A complex but beautiful film with characters and a storyline that has so much layers, it's very hard even 15-years later to even describe.Wong Kar-wai's "ASHES OF TIME" which is an adaption of Louis Cha's popular novels "The Legend of Condor Heroes" but yet unrelated gets remastered and re-edited and has been released in theaters in 2008 under the title "ASHES OF TIME REDUX" and will be released on DVD in March 2009.
The choice of revisiting the film was due to a major film warehouse going into bankruptcy in 1998 and Kar-Wai was asked to pick up his film or lose it. Upon finding the film, the film was in pieces. Kar-Wai knew that he wanted to re-edit the film, part of the challenge that he faced was trying to get the film from International distributors and literally having to go worldwide in trying to get the film footage needed to restore the film and then re-editing it.
Five years in trying to get the pieces and restoring it, the film has been reduced from 100 minutes to 93 minutes. ADR could not have been done but there was new digital color tinting, digital effects and altered scenes which certain music-based scenes were removed and also some parts during the battle.
So, essentially, what we are seeing is Wong Kar-wai's final vision of "ASHES OF TIME". Whether or not "REDUX" is for you, to tell you the truth, I think that for many people, unless you got hold of the film on DVD and recently watched it, I would assume that many people, like myself, who probably won't remember the film plot may not be able to tell the differences between the original and the re-edited version. Especially with so much time has passed but if this is Wong Kar-wai's definitive cut, then so be it, I would rather watch the film as he intended it to be.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
I understand the challenges they faced during the restoration and remastered process of having to go worldwide for certain parts of the film because the original film was in pieces and in bad shape. But for fans of Wong Kar-wai and even Christopher Doyle's cinematography, the film was what "HERO" did for many in 2002 but in this case, back in 1994. The film was avant-garde for its time and the cinematography was just amazing.
For "REDUX", visuals and digital color tinting and digital remastering has brought out a lot of the earthtones, the greens, the blues and where the outdoor scenery are quite beautiful, there are other scenes on video that looked great from Maggie Cheung's lipstick to just how color was a big part of the film.
With that being said, I struggle with with my review because after watching the Criterion Blu-ray disc of "Chungking Express" (which was released in the same year as "ASHES OF TIME" in 1994), I saw how Criterion really made the film look great 15-years later. Although, I'm not watching "ASHES OF TIME REDUX" on Blu-ray, I couldn't help but notice the amount of grain in the film.
I'm typically not against grain because film is supposed to have grain but I found the graininess in full force. In fact, some scenes seemed a bit blurry at times. This was more evident in the beginning but as the film progressed, grain was noticeable but yet you start to notice about the positive things such as the acting, cinematography and the music.
As for audio, the film features a re-edit and that includes the score. For the most part, the film is pretty much dialogue-based. Dialogue is clear and the use of the rear channels for the music was nicely done for some scenes.
But overall, I didn't notice anything spectacular during the battle scenes, if anything it was during the musical sequences.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The "ASHES OF TIME REDUX" DVD features three special features. They are:
* Born from Ashes: The Making of ASHES OF TIME REDUX This featurette features interviews with Wong Kar-wai, Christopher Doyle, some of the talents in the film, Yoyo Ma and others. The featurette was informative but to tell you the truth, for those wanting to know the differences of REDUX rom the original, you're not going to find it on this featurette.
* Q&A with Wong Kar-Wai This 45-minute featurette features an interview with Wong Kar-wai which I assume was for the New York Film Festival Q&A session in late 2008. This was an awesome featurette as you got to go into the mind of Wong Kar-wai and some rumors put to rest such as "is it true that Wong Kar-wai doesn't use scripts" to learning about how challenging it was for the HK stars to work in mainstream China and travel over there. Cast and crew had major difficulties filming in the desert and how Maggie Cheung refused to go to China, thus her shots were all indoor in Hong Kong. Learning about his relation with his editor William Chang and DP Christopher Doyle and how the three are a great team. A lot of interesting tidbits of facts for those who are curious about Wong Kar-Wai's work.
