Ashes of Time (Chinese: 東邪西毒) is a 1994 Hong Kong film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai, and inspired by characters from Jin Yong's novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. Director Wong Kar Wai regards the film as his most important work.
Ashes of Time | |||||||||||
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![]() Film poster | |||||||||||
Chinese name | |||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 東邪西毒 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 东邪西毒 | ||||||||||
Literal meaning | Eastern Heretic, Western Venom | ||||||||||
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Directed by | Wong Kar-wai | ||||||||||
Screenplay by | Wong Kar-wai | ||||||||||
Story by | Louis Cha | ||||||||||
Produced by | Wong Kar-wai Jeffrey Lau Jacky Pang | ||||||||||
Starring | Leslie Cheung Tony Leung Ka-fai Brigitte Lin Tony Leung Chiu-Wai Carina Lau Charlie Yeung Jacky Cheung Maggie Cheung | ||||||||||
Cinematography | Christopher Doyle Pun-Leung Kwan | ||||||||||
Edited by | Hai Kit-wai Kwong Chi-leung William Chang Patrick Tam | ||||||||||
Music by | Frankie Chan Roel A. Garcia | ||||||||||
Production companies | Jet Tone Productions Beijing Film Studio Tsui Siu Ming Production Scholar Films Pony Canon Inc. | ||||||||||
Distributed by | Newport Entertainment (HK) HKFM (US) | ||||||||||
Release date |
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Running time | 100 minutes 93 minutes (Redux) | ||||||||||
Country | Hong Kong | ||||||||||
Languages | Cantonese Mandarin | ||||||||||
Budget | HK$40,000,000 (estimated) | ||||||||||
Box office | HK$9,023,583 (HK) US$1,912,490 (Redux)[1] |
Summary
editThe film follows the main antagonist Ouyang Feng, from the novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes, when he is a young man crossing paths with other important characters. The movie humanizes Feng and depicts the events that lead to his descent into villainy. It sometimes completely subverts the intended meaning of the novel, as in Feng's copulation with his sister-in-law, which is depicted as sinister and taboo in the book but is shown as true love in the film; the longing for her serves as a common theme that echoes throughout the movie.
Cast
edit- Leslie Cheung as Ouyang Feng, the Western Venom
- Tony Leung Ka-fai as Huang Yaoshi, the Eastern Heretic
- Brigitte Lin as Murong Yang / Murong Yin / Dugu Qiubai
- Tony Leung Chiu-Wai as Blind Swordsman
- Carina Lau as Peach Blossom, Blind Swordsman's wife
- Charlie Yeung as Girl with mule
- Jacky Cheung as Hong Qigong, the Northern Beggar
- Maggie Cheung as Ouyang Feng's sister-in-law
- Li Bai as Hong Qigong's wife
- Siu Tak-fu
- Collin Chou as Swordsman
- Lau Shun[2][3]
Production
editIn the 1960s, King Hu's Come Drink with Me raised the artistic level of wuxia films. Wong grew up immersed in wuxia culture. In 1972, Bruce Lee's The Way of the Dragon brought jianghu culture to the global stage.[4] In the mid-1990s, wuxia films entered a new stage. Wong selected characters from "new-school" wuxia novelist Jin Yong's novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes and created an unprecedented wuxia story.[4]
The film's story is a prequel to the novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes as it imagines the older characters when they were younger. It focuses on the main antagonist (Ouyang Feng) and humanizes him into a protagonist while retaining his despicable qualities. Feng, known as the Western Venom, crosses paths with the other powerful wuxia masters. Their backstories are depicted with great liberty and sometimes completely subvert the intended meaning from the novel.
