The first parallel between Express and its French predecessor is the lack of a cohesive plot structure, with the directors focusing more on the films as films rather than stories. Reply DeleteĪlthough I hate to be the third person to speak on this, the stylistic similarities between “Chunking Express” and “Breathless” are so prevalent, with even Roger Ebert comparing Wong’s style to that of Godard, that it is really my only choice. Many of the films of the French New Wave use style to show realism “Chungking Express” uses the same style to show optimism conquering realism. Godard portrays what he sees as a typical (or atypical relationship) through the use of uncommon film techniques and Kar-wai takes those techniques and uses them to portray a completely different story. Just like the song, “California Dreamin’”, that repeats itself over and over, the ending to “Chungking Express” ends on a hopeful, if not longing, note. The ambiguity of the two endings is twisted to make one show the cruelty of love and life, and the other to show how it can be just like starting over. The theme of love is also consistent throughout both films, but there is a glaring difference between the two: where “Breathless” ends with a note of pessimism and cynicism as Michel, dying, looks up at his love who has betrayed him, “Chungking Express” ends with a cautious optimism as the two lovers decide to leave together.
It is the filming of everyday life, but instead of being gritty like that of Italian neo-realism, it is flashy and stylistic, giving romanticism and glamour to everyday life.īoth films are ambiguous both in their meaning, their presentation, and their ending. Like “Breathless” the story-telling has no strong, cohesive plot, but is rather stream-of-consciousness in the way it jumps from one seemingly unimportant event to the next. Whereas “Breathless” came to fruition mainly by accident and created successful uses of jump cuts and breaking the 180-degree rule, among other techniques, “Chungking Express” pays homage to the works of directors such as Godard and Truffaut, while expanding on these ideas. Although many films from the French New Wave could have parallels drawn to “Chungking Express”, the one that seems the most similar is Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless”, with the complete lack of recognition of the typical format of a film and the linear storytelling that goes along with most films. “Chungking Express” is a 1994 Chinese drama directed by Wong Kar-wai and divided into two separate stories – both heavily influenced by the French New Wave. The edits could be described with the same adjectives: playful and romantic, as Breathless is briskly paced and slowly paced all at once. Breathless is famous for its unsettling jump cuts that jar the viewer, while subtly drawing them closer to the characters, Patricia and Michel, and their playfully romantic relationship. In one scene on the streets of Paris, the main characters’ voices are nearly drown out by an ambulance. In his film, Godard aimed for a similar quality insisting on natural lighting and natural background noises throughout. Several scenes follow this pattern, giving the film a natural, spontaneous, feel of documentary realism. The camera follows the cop hastily as if the camera man is trying to win a race against the cop, not minding the steadiness or accuracy of the shot. I recall a specific shot from Chungking: the nameless Cop 663 sprints into his home after seeing the quirky snack bar worker dancing around his apartment from afar. These techniques rarely follow the traditional “rules” of filmmaking, but are effective in setting a mood unique to films of the New Wave. The characters are nothing special but through certain cinematic techniques can be admired for what they are. In order to truly appreciate the works, the audience must forget everything they know about continuity in edits and cannot expect a conclusion that reveals all, but rather one that is quite ambiguous. Sans cinematic perspective, the two resemble one another simply within their loose plot lines of love and love lost. Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless is a fine example of the film movement and parallels can be drawn between the two films.
It is made clear judging from the cinematic stylings of Wong Kar-wai that Chungking Express drew much influence from French New Wave cinema.
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