and this world for me; along with a real rush of nostalgia, and genuine love and admiration for the cast and crew. For that, thank you.
What is your opinion about 2046? I still haven’t seen it because I’m afraid that it wont be as good and somehow ruin my perception of In The Mood For Love.
It's still very good
@@agcouper definitely not as good for me
but in the end they made one of the most beautiful pieces of cinema
Not worth it dawg
It interesting to find out they shot so many different scenes that didn't end up in the movie.
I've watched it twice, each time was incredible. It is one of those films I want to cherish each time I watch it, so I don't over watch it so that I can get that thrill again. Probably due another watch, been about 10 years...
i've always seen bits and pieces of info re: the filming of In the Mood for Love, but this is an amazingly detailed piece that encapsulates it all. really inspires you to watch the film again in a new light-
Thank you! There's still a lot more I couldn't include in the video, so it's worth checking out Tony Rayns' book on the film published by BFI for some more details (even though half of the book is the analysis of the film, but it's still interesting).
@@JustOneMoreThing223 great shout - much appreciated 🫡
These mini-documentaries you do are really special. I love ITMFL and knew a little about its production, but i had no clue about a lot of what’s here. The idea of both couples being played by Leung and Cheung is crazy lol. Also, the title cards you made for each section are great.
@idiokit Glad you enjoyed it, researching these films and filmmakers always gives me a new insight into their work, and I see them from a different perspective after making these, so I'm happy if people share the same feeling. Also, thanks for sticking around and always giving feedback :)
It is one of my favorite films. This doesn't surprise me that such an intense unrequited love story wouldn't be easy to film. The dresses alone!
Wong Kar-wai lighting a ciggy before answering a question during an interview is a baller move.
Yeah, I loved that moment, so I wanted to include it.
Cinematic
What a paltry investment 15 months seem to be, given how this film turned out. Thank you for this video, it just gave great context and background to a film i love dearly.
Art of Guerrilla film making at highest level, a drunken Australian Cinematographer has no boundary at the right place and the right time. I witness it all. I was right there.
Who was paying for 15 months of production, countless hours of prep, and a year of post? Director Wong talks like he's making a home video on his own dime, huh
a love letter to bygone days and bygone ways
I've never seen a movie dance, and i don't think i ever will other than ITMFL, and to discover it's production process just elevated WKW's genius for me. Unbelievable.
what an amazing video! thank you so much for sharing! in the mood for love is definitely one of the greatest movies ever
Maggie was totally pissed with Wong KW 😅😂
I cried when I finished watching this video. I'm finding it hard to put it into words. I think it captured all the things that I love about this film and painted a picture of the process that went into creating it - how everyone involved devoted this part of their lives to it. How MAGIC it all is. How Maggie was bereft when it was over. The fact that this was the peak for WKW and the nature of that for an artist. My own frustrated desire to do something along these lines. The perfection of this film. I don't know, it really got to me.
Excellent video, fascinating insights, thank you SO MUCH for putting it together and sharing it with us. Subbed.
Finally - I WISH they'd kept that end scene in where he asks if she ever called and she says "I don't remember". That would have been so poignant.
God I love this film.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Comments like this really makes me feel like it was worth it, because I share your appreciation to the film and the artists behind it, so it's beautiful when so many people are moved or motivated by the hard work of actors and filmmakers. That's why I want to help share their stories.
@@JustOneMoreThing223 You really did a hell of a job with this one. Looking forward to checking out your back catalogue :)
Such an incredible video. Thank you for this.
Wait, I love your content and art man! Really appreciate the comment
It sounds like such a difficult process, and one can see how tough it was on everyone involved. What we received is a masterpiece of cinema that managed to capture the human experience and the essence of a time period. What this movie has done is so difficult that it feels impossible till you watch something like in the mood for love. Truly this is going to go down in history as an essential piece of 20th century media.
Excellent illuminating documentary on a great film. Well done!
i love maggie cheung and tony leung!
In The Mood is a painting unfolding from
the Best Director, Actor and Actress.
Some may find it slow. So need patience.
One of my favorite movie. Tony can speak such good English?
wonderful documentary. i've seen Mood many times. enjoyed the BTS alot!
1:53 The japanese story is "Mukai dōshi (向かい同士)" by Sakyo Komatsu (小松左京). The title is like "Across from each other".
Thank you for clarifying! Also, another writer who inspired Wong Kar-wai for this film was Liu Yi-Chang and his short story "Intersections".
I definitely need to rewatch this masterpiece 😊
Thank you for this beautiful video.
Wow. What a gem. Thank you for this mini document. Favorite part 5:44 that is the filmmaker's hole lol
Can anyone explain to me what Wong exactly meant at 12:06 ?
He usually likes to choose his actors before creating the characters, and base the roles on the personalities of the actors and the impressions they give him while shooting. That's why he writes his scripts a few hours before the shoot, because he gets his ideas from the day before. This is a unique approach, most filmmakers, especially in Hollywood have the characters ready and choose actors that would fit the role.
thanks for the video
When I first watched this Arty Farty movie, it was sooo boring that I almost died! Natural my slight ADHD itchy bum tendencies didn't exactly help either...
2024... A bit wiser and more learned, I'll try to watch it again and see how far I can go without reaching for the fast forward button this time round. Wish me luck....
her accent is so charming. It's a bit British, a bit French, a bit Chinese all in one. I love it
Maggie Cheung was educated / brought up in the UK
Young Maggie, WOW. What a stunner.❤
We're still waiting for the 'In the Mood for Love 2001' short film after almost 25 years. Please release it Wong Kar Wai
Love the mood in In the Mood for Love. Its crazy. And Maggie Cheung truly became a goddess in those timeless CheongSam. Absolutely stunning.
