China - France - Germany - Hong Kong 2004
When leaving Bai Ling for the last time after she asked him to stay, he takes her hand and says: “… there is one thing, I never lend to anyone”. He turns around and leaves her. He is like the "bird without legs that can only fly and fly, and sleep in the wind when it is tired. The bird only lands once in its life... that's when it dies.", a history that appears again and again in the films of WKW.
2046 is an imaginary place and time. It is the number of the hotel room, where he and Su Li-zhen met in “In the Mood for Love”, now transformed into an imaginary place of a memory of lost love. When he once more in "2046" comes across a hotel room with the same number he wants to move in, but is given the room number 2047.
From the room number 2047 he begins to write the story of the future, an imaginary world of the year 2046 where all the memories are found in a never-changing state. He leaves for 2046, not as himself, but in the body of a Japanese. What he finds is a never-changing world of androids. 2046 is also the year when Hong Kong will be returned to China, perhaps converting the metropolis into a never-changing, imaginary place in the memory of the Hongkongese part of the population.
But the film is not science fiction. It revolves around the present moment, showing how it is in a continuous flux, turning present moments into time past. In the mind, the lost love, represented by gestures, feelings, persons and movements, are not bound to the past, but can reappear in the future. When the protagonist writes the story of 2046, persons from his life tend to reappear in the futuristic world. This imaginary world does not comprise the everyday linear time, but is rather a reservoir, from which the present, ever passing moments can materialize.
The circular movement between the present and the non-present is not only a matter of 2046, but is valid for the films of WKW as such. The movie "2046" circles in time and space, back and forth between the former “worlds” of WKW’s earlier movies, mostly “Days of Being Wild”, “Fallen Angels” and “In the Mood for Love”. Words and gestures are repeated, places and persons reappear, stories are retold – yet a little different. So the world is moving in circles, but the circles are spiraling – always the same, yet a little different.
WKW is famous for finishing his unfinished movies. "2046" is a very accomplished unfinished movie.
"2046" is a very impressive and beautiful movie, photographed by cinematographer Christopher Doyle, with entrancing, sometimes hypnotic, music. The time of the present and the memories are very darkly photographed with large, shadowy frames and glowing colors. Contrary to this, the travel of 2046 is bright with strong vibrant colors. 5 out of 5.
Peter Frost-Olsen & Rigmor Kappel Schmidt
Posters
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Theatrical Release: May 20, 2004 (Cannes Film Festival)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Comparison:
Guang Dong Video - Region 0 - PAL vs. Mei-Ah Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC
Big thanks to Peter Frost-Olsen and Warren Murphy for the Screen Caps!
(Guang Dong Video - Region 0 - PAL - LEFT vs. Mei-Ah Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)
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| Distribution |
Guang Dong Video Region 0 - PAL |
Mei-Ah
Entertainment Region 0 - NTSC |
| Runtime | 2:11:37 (4% PAL speedup) | 2:09:17 |
| Video |
2.35:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate:
Guang Dong Video
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Bitrate:
Mei-Ah Entertainment
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| Audio | Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround / Dolby AC-3 or DTS Digital Surround |
Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround; Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround |
| Subtitles | White (removable): Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English. The translation of the Japanese speak to Chinese is burned-in. | English, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), none |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Guang Dong Video Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 8 |
Release Information: Studio: Mei-Ah Entertainment Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: December 10, 2004 Chapters 11 |
Recommended Reading in Chinese/Hong Kong/Taiwanese Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
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Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy
by Zhen Ni, Chris Berry, Ni Zhen |
Zhang Yimou: Interviews (Conversations With
Filmmakers) by Frances Gateward |
Chinese Films in Focus: 25 New Takes by Chris Berry |
Wong Kar-Wai: Auteur of Time (Bfi World Directors) by Stephen Teo |
China into Film: Frames of Reference in
Contemporary Chinese Cinema (Envisioning Asia) by Jerome Silbergeld |
New Chinese Cinemas
by Nick Browne |
Once Upon a Time in China : A Guide to Hong Kong,
Taiwanese, and Mainland Chinese Cinema by Jeff Yang |
Chinese Film Theory by George S. Semsel |
Check out more in "The Library"
| Comments |
The first release of this film on DVD
was the Guang Dong version and it is a complete disaster. The main fault
is a very intrusive logo "Face" logo (the company that released the film)
that appears on the screen every 5 minutes in the upper left corner. Check
the capture right under the menu captures. It is very distracting and
nearly destroys the viewing experience. The DVD is also not anamorphic,
apparently suffers from frame shifts ghosting, washed out colors, low
contrast... needless to say, it's one to avoid. However, it does win in
the sound category as it has a DTS track. The Mei-Ah release is an improvement. It's anamorphic and has a much sharper image. It seems very dark, but that seems to be the way the film was originally created. The colors and skin tones are more natural. There also seems to be some ghosting, as shown in captures #1 and #7. It's very minor though, so it shouldn't detract too much from the viewing experience. Both releases seem to be cropped; The Guang Dong is missing a lot of information on the right and left sides, whereas the Mei-Ah seems to be missing some information on the bottom. I can't explain the difference in run times... all of the reviews I've come across online list a 129 minute runtime, so perhaps the Guang Dong DVD is an extended version. As for the sound, retailers listed a DTS track in the pre-order specifications but it's not there. The version I've reviewed is the single disc version. There are two other releases; a 2-disc SE and a 3-disc with the film's soundtrack. I am guessing the transfer is the same in all 3 releases. Mei-Ah's SE has lots of extras and apparently english subtitles on those extras as well, but I can't confirm that. The extras on the Guang Dong release don't have any english subs. Overall, the Mei-Ah release is by far the best option at the moment. It's also not overly expensive. I am sure though, that this isn't the definitive release and there will be a better one down the road. It is not the same
version of 2046 on the two releases: The Mei Ah contains several expanded
scenes and with other scenes are slightly changed. I have a timetable of
the major differences. The subtitles are not identical (in a several cases
I got a better understanding of something "unsaid" on the Mei Ah), much
more easy to read because they are displayed in longer time, and an
important poem is translated to English, which it wasn't in the Chinese
release.
"Yes, there does seem to be artifacts
in the DVD, which I neglected to mention in the review. I also found them
noticeable during the black and white scenes, there seemed to be some
pixilation going on. |
DVD Menus
(Guang Dong Video - Region 0 - PAL -
LEFT vs. Mei-Ah Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)
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Screen Captures
(Guang Dong Video - Region 0 - PAL - TOP vs. Mei-Ah Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Guang Dong Video - Region 0 - PAL - TOP vs. Mei-Ah Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Guang Dong Video - Region 0 - PAL - TOP vs. Mei-Ah Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Guang Dong Video - Region 0 - PAL - TOP vs. Mei-Ah Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Guang Dong Video - Region 0 - PAL - TOP vs. Mei-Ah Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Guang Dong Video - Region 0 - PAL - TOP vs. Mei-Ah Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Guang Dong Video - Region 0 - PAL - TOP vs. Mei-Ah Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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| DVD Box Covers |
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Thinking of buying from YesAsia? CLICK HERE and use THIS UPDATED BEAVER PAGE to source their very best... |
| Distribution |
Guang Dong Video Region 0 - PAL |
Mei-Ah
Entertainment Region 0 - NTSC |
Report Card:
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Image: |
Mei-Ah |
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Sound: |
Mei-Ah (Guang Dong DTS is dubbed) |
| Extras: | |
| Menu: | Mei-Ah |
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