The Iguazu Waterfall scene from Wong Kar-Wai's Happy Together.
This waterfall, so precisely placed in the film as what I feel is a symbol of the two leading characters' relationship - mesmerising, of great depths, to lose one's self. This shot follows a moment in the film where the two characters, Ho Po-Wing and Lai Yiu-Fai take a road trip in search for the Iguazu waterfall. Their trip comes to a halt, and we see one of them walk away from the car. "Where are you going?" says Ho, as he remains with the car, a map spread out before him. The characters stand next to a busy highway, abandoning their car and map. Cars and trucks go by in haste as their relationship grows further and further apart.
What a great, great film.
This waterfall, so precisely placed in the film as what I feel is a symbol of the two leading characters' relationship - mesmerising, of great depths, to lose one's self. This shot follows a moment in the film where the two characters, Ho Po-Wing and Lai Yiu-Fai take a road trip in search for the Iguazu waterfall. Their trip comes to a halt, and we see one of them walk away from the car. "Where are you going?" says Ho, as he remains with the car, a map spread out before him. The characters stand next to a busy highway, abandoning their car and map. Cars and trucks go by in haste as their relationship grows further and further apart.
What a great, great film.
I love the closing montage of scenes... one man at Tierra del Fuego (filmed from Tony Scott's helicopter, it seems), another on a train in Taiwan thinking of home. Great ending.
ReplyDeleteThe making-of, titled 'Buenos Aires Zero Degree', gives an interesting insight into how close the film was to being like 'Days of Being Wild', before 2 key female characters were removed from the film completely. (And not because of weak performances.) I'd love to show both versions of the film to a class one day and make the point - 'that's the sort of decision an editor really makes'.