During the film's long-delayed production, Wong produced a parody of the same novel with much of the same cast (in different roles) titled The Eagle Shooting Heroes.[5]
Using negatives from around the world, Wong re-edited and re-scored the film in 2008 for future theater, DVD and Blu-ray releases under the title Ashes of Time Redux.[6] The film was reduced from 100 to 93 minutes.[7]
Soundtrack
editThe music was composed by Frankie Chan and Roel A. García, and produced by Rock Records in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It was released in 1994. The redux version features additional cello solos by Yo-Yo Ma.[8]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "序幕: 天地孤影任我行" (Prelude – A Lonely Heart) | 2:50 |
2. | "殺手生涯" (The Killer's Career) | 3:55 |
3. | "情慾流轉" (A Flood of Love) | 2:45 |
4. | "又愛又恨" (Both Love and Hate) | 4:15 |
5. | "幻影交疊" (Illusion) | 3:25 |
6. | "昔情難追" (Bygone Love) | 4:06 |
7. | "馬賊來襲" (An Attack by the Highwaymen) | 3:17 |
8. | "痴痴期盼" (Expectation) | 5:00 |
9. | "糾結難解" (Tangle) | 5:18 |
10. | "決鬥" (A Duel) | 3:35 |
11. | "塵歸塵 土歸土" (Dust to Dust) | 5:58 |
12. | "摯愛" (Sincere Love) | 3:11 |
13. | "追憶" (Reminiscence) | 3:58 |
14. | "真相" (The Truth) | 3:03 |
15. | "終曲: 世事蒼茫成雲煙" (Finale – Gone with the Wind) | 2:52 |
Reception
editCritical response
editWhen the film opened in Hong Kong it received mixed reviews. Critics found it so elliptical that it was almost impossible to make out any semblance of a plot, Wong Kar Wai made an introspective film that focuses on the main characters’ inner lives rather than their martial arts performances. This decision is very rare in a wuxia film (a genre of fiction about martial artists in ancient China).[9]
In The New York Times, Lawrence Van Gelder also gave Ashes of Time a mixed review:[10]
For those who seek metaphors, Ashes of Time... presents the eye as well as the illusions of vision. One character is nearly blind. Another, a swordsman, goes blind in the middle of a horrendous battle. Two characters, Yin and Yang—one presented as a man, the other as his sister—are identical. And there is a brief appearance by a legendary sword fighter who hones his skills against his own reflection.
For those who seek battle, Ashes of Time offers intermittent blurs of action, streaks of flying figures, flashing steel, and rare spatters and gouts of moist crimson, all washing across the screen like hurried brush paintings.
Like the attainment of wisdom, Ashes of Time requires a long journey through testing terrain.
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 78% of critics have given Ashes of Time Redux a positive review based on 87 reviews, with an average rating of 6.80/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Wong Kar Wai's redux, with a few slight changes from his 1994 classic, is a feast for the eyes, if a little difficult to follow."[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 69 out of 100 based on 20 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]
Awards and nominations
edit- 1995 Hong Kong Film Awards
- Won: Best Art Direction (William Chang)
- Won: Best Cinematography (Christopher Doyle)
- Won: Best Costume and Make-up Design (William Chang)
- Nominated: Best Picture
- Nominated: Best Director (Wong Kar-wai)
- Nominated: Best Action Choreography (Sammo Hung)
- Nominated: Best Film Editing (Patrick Tam, Kai Kit-wai)
- Nominated: Best Original Score (Frankie Chan)
- Nominated: Best Screenplay (Wong Kar-wai)
- 1994 Golden Horse Awards
- Won: Best Cinematography (Christopher Doyle)
- Won: Best Editing (Patrick Tam, Kai Kit-wai)
- 1995 Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards
- Won: Best Film
- Won: Best Director (Wong Kar-wai)
- Won: Best Actor (Leslie Cheung)
- Won: Best Screenplay (Wong Kar-wai)
- 1994 Venice Film Festival
- Nominated: Golden Lion (Wong Kar-Wai)
- Won: Best Cinematography (Christopher Doyle)
- 1997 Fant-Asia Film Festival
- Won: Best Asian Film – Third Place
Box office
editAshes of Time grossed HK$9,023,583 during its Hong Kong run.
References
edit- ^ Ashes of Time Redux. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2011-07-22
- ^ Ashes of Time at HKMDB
- ^ Ashes of Time at chinesemov.com
- ^ a b Nochimson, Martha P., ed. (5 November 2015). A Companion to Wong Kar-wai: Nochimson/Companion. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. doi:10.1002/9781118425589. ISBN 978-1-118-42558-9.
- ^ Bramhall, Paul (13 January 2020). "Eagle Shooting Heroes, The (1993) Review". City on Fire. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Koresky, Michael (7 October 2008). "The Perfect Storm: Wong Kar-wai's "Ashes of Time Redux"". IndieWire. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Jenkins, Mark (9 October 2008). "'Ashes Of Time Redux': Sumptuous All Over Again". NPR. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ 'Ashes of Time Redux' stars Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Brigitte Lin
- ^ "How Wong Kar-wai's Ashes of Time became a Hong Kong classic". South China Morning Post. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ Lawrence van Gelder, "Film Review: Pain of an Aging Warrior", The New York Times, 17 May 1996
- ^ "Ashes of Time Redux (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Dung che sai duk Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 September 2020.