Days of Being Wild

Days of Being Wild
For the song by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, see Source Tags & Codes
Days of Being Wild

Film poster for Days of Being Wild
Traditional 阿飛正傳
Simplified 阿飞正传
Mandarin Ā Fēi Zhèng Zhuàn
Cantonese Aa3 Fei1 zing3zyun6
Directed by Wong Kar-wai
Produced by Alan Tang
Written by Wong Kar-wai
Starring Leslie Cheung
Maggie Cheung
Andy Lau
Carina Lau
Jacky Cheung
Cinematography Christopher Doyle
Editing by Kit-Wai Kai
Patrick Tam
Distributed by Rim
Release date(s) 15 December 1990 (1990-12-15)
Running time 94 min (UK)
Country Hong Kong
Language Cantonese
Shanghainese
Mandarin
Filipino
English
Gross revenue HK$9,751,942 (HK)
$146,310 (Worldwide)[1]

Days of Being Wild (Chinese: 阿飛正傳; Mandarin Pinyin: Ā Fēi Zhèng Zhuàn; Jyutping: Aa3 Fei1 zing3zyun6; literally "the true story of Ah Fei") is a 1990 Hong Kong film directed by Wong Kar-wai. The film stars some of the best-known actors and actresses in Hong Kong, including Leslie Cheung, Carina Lau, Maggie Cheung, Jacky Cheung and Andy Lau. Tony Leung Chiu Wai also appears in a silent cameo role lasting several minutes in the final shot of the film. Days of Being Wild also marks the first collaboration between Wong and cinematographer Christopher Doyle, with whom he has since made eight films.[2][3]

The movie forms the first part of an informal trilogy, together with In the Mood for Love (released in 2000) and 2046 (released in 2004).[3]

Contents

Plot details

The movie is set in Hong Kong and the Philippines in 1960. Yuddy, or 'York' in English (Leslie Cheung), is a playboy in Hong Kong and is well-known for stealing girls' hearts and breaking them. His first victim is Li Zhen (Maggie Cheung) who suffered emotional and mental depression as a result of Yuddy's wayward attitude. Li Zhen eventually seeks much-needed solace from a sympathetic policeman named Tide (Andy Lau). Their near-romance is often hinted at but never materialises.

York has forgotten his fling with the unassuming and shy Li Zhen and has set his attentions to a vivacious cabaret dancer whose stage name is Mimi (Carina Lau). Mimi is also secretly loved by York's best friend, Zeb (Jacky Cheung). Unsurprisingly, York dumps her too and she begins a period of self-destruction. It later becomes evident that York's inability to commit and his instinct for romantic cruelty derives from conflicting feelings about his adoptive mother who is a former prostitute, played by Rebecca Pan; and his biological mother, a Filipino aristocrat.

Most sections of the film attempt to narrate how people react to rejection, although it was very vaguely depicted. This film was seen to be among the first of its genre popularised by Wong Kar-wai, it does not rely on a plot but more on the individual strengths of its many actors and actresses to narrate the story through their seemingly mundane day-to-day activities.

Days of Being Wild broke away from the light fare that typified Hong Kong cinema at the time by introducing thematic ambiguity and an arthouse aesthetic. Many other Hong Kong films such as Ashes of Time, Temptress Moon, and In the Mood for Love belong to the same school of Hong Kong cinema.

Cast and roles

  • Leslie Cheung – Yuddy
  • Maggie Cheung – Su Li Zhen. She grew up in Macau. She is the ex-girlfriend of Yuddy.
  • Andy Lau – Tide, policeman 6117. He becomes a friend and confidant of Su Li Zhen. Later, after the death of his mother, he becomes a sailor and goes to the Philippines.
  • Carina Lau – Leung Fung-ying, Mimi/Lulu. She is the girlfriend of Yuddy.
  • Rebecca Pan – Rebecca, a former prostitute who raises Yuddy. Has a love and hate relationship with Yuddy, because she refuses to reveal the identity of Yuddy's biological mother.
  • Jacky Cheung – Zeb, Yuddy's friend since childhood. Yuddy used to live above Zeb's family's garage as a kid. Zeb fancies Mimi/Lulu.
  • Danilo Antunes – Rebecca's lover, who only goes for her money.
  • Hung Mei-Mei – The Amah.
  • Ling Ling-Hung – Nurse
  • Tita Muñoz – Yuddy's Mother
  • Alicia Alonzo – Housekeeper
  • Elena Lim So – Hotel Manageress
  • Maritoni Fernandez – Hotel Maid
  • Angela Ponos – Prostitute
  • Nonong Talbo – Train Conductor
  • Tony Leung Chiu-Wai – unrelated cameo appearance in the last scene of the movie
  • Alan Tang – Producer

Music

  • Los Indios Tabajaras, "Always In My Heart"
  • Xavier Cugat
  • Leslie Cheung performed the song 何去何從之阿飛正傳 loosely translated as 'Choice' or 'The True Story of Ah Fei' as the film's theme song and is also found in his album Beloved (寵愛).
  • 梅豔芳 (Anita Mui) - 是這樣的 - the Cantonese cover of the theme song and is featured at the end of the film during the credits.

Box office

Days of Being Wild grossed HK $9,751,942 in its Hong Kong run, a number that would become typical for a Wong Kar Wai film. With the starry cast, this figure was considered a disappointment. Still, the film was successful enough to warrant a parody (The Days of Being Dumb, which also featured Tony Leung), and now routinely tops Hong Kong critics' lists of the best local productions.

Awards and nominations

  • 2005 Hong Kong Film Awards
    • Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures (#3)
    • Top 100 Favorite movies of Chinese Cinema (#2)
  • 2011 Golden Horse Film Festival
    • 100 Greatest Chinese-Language Films (#4)

See also

Video-x-generic.svg Film portal

References

  1. ^ "Days Of Being Wild". BoxOfficeMojo.com. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=daysofbeingwild.htm. Retrieved July 22, 2011. 
  2. ^ Kevin Crust (January 7, 2005). "'Days of Being Wild'". LA Times. http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-wild7jan07,2,1023366.story. 
  3. ^ a b "What cinema's movers and shakers say about Wong Kar-Wai I may never come back from Shanghai?". Telegraph.co.uk. 31 Dec 2004. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3634160/What-cinemas-movers-and-shakers-say-about-Wong-Kar-Wai-I-may-never-come-back-from-Shanghai.html. 

External links

v · d · eFilms directed by Wong Kar-wai
Feature
As Tears Go By · Days of Being Wild · Chungking Express · Ashes of Time · Fallen Angels · Happy Together · In the Mood for Love · 2046 · My Blueberry Nights · The Grandmasters
Short &
segment
Wkw/tk/1996@7'55"hk.net · Hua Yang De Nian Hua · The Follow · "Six Days" · "The Hand" in Eros · "I Travelled 9000 km To Give It To You" in To Each His Own Cinema · There's Only One Sun