Ashes of Time (1994) Dung che sai duk (original title)

Director:

Kar Wai Wong

Writers:

Louis Cha (novel)
Kar Wai Wong (screenplay)

Release Date:

17 September 1994 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot:

A broken-hearted hit man moves to the desert where he finds skilled swordsmen to carry out his contract killings.

Plot Keywords:

Swordsman | Desert | China | Sequel | Corpse

Awards:

10 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Brigitte Lin	...	Mu-rong Yin / Mu-rong Yang
Leslie Cheung	...	Ou-yang Feng
Maggie Cheung	...	The Woman
Tony Leung Chiu Wai	...	Blind Swordsman
Jacky Cheung	...	Hung Chi
Tony Leung Ka Fai	...	Huang Yao-shi
Li Bai	...	Hung Chi's Wife
Carina Lau	...	Peach Blossom
Charlie Yeung	...	Young Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joey Wang	...	(scenes deleted)
Shun Lau	...	Leader of Ouyang's Opponents in Opening Battle (uncredited)

Directed by
Kar Wai Wong

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Louis Cha		novel "The Eagle Shooting Heroes"
Kar Wai Wong		screenplay

Produced by
Ye-cheng Chan	....	executive producer
Johnnie Kong	....	line producer
Jeffrey Lau	....	producer
Tsai Mu Ho	....	executive producer
Sung-lin Tsai	....	producer
Jacky Pang Yee Wah	....	producer
Kar Wai Wong	....	producer

Original Music by
Frankie Chan
Roel A. García

Cinematography by
Christopher Doyle
Pung-Leung Kwan

Film Editing by
Kit-Wai Kai
Patrick Tam		(as Ka-Ming Tam)
William Chang		(uncredited)

Production Design by
William Chang

Costume Design by
William Chang

Sound Department
Michael Baird	....	additional sound effects designer
Nopawat Likitwong	....	sound editor
Robert Mackenzie	....	sound designer
Robert Mackenzie	....	sound re-recording mixer
Terry Tu	....	sound re-recording mixer
Traithep Wongpaiboon	....	sound re-recording mixer

Visual Effects by
Pierre Buffin	....	artistic supervisor: BUF

Camera and Electrical Department
Wai-Kong Chan	....	gaffer
Yiu Ming Chan	....	camera assistant
Yuen Kai Chan	....	second unit camera
Kai-On Ho	....	gaffer
Chi Hung Lai	....	still photographer
Wai-keung Lau	....	second unit camera
Hong Lung Law	....	gaffer
Man Chuen Ng	....	camera assistant
Hi-Hong Pun	....	gaffer
Kan-Tat Sit	....	camera assistant
Kar-Hing Tam	....	camera assistant
Chun Fai Tsang	....	gaffer
Kin-Man Yu	....	gaffer

Other crew
Sammo Hung Kam-Bo	....	action sequence designer

Thanks
Gilles Ciment	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Jet Tone Production
• Block 2 Pictures
• Scholar Films Company

Distributors

• Block 2 Pictures (1994) (worldwide) (all media)
• ARP Sélection (2008) (France) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2009) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• D Production (2008) (Turkey) (theatrical)
• D Productions (2008) (Turkey) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2009) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Filmcoopi Zürich (2008) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Media Rights (2008) (Romania) (theatrical)
• Monolith (2008) (Poland) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2008) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Splendid Film (2008) (Germany) (theatrical)
• FS Film Oy (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• HKFM (1996) (USA) (subtitled)
• Imagem Filmes (2009) (Brazil) (all media)
• Sony Music Entertainment (2009) (Hong Kong) (DVD) (Redux version)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2007) (USA) (all media)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (Canada) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• BUF (visual effects) (Redux release)
• Oriental Post Co. Ltd. (visual effects) (Redux release)

Other Companies

• Agfa Gevaert  film stock supplied by
• CyberPort Digital Media Centre  digital restoration (Redux Release)
• Fine Art Film Production Company  subtitles
• Kantana Laboratories Co.  sound post-production (Redux Release)
• Mandarin Recording Studio Ltd.  sound re-recording studio
• Oriental Post Co. Ltd.  digital intermediate (Redux Release)
• Oriental Post Co. Ltd.  digital restoration (Redux Release)
• Sony Classical  soundtrack
• Soundfirm  sound post-production (Redux Release)
• Universal Laboratory  film processing

Also Known As:

"Dung che sai duk" - Hong Kong (original title)
"Ashes of Time Redux" - International (English title) (recut version)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence (Redux version)

Runtime:

100 min | 93 min (Redux version)

Country:

Hong Kong | Taiwan

Language:

Cantonese | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Redux version) | Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (Redux version) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (Redux version) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) (Redux version) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Hong Kong:II | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) (Redux version) | Hong Kong:IIB (Redux version) | Finland:K-15 | Australia:M | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

China

Company:

Jet Tone Production

Trivia:

In 2008, Kar Wai Wong re-edited and re-scored the film, re-releasing it under the title "Ashes of Time Redux".

Quotes:

Ou-yang Feng:If you don't want to be turned down by people, the best way is to turn them down first.

Movie Connections:

References Shogun Assassin (1980)

Slow, beautiful and intense... best viewed if you are alone

Although I enjoy them, I seldom re-watch slow and introspective movies. Ashes of Time is the exception to the rule, as it haunts me so much that I have already given it three viewings! It may be because of the wonderful pictures, the essential yet poignant dialogues or the grave & epic music, nevertheless Ashes of Time is a fascinating movie!

Set in a tavern in the middle of the desert, it tells us stories of different swordsmen and deals with the theme of unrequited love. All the people, in fact, had to face a rejection.. and now strive to find a way to overcome the delusion and go on with their life. Swordsmanship is mostly viewed as an outlet to bring out the inner passions and frustrations.

The protagonist, Ouyang Feng [Leslie Cheung] is one of those swordsmen, who left his lady [Maggie Cheung] and his village to pursue fame and glory, convinced that she would have waited for him to return. Now instead he faces loneliness and the fact that she has married his elder brother.

The most peculiar aspect of the movie is the pictures, so beautifully shot that each still can make a wonderful portrait. Even the battles, rather than being filmed continuously, are rendered as a sequence of separate shots, thus remaining more indelibly impressed in our head. Indeed, the movie also focuses about memory (whom the movie title probably refers to) and its power to keep alive moments of the past, that otherwise would perish in the flow of time. Highly recommended! 9/10