Given its economic pressure, Hong Kong is a grieving land. But on the surface of the night, the city mimics a timeless cinematic piece of art and imagery of a Neon World that was preserved through Wong Kar Wai’s films.
I immediately fell in love with the idea of Neon World after studying his trilogy; Fallen Angels (1995), Chungking Express (1994), and In The Mood For Love (2002) garnished by his cinematographer, Christopher Doyle’s eye for detail where they experimented with neon lighting to tackle the visual aura as well to highlight it as part of Hong Kong’s identity. It is proven that their collaboration was truly divine because Doyle understood the vibration of Hong Kong.
Color measures a visual mood. For example, red resembles desire. “Color is actually a psychological result of the physical action of different light waves on our eyes and optical nervous system” (Dalle Vacche & Prince, 2006). Meaning our eyes are auto-attracted to radiant energy.
Today, the appearance of neon lights is decreasing due to the city’s safety policy. And over the years, more and more neon signage is forced to be taken down. Slowly, the iconic aesthetic aspects of the streets are disappearing.
Neon lighting has been around for over 100 years and it's upsetting to know that I might miss the chance of walking down the streets as if it’s 1992, silhouetted by neon lights and pretending to be a character from Chungking Express. Thanks to Wong Kar Wai, the neon memory will live on forever.
In terms of direction, Wong takes mood very seriously. Most of his works were highly influenced by elements of culture and the energy of Hong Kong in which translates into loneliness, distance, love, and melancholy. Wong, raised in British-ruled Hong Kong expressed emotion in the form of disturbance and alienation, as can be seen in the scenes below taken from his films.
Michelle Reis masturbating on an old mattress. Fallen Angels (1995)
Mysterious woman in a blonde wig. Chungking Express (1994)
A lonely man who romanticizes an expired can of pineapples. Chungking Express (1994)
She falls in love with the husband of her husband’s mistress, an impossible union. In The Mood For Love (2000)
Hopeless girl waiting for a hot bowl of noodles. Fallen Angels (1992)
His characters are commonly shown as either escaping, searching, or waiting. This is pretty much a realistic portrayal of the Chinese identity. Real people (read: lower class) lives in extreme poverty where they would rent a small space of a room, cage with other families. These could easily invite a melancholic feeling, depression, and confusion all at once. All this concealed by the city’s noise. Wong tells the real deal, establishing stories of lonely people destined never to connect yet beautifully told.
Christopher Doyle mentioned in an interview, “if you try to recall a film you like — the least you can recall is probably one scene from it.” Thus, his principles were to create a visual experience that will not fade.