Thank you for covering this film. It is the one which literally pauses me in my steps should I think of it for a single moment, bringing a stillness to every chamber of my heart. Its the one I look for every 10 years when Sight and Sound update their best film list - and if it is still in the top 10 then I know there is still hope and beauty in the collective world consciousness. It was the first WKW film I showed my son, who has since chosen to go into film making.
A real masterpiece.
Watched it years ago and still in awe of its completeness and poetry. Now I know it was a labour of so much love and sweat and commitment .. gosh!
Sounds a lot like the shoot on Casablanca - incomplete script, chaos on the set and basically a "by-the-seat-of-your-pants" production that, for all it's disparate parts, somehow miraculously came together in the end, going on to become one of the most celebrated films of the twentieth century. And of course In the Mood for Love now sits in the top ten of the Critics BFI list, making it one of the greatest films of the early twenty-first century. Few people can make a great film when they start with chaos, incomplete ideas and an unfinished script, but I suppose the distinction that Casablanca and In the Mood for Love share is they both were made by extraordinary talents.
That was an incredible recap of the production of this cinematic gem.
I had the pleasure to rewatch in theaters the 4K restoration a vcouple of years ago, and it was glorious. So glad to see a bit more of the behind the scenes, it makes the movie even more miraculous to know its production was so out of whack, to the point even its lead actress was constantly questionning it, and wondering if it was truly a good idea for her career to have said yes to this one 15 months shooting instead of the usual 12 movies she used to do a year for making money.
The answer, as is usually the case, is "quality over quantity". 25 years later, nobody remembers these 12 movies a year she used to make, but everybody remembers how magnetic she looked in In the Mood for Love.
Agreed that Wong Kar Wai peaked at In the Mood for Love. Breathtakingly beautiful like no others, even for himself.
Thanks for this video, it made me so happy to revisit this film (and the excellent interviews) today.
Love listening to Maggie speak English. She sounds really good.
Man, it's amazing! You make your characters telling the story by themselves. Such a high class montage!
hey, it's a great video that you made here. Learned a lot from this. keep up the great work. Was just wondering. How did you made the title screen for each chapter/ what is the technique called? it feels as if the font and the writing was embedded on the screen. as if it blends and not too digitally added. Thanks, if you mind sharing.
Sure, it's a mixture of things. The base is just a simple white fabric texture, I put another light grunge texture on top and color it red. For the golden text, I use a luma matte with a glittery gold texture, which makes it less unified (it adds some grain and gradient to the color), the white just has a slight yellow tint, which also helps make it look less digital. But what makes it complete is the adjustment layers on top, namely some blur and unsharpen mask, color correction to make it less saturated, and film grain on top. Let me know if you have any questions.
Sometimes in a career you capture lightning in a bottle. 2046 was ambitious but did not stir the soul the same way, and WKW, and i honestly feel like he messed up a part of history with the colour grading alternations in the World of Wong Kar Wai re-release. That's art, as WKW said, you can never step in the same river twice, but things in the past stand still for the rest of time.
I also wish all the earlier versions were easier to buy or access. It's kind of sad to think that in a few decades, they could disappear and a part of cinema history might just be lost.
2046 succeeded in capturing the emotional exhaustion of In the Mood, like a nightmare resolving daytime anxieties.
@@davidlai399 I keep imagining a very flustered but kind Ke Huy Quan asking Wong Kar Wai why he keeps disappearing with Tony in bangkok. Because he was the AD of 2046.
2046 was insane how different yet similar it is. I never minded, but I think it represents the change in locations, and characters.
I just finished watching your video, and it left me feeling great. The movie is obviously good, but I especially liked your editing-it was so smooth. I just want to say that your way of showcasing the details so seamlessly made my day ✨
Wow, thank you, I really appreciate your feedback and I'm happy my edit made you feel this way :)
This was absolutely worth it! thanks for putting it together so beautifully.
Be fair, Wong also pushed everyone that worked with him or funded him to the edge. When he filmed "The Ashes of Time" the progress was so slow to the point the actors/actresses were so bored and the producer worried about the investors couldn't bear it and withdrew the funding...... they had so much time to make a comedy while waiting for Wong and that comedy became a classic in HK movie history....lol
Loved your Chungking Express video. But this video can be summed up in one sentence.. Why In the Mood for Love Took 15 months to film? Because Perfection takes time.
Aye, great video. May I ask where you find all these deleted scenes? I have never seen them before and I always want more WKW contents lol.
The Criterion Blu-ray release has a lot of extra content, so I recommend getting that if you need more WKW content :)
@@JustOneMoreThing223 Thanks definitely check it out. I have seen the dancing scene before but not the other ones. Finding new WKW contents is like discovering a rare gem.
Shooting without a script? Amazing and insane. William Goldman was right: Nobody knows nothing. We have no idea which movie will turn out good.
The most mood-beautiful film I’ve ever seen
It's a lovely mini-documentary you've made! Love it, thank you
Your editing is amazing!
Thank you, appreciate it!
This was sooo good, I need the songs you used in this video!
I love writing because I am alone in that moment.
One of favourite films of all time.
Thank you so much for including all these snippets of the director, actors, and crew members' perspectives! I love this movie, and I have always wanted to know more about it.
Tell me more. Tks.
How about recutting the extensive out takes as alternative chapters?
This was a very well made video. Love it.
What a beautiful video.
Love all your videos. Thank you for your effort!
Very kind of you, I appreciate it!
Where did you find all the deleted scenes?
You can find them on the Criterion Blu-ray release