* "ASHES OF TIME REDUX" Trailer
Let me first say that I enjoyed "ASHES OF TIME REDUX" for its cinematography and the acting by all those involved. Visually, at that time and even now, knowing how challenging it was for Wong Kar-Wai, Christoper Doyle and the cast to film "ASHES OF TIME", what they were able to create in the end was artistic. But at the same time, the overall plot can be a bit complex for some.
It's a film that has so many layers and I've watched this film many times in the past and watched "REDUX" twice now, just to see what I can get from it. And each time, I do... it's a melancholic feeling of loneliness, sadness, rejection, betrayal but aside from the visual aspect and the complexity of the film, I guess it depends on the viewer for interpretation and what they get out of it.
Throughout the years, I've met may who have been able to watch this film and look at it as an early masterpiece by Wong Kar-Wai. For me, from 15 years ago and today, I still feel that the film set many things in motion for current martial arts films in Hong Kong and how far one can go if they put all they have to it.
I realize Wong Kar-Wai calls this his "Days of Being Wild", when he and his team created this film and overcome a lot of challenges of filming in Western China, Christopher Doyle using no tripod or dollies. And really pushing the envelope of HK filmmaking in 1994. And they continue to do it today.
So, I see "ASHES OF TIME REDUX" for what it accomplished when it first was released in 1994 and how it paved the way for many HK martial arts/wuxia genre-based films. Before a film like "HERO" or "RED CLIFF", what "ASHES OF TIME" did for me was show determination, hope and creativity.
"ASHES OF TIME REDUX" on DVD does shows its age and is hampered with a lot of grain but with his other 1994 film "Chungking Express" receiving the Blu-ray treatment, I often wonder if going 1080P high-definition improve the video quality dramatically.
I will say that the two featurettes included on the DVD is priceless. Any interviews with Wong Kar-wai on video are quite rare and thus, I really enjoyed the inclusion of those two.
All in all, "ASHES OF TIME REDUX" is definitely a nostalgic piece of avant-garde filmmaking and beautiful cinematography. But it's one of those films that either one gets it or they don't. Nevertheless, it's a Wong Kar-wai film worth watching.
The only thing I like about the redux is the sharper images. The new music is not half as effective as the old music. The added titles severed the film into sections and disrupted the flow of the film. The new editing destroyed Leslie Cheung's narrative and rhythm of the film. I hate the bright yellow tint in desert scenes and green tint in some other scenes that make them look annoyingly unnatural. Brigitte Lin's dialogue was changed from the original Cantonese to Mandarin and sounds stiff, but is tolerable. I wish they had just cleaned up the image quality and kept everything else intact.I must thank Newsweek or I never would have heard about this movie. If I Had not read about it in the previous review I never would have known about the supposedly poor quality f the DVD because I never noticed it. I found the cinematography very compelling with its four seasons was striking especially during the Summer portion. I believe that Ashes of Time Redux is a great movie as defined by Roger Ebert, a movie so compelling you want to watch it again. This movie is universal in it themes, has a compelling score, has bold cinematography and a compelling characters and a beautifully sad ending that brought tears to my eyes.
Read Best Reviews of Ashes of Time Redux Here
Wong Kar Wai's ASHES OF TIME has for many long-time fans of HK action cinema of the 80s and 90s been a kind of unrealised masterpiece. For years we've struggled along watching inferior prints of the film that seemed to reflect the visceral graininess of the desert which features so prominently in the narrative until now!Beautifully restored, with a re-recorded soundtrack, Wong Kar Wai's homage to HK action cinema is both a loving celebration and a bittersweet mourning of its passing.
Therefore it's a real treat for all cineastes!
A meditation on change, loss and regret focusing on the darkening days and decline of five swordsmen through interconnecting episodes, ASHES is a deconstruction of HK martial arts cinema (which by 1994 had had better days), a bold and avant garde reinterpretation of the genre's conventions as well as a homage to the classic films of Tsui Hark, the Shaw brothers and Sergio Leone westerns.
