Chunking
Chunking
Chunking
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
As we all know, cool color gives out a feeling of coldness and loneliness. Such color
intuitively creates the oppressive atmosphere of street life in a thriving metropolis. The
nobody , lovelorn HE Qiwu in the film , seemed live in the endless darkness untill he met
the woman in a blonde wig. It was the moment that there came the only warm
color(figure3) , orange lights in the bar. This can be regarded as the brightness which
finally appears in HE life , or in other words , his hope.
Space was very limited in this film , I think the director made it on purpose. Two primary
places were the fast food restaurant The Midnight Express and the convenience store
Kent. The two places represented nowadays fast-food culture whose characteristics
were fast , convenient and lack of interpersonal communication. Living in such
environment the urban dwellers definitely feel lonely.
Figure 4
the gap(figure 4).From the gap,we clearly saw that the character was alone. It emphasized
the individual , implying that everyone is a separate individual in the world and in a lifetime.
Another method to create characters desolation is by using high angle shot (figure 5) and
canted angle shot (figure 6). The high angle shot highlights a sense of space. The
proportion of figure and space is quite incommensurable ,as we see the character is very
small in the camera.(figure 5) The disparity emphasizes the insignificance of the character
and attracts audience s sympathy. In figure 6 the camera is obviously canted, symbolizing
the imbalance of HEs life. HE Qiwu huddled in the corner decadently, he lost the gravity of
his life.
Figure 5
Figure 6
About cinematography , I would like to analyze one typical scene -----the opening
sequence where HE Qiwu is running through a background that is totally blurred.(figure 7)
His movements seem to be staggered or disjointed, yet he is visible and in focus.
In contrast, his surroundings are a mere blur of
colors and movement. This scene is shot at doublespeed 48 fps, and played back at 24 fps through the
projector. 2 In this way the director shows his feeling
of Hongkong that it is too fast-paced. When one
runs so fast , the surrounding becomes ambiguous.
People lose their identities , becoming rootless.
Figure 7
Chungking Express:Time and its Displacements by Janice Tong in Chinese Film in Focus: 25 New Takes,
edited by Chris Berry
2
Figure 8
Figure 9
Chungking Express:Time and its Displacements by Janice Tong in Chinese Film in Focus: 25 New Takes,
edited by Chris Berry
4
Figure 10
In conclusion, all the mise en scene in Chungking Express tend to restore the unimportant
persons street life in contemporary Hongkong. The use of cool color , compositional
unbalance and creative shooting techniques not only set a blue keynote to the whole film ,
but also reveal the inevitable loneliness of urban citizens. Besides, the delicate
lines ,perfect acting ,together ,create pieces of time fragments which obstruct characters
from achieving their happiness. I regard the theme of the film as being. Characters are all
trying to master the unbearable lightness of the present moment ,to possess what cant be
possessed , the passing of beauty and successful emotional expression.5However , they
still live a life,lonely but hopeful ,as we all do.
5Chungking
Express:Time and its Displacements by Janice Tong in Chinese Film in Focus: 25 New Takes,
edited by Chris Berry