The Memories of Journeys: Spatialization of Time in Wong Kar-wai’s Nostalgic Films
There is usually an agenda behind the rewriting of history. As an acclaimed Hong Kong director, Wong Kar-wai has made several nostalgic films set in 1960s Hong Kong, namely, <i>Days of Being Wild</i> (1990), <i>In the Mood for Love</i> (2000), and <i>2046</i> (200...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Arts |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/11/4/72 |
| _version_ | 1797432479234129920 |
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| author | Chin-Pang Lei |
| author_facet | Chin-Pang Lei |
| author_sort | Chin-Pang Lei |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There is usually an agenda behind the rewriting of history. As an acclaimed Hong Kong director, Wong Kar-wai has made several nostalgic films set in 1960s Hong Kong, namely, <i>Days of Being Wild</i> (1990), <i>In the Mood for Love</i> (2000), and <i>2046</i> (2004). Relating to Hong Kongers’ anxiety over the 1997 handover, Wong’s films are part of a wider symptomatic cultural phenomenon in Hong Kong cinema. In his nostalgic films, time is often spatialized. With his constant interest in mobile space, such as hotels and trains, he creates an alternative perspective to question the grand narrative of history. In his reconstruction of the past, there is never any cultural purity or origin to revisit. Rather, the past is presented with itinerant characters, mobile space, and cultural ambivalence, enabling multiple narratives of history. Focusing on the use of space, this paper analyzes how Wong’s films engender a reflective form of nostalgia, and challenge both official history and the linear concept of time. Wong’s nostalgia, I argue, is not only a response to Hong Kong politics, but also a paradigmatic text illustrating nostalgic writing’s resistance to official historical discourses. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:01:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1f3c0ef1bebd43b493563329f9499fc2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0752 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:01:10Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arts |
| spelling | doaj.art-1f3c0ef1bebd43b493563329f9499fc22023-12-01T23:23:03ZengMDPI AGArts2076-07522022-07-011147210.3390/arts11040072The Memories of Journeys: Spatialization of Time in Wong Kar-wai’s Nostalgic FilmsChin-Pang Lei0Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, ChinaThere is usually an agenda behind the rewriting of history. As an acclaimed Hong Kong director, Wong Kar-wai has made several nostalgic films set in 1960s Hong Kong, namely, <i>Days of Being Wild</i> (1990), <i>In the Mood for Love</i> (2000), and <i>2046</i> (2004). Relating to Hong Kongers’ anxiety over the 1997 handover, Wong’s films are part of a wider symptomatic cultural phenomenon in Hong Kong cinema. In his nostalgic films, time is often spatialized. With his constant interest in mobile space, such as hotels and trains, he creates an alternative perspective to question the grand narrative of history. In his reconstruction of the past, there is never any cultural purity or origin to revisit. Rather, the past is presented with itinerant characters, mobile space, and cultural ambivalence, enabling multiple narratives of history. Focusing on the use of space, this paper analyzes how Wong’s films engender a reflective form of nostalgia, and challenge both official history and the linear concept of time. Wong’s nostalgia, I argue, is not only a response to Hong Kong politics, but also a paradigmatic text illustrating nostalgic writing’s resistance to official historical discourses.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/11/4/72nostalgiaspacetimehistorical discourseHong Kong cinemaWong Kar-wai |
| spellingShingle | Chin-Pang Lei The Memories of Journeys: Spatialization of Time in Wong Kar-wai’s Nostalgic Films Arts nostalgia space time historical discourse Hong Kong cinema Wong Kar-wai |
| title | The Memories of Journeys: Spatialization of Time in Wong Kar-wai’s Nostalgic Films |
| title_full | The Memories of Journeys: Spatialization of Time in Wong Kar-wai’s Nostalgic Films |
| title_fullStr | The Memories of Journeys: Spatialization of Time in Wong Kar-wai’s Nostalgic Films |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Memories of Journeys: Spatialization of Time in Wong Kar-wai’s Nostalgic Films |
| title_short | The Memories of Journeys: Spatialization of Time in Wong Kar-wai’s Nostalgic Films |
| title_sort | memories of journeys spatialization of time in wong kar wai s nostalgic films |
| topic | nostalgia space time historical discourse Hong Kong cinema Wong Kar-wai |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/11/4/72 |
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