A Fei zheng chuan (1990)

Director:

Kar Wai Wong

Writer:

Kar Wai Wong (writer)

Release Date:

15 December 1990 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Set in 1960, the film centres on the young, boyishly handsome Yuddy, who learns from the drunken ex-prostitute...

Plot Keywords:

1960s | Philippines | Unrequited Love | Teenage Boy | Oedipus Complex

Awards:

6 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Leslie Cheung	...	Yuddy
Maggie Cheung	...	Su Li-zhen
Andy Lau	...	Tide
Carina Lau	...	Leung Fung-ying
Rebecca Pan	...	Rebecca (as Tik-Wa Poon)
Jacky Cheung	...	Zeb
Danilo Antunes	...	Rebecca's Lover
Mei-Mei Hung	...	The Amah
Ling-Hung Ling	...	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

Also Known As:

Days of Being Wild (Hong Kong: English title) (USA)
Ah Fei ching chuen (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
Ah Fei's Story
The True Story of Ah Fei (literal English title)

Runtime:

UK:94 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese | Shanghainese | Tagalog | English | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG (original rating) | UK:12 | Finland:K-11 (2006) | Finland:K-18 (2002) (self applied) | Sweden:11 | Brazil:18 | South Korea:15 | USA:Unrated | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

In-Gear Film

Trivia:

This gets its name from the title given to Rebel Without a Cause (1955) when it was released in China.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: When Tide checks into the hotel, the hotel manageress hands him the key to Room 206. However, in the next scene, Tide uses the key to enter Room 204. This, however, may not be so much a 'goof' as another recurrence of the number '2046' seen so often in Wong Kar-Wai's films.

Quotes:

Yuddy: I've heard that there's a kind of 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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Days of Being Wrinkle Free (2009)

Soundtrack:

Always In My Heart

three beautiful stories in one about quests for friendship - my favourite WKW

There is a two-minute action sequence, but that is NOT what this masterpiece is about. 'Days of being wild' has to be the best film of Wong Kar-Wai or at least MY favourite. There are three stories (in one) that feel like film-noir now and then, but are principally about the distance in several different relationships. Kar-Wai lets his characters struggle with urban loneliness and lets them search indefinitely, unable to settle down. They only have the chance to create 'One Minute Friendships' that might seem magic but don't offer satisfaction and have to be ended. The quest continues. Won Kar-Wai poses the question whether you have lived actually when you've searched all your life for friendship/love. Two or three voice-overs scarcely help the portrayal of the characters, but only when the story allows it. I prefer this film over Chungking Express anytime. One reason for that is the great use of music here, while his other films tend to drown in the excessive use of western music. The acting is also really brilliant in this eclectic work.

Subtle and masterly cinematography by Christopher Doyle (Chungking Express, Fallen Angels '95): less colorful than 'In the mood for love', but therefore more applicable for the fifties. Moreover, the dynamics are also much more subtle than everything Kar-Wai and Doyle have done up till now. In contrast: Happy Together and Fallen Angels were brilliantly photographed because there it was more appropriate to use dynamic cinematography (more temperament). It's only Kar-Wai's second film but still his most solid and memorable and maybe even more internationally appealing than 'In the mood for love', without making compromises or getting sentimental. I just can't think of anything that is not good in 'Days of being wild'.

10 points out of 10 :-)