To say "Ashes of Time" is a problematic film is an understatement. Epic in its ambition, it was a difficult film for cast and crew alike; Wong taking a break from post-production to get a breath of fresh air with "Chungking Express". Though it is a film equally problematic for the audience, as while easy on the eye, following its plot is far from simple.
Feng (Leslie Cheung) is a fixer who lives in a remote desert where people come to have their problems solved. Which essentially means he finds them a hired killer. And that is essentially that. Sitting in his house, people come to him and tell him their stories of woe over a drink. Via flashbacks, we learn of their pasts and what brought them to this place. With the occasional action sequence thrown in.
Framed to be a martial arts epic, this is more indulgent than grand-scale. To start, this looks absolutely stunning. The cinematography from Christopher Doyle and Kwan Pung-leung is exquisite, and combines two techniques which would prove key in his two best films: "Happy Together" and "In the Mood for Love". The use of colour would be furthered in the former, giving each frame the look of a work of art. The blues and yellows are bold, bright and beautiful, giving this a distinctive look. The use of shadow, which was perfected in the latter, makes this look stylish beyond style.
Though perhaps so much thought has gone into these two elements that as a film, particularly a martial arts film, this leaves a lot to be desired. Fight scenes are shot from an artistic perspective, using the slow frame speed seen in "As Tears Go By" and "Chungking Express", so they look good, but with enough artistic flourish to make it almost impossible to figure out what is actually happening. The overall slow pace makes them feel like they don't belong here.
The story, well stories, are also hard to follow, coming in the form of flashback and re-telling. This lack of a clear, linear narrative, therefore, can make it easy to become lost. While this features Wong's standard tales of a love unfulfilled, as they pop-by one-by-one, they feel more like agony aunt tales than the cool or developed love of his other films.
The cast also work to create a feel of indulgence. Perhaps inspired by their roles in the Wong-produced "The Eagle Shooting Heroes", they take it in turns to over-act. In fact, here they all appear to be in love with the camera. They gaze into it, with close-ups held just a little too long. All are guilty of this.
All-in-all, it is a film that is great to just look at and not concern yourself too much with what is going on. Perhaps Wong was trying to push in too many elements here, losing some focus, as the visuals dazzle us, but make us forget where we were. As a piece of visual cinema, it is a triumph. But as an enjoyable watch, and more importantly a martial arts film, you can't quite see the ashes for the dust.
Feng (Leslie Cheung) is a fixer who lives in a remote desert where people come to have their problems solved. Which essentially means he finds them a hired killer. And that is essentially that. Sitting in his house, people come to him and tell him their stories of woe over a drink. Via flashbacks, we learn of their pasts and what brought them to this place. With the occasional action sequence thrown in.
Framed to be a martial arts epic, this is more indulgent than grand-scale. To start, this looks absolutely stunning. The cinematography from Christopher Doyle and Kwan Pung-leung is exquisite, and combines two techniques which would prove key in his two best films: "Happy Together" and "In the Mood for Love". The use of colour would be furthered in the former, giving each frame the look of a work of art. The blues and yellows are bold, bright and beautiful, giving this a distinctive look. The use of shadow, which was perfected in the latter, makes this look stylish beyond style.
Though perhaps so much thought has gone into these two elements that as a film, particularly a martial arts film, this leaves a lot to be desired. Fight scenes are shot from an artistic perspective, using the slow frame speed seen in "As Tears Go By" and "Chungking Express", so they look good, but with enough artistic flourish to make it almost impossible to figure out what is actually happening. The overall slow pace makes them feel like they don't belong here.
The story, well stories, are also hard to follow, coming in the form of flashback and re-telling. This lack of a clear, linear narrative, therefore, can make it easy to become lost. While this features Wong's standard tales of a love unfulfilled, as they pop-by one-by-one, they feel more like agony aunt tales than the cool or developed love of his other films.
The cast also work to create a feel of indulgence. Perhaps inspired by their roles in the Wong-produced "The Eagle Shooting Heroes", they take it in turns to over-act. In fact, here they all appear to be in love with the camera. They gaze into it, with close-ups held just a little too long. All are guilty of this.
All-in-all, it is a film that is great to just look at and not concern yourself too much with what is going on. Perhaps Wong was trying to push in too many elements here, losing some focus, as the visuals dazzle us, but make us forget where we were. As a piece of visual cinema, it is a triumph. But as an enjoyable watch, and more importantly a martial arts film, you can't quite see the ashes for the dust.