The cast is mouthwatering! Just look at those names!!! It reads like a who's who of HK cinema! As to be expected from a cast of this caliber the acting is magnificent. Particularly outstanding are Brigitte Lin who is spellbinding as a schizophrenic swordsman and an empathetic Tony Leung C-W, a fighter for hire who is rapidly losing his sight.The late, great Leslie Cheung turns in a complex, morally ambiguous performance, Jacky Cheung shines as a young swordsman attempting to preserve a sense of chivalry in changing times, Maggie Cheung is radiant and Carina Lau delivers considerable sensuality in what a lesser actress would consider a minor role.
The location of the film is set entirely in a desert, metaphorically depicting the desolation of the characters, which is beautifully lensed by the peerless Christopher Doyle. Some of the shots he achieves have resonated with me for years.
The soundtrack is also extraordinarily beautiful, enhanced by the addition of virtuoso Yo Yo Ma. It's arguably one of the best scores in HK action cinema and an obvious influence on Tan Dun's "Hero" compositions.
In fact ASHES OF TIME is the perfect antidote to the overtly nationalistic, overblown, spectacle-driven Chinese epics of Zhang Yimou that have (unfortunately) come to set the standard for martial arts cinema in contemporary popular consciousness.
Therefore fans of the more recent Chinese fantasy films may find ASHES a difficult viewing because, as typical to his style, Wong Kar Wai delivers a personal, character-driven piece, that is minimalist in action set-pieces and expansive in both scenery and emotional development.
By "reduxing" this landmark film we are given a timely reminder of the creative, cultural roots of the HK martial arts genre but we are also called to reflect upon its demise.
Want Ashes of Time Redux Discount?
Dennis A. Amith and UbiK did very fine reviews of the film. BUT those who just don't read, if you didn't know, Wong Kar-Wai, for the most part, had no choice but to re-edit just about everything for this film because: 1. The original stock footage (also "in pieces") was stored in a warehouse which was about to be shut down, and rid of everything into "ashes". 2. Many of the original film footages/audios were also too damaged to repair/display, PLUS he had to run all over the world to recover all the distributed negatives he sent out to other companies (14-15 yrs. ago), whatever left he could find. 3. It was his first project, his "baby", through his independent film company, and didn't want the film to age or get lost somewhere else any longer. 4. Therefore he decided to restore and re-edit it, plus there was never a proper western distribution of the film, and also realized, after all these years, how much importance this film (and influence) has actually become... (These reasons can be non-linear too! and still make sense)I have to disagree that the film's a mess, as some say it is. It is a non-linear film to begin with, and not without reason. It's a journey through a man's thoughts and his random encounters with the people that visit him, who, the most of them, happen to loosely connect/indirectly connect to his life or remind him of his past, and even reveal a bit of their own inner-self turmoil, etc. Kar-Wai's execution is the same way of maybe how Ouyang Feng would remember things of whatever surfaced to his thoughts first, yet it still comes full-circle to emphasize the thing that haunts him most. It may sound like some random things taken out of each and everyone's journal, but they're still events that occurred in that one's life. If you pay attention to detail or things most people take for granted, you realize how much greater things are. And once again, the film is played out (in my interpretation) how Ouyang Feng possibly registers his thoughts. If you realize, he's a bit delusional and/or cynical anyways, since his life-turning event that's lead him to live in the middle of the desert; or maybe yet more discombobulated in the head than we think since, at one point in time in the past, he had one straight mind-set which was to become the greatest swordsman, which came to a sudden stop.
If you expected many action scenes (still neat, for the few brief scenes there was), the film was never driven by that purpose. Find action in Mr. Wong's directorial debut film, As Tears Go By.
In conclusion, I hope I said all the main things behind this film and what I wanted to say, in counter to the negative or confused views or who's new and curious of this film. Wong Kar-Wai set out to preserve this beloved and important film in a very sticky-slow, painstaking, and many unfortunate, process. Also, to one reviewer you can't compare this to 'CTHD', because 'AT' was one of the major reasons why 'CTHD' came out the way it came out. Plus, both films' storytelling are the polar opposite of each other... yet two great milestone films for the greatest of cinema. The 'Redux' has quite a bit of changes, yet Kar-Wai said, after the reconstruction, that this is THE definitive version of the film he realized he was looking to make.
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