In 2014, Wong Kar-wai first came into contact with the original work of "Flowers", as if he had been magical. His perceptive eyes shone with excitement, and he whispered, "This is the story I'm looking for."
However, the "poison" of director Wong Kar-wai lies in his almost paranoid pursuit of perfection, and from that moment on, he began a decade-long preparatory work, like a tireless alchemist, constantly polishing his creative ideas.
In 2020, filming of "Flowers" is about to start. Wong Kar-wai stood on the set, his eyes as resolute as torches, as if he wanted to imprint every detail into his mind. "A budget of 500 million," he said calmly, his eyes filled with the ultimate pursuit of perfection, "I want to create a work that will have a profound impact on the times."
This sentence is not simply a budget statement, but also a firm statement of his artistic pursuit.
In the next three years of filming, Wong Kar-wai's "poison" became more and more obvious. He still stubbornly insisted on throwing off the script and letting the actors find the soul of the characters in the midst of uncertainty.
The lighting on the set was changed by him repeatedly, and the makeup of the actors became very familiar due to repeated shooting, but Wong Kar-wai seemed to be unaffected by time, and his persistence became stronger and stronger in this long wait.
Over the past three years, the screenwriters have been revising the script, trying to find the perfect beat for the story in Wong Kar-wai's mind. However, "you never know what he wants in his head", this sentence has become a common feeling of the crew, and it has also become the best interpretation of Wong Kar-wai's unique style.
At the beginning of 2024, the much-anticipated flower of "Flowers" will finally bloom, and the audience will be intoxicated by the beauty of this work and attracted by its beauty. The film shows the prosperity and scenery of Shanghai, as well as the youth and dreams of the 90s, with Wong Kar-wai's unique perspective.
However, what few people know is that behind this gorgeous flower, Wong Kar-wai's ten-year persistence and suffering.
"Full house?" Wong Kar-wai heard the praise, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, and a trace of cunning flashed in his eyes, "This is just the beginning." He spoke with confidence, as if to say, "You haven't seen enough of my poison."
This "poison" is his dedication to art, his pursuit of perfection, and his determination to redefine the aesthetics of TV dramas.
The success of "Flowers" is not only Wong Kar-wai's personal victory, but also his "poisonous" victory. It proves that in today's prevalent fast food culture, there are still people who are willing to spend ten years polishing a work, and there are still audiences who are willing to stop for a well-crafted work.
Wong Kar-wai's "poison" may be the medicine needed by the current film and television industry.
On the set of "Flowers", Wong Kar-wai's directing style has been described as a "poisonous" hand training, which is very painful for the actors but also brings endless fun. He was always standing on the sidelines, his eyes sharp, and the corners of his mouth were smiling.
His biggest problem is that "you don't know what he wants", which is also his unique way of directing.
Xin Zhilei's experience can be described as a model of Wong Kar-wai's "poisonous" hand training. When she first joined the crew, she was asked to learn to dance. Two years of Latin and tango training had worn out her feet.
One day, she suddenly broke down on social media and posted "I don't want to live anymore", but she never gave up and insisted on practicing hard, however, it wasn't until the finished film came out that she was surprised to find out that the role she played was not a person who could dance Xin Zhilei leaned against the wall tiredly,
Thinking back to the past training, there was a determined flame burning in her eyes "Director, I'm ready," she said Wong Kar-wai smiled and shook his head, "No, you haven't" Xin Zhilei was stunned, puzzled with a hint of frustration.
Wong Kar-wai's "poison" is not only reflected in the preparation of the role, but also vividly reflected in the filming process. Actor Tang Yan set an astonishing NG record when she participated in Wong Kar-wai's film "Flowers".
She stood in front of the camera, fine beads of sweat oozed from her forehead Tang Yan muttered to herself: "The 86th time, I must pass" Wong Kar-wai nodded slightly behind the monitor, a hint of approval flashed in his eyes, this is his "poison", he forced the actor to break through himself until he reached the perfection in his heart.
As a veteran actor, Dong Yong can often pass the shooting in one go, but during the filming of "Flowers", he needed a lot of shooting to present the best results. Sometimes, the same shot often needs to be shot dozens of times, and even when it reaches 30, director Wong Kar-wai still feels that the first one is the best quality.
What's even more devastating is that there is a scene that finally passes after dozens of shooting, but when he returns to the crew after a week off, he finds that they are still filming the same scene.
Ma Yili's experience is also terrifying. In order to let the director capture a look, she wore high heels, repeatedly climbed on a stool to change the light bulb, and filmed from 11 o'clock in the evening to 2 o'clock in the morning, shooting dozens of them but not being able to do it, and her anxiety led to insomnia.
Xin Zhilei's "finalization" experience during the filming process has become a favorite topic of discussion among the crew. Once, she happily held her first finale banquet, but within a few days she was called back to make up the shoot.
This situation was repeated four times, and in the end, she couldn't believe that she was really finished, and she always felt that this drama would be filmed for a lifetime.
Although the actors often complained privately that Wong Kar-wai was "poisonous", they also had to admit that this almost cruel demand had brought their performances to unprecedented heights. Hu Ge said in an interview: "There is room for performance only when there is torture", which coincides with Ang Lee's evaluation: "Wong Kar-wai is one of the few talented directors who can train stars to become actors."
Under Wong Kar-wai's careful training, every actor shows an almost perfect image in the play. Li Li Meiyan played by Xin Zhilei is very charming and powerful, and has become a highlight in the play.
Tang Yan perfectly interprets Miss Wang's character traits of being undistracted, daring to think and rushing, undefended, and resolute.
Under Wong Kar-wai's training, the actors have to move towards perfection step by step, even if they are painful and happy. Their sweat and tears finally condensed on the screen into those amazing moments.
This is Wong Kar-wai's poison, which is both painful and grown.
During the filming of "Flowers", Wong Kar-wai showed a unique view of perfection, and his unique "toxic" aesthetics made the entire crew both respect and awe. He resolutely opted for a single-camera shot, which was time-consuming and labor-intensive, but the resulting aesthetic of light and shadow was unique.
"Why not multi-camera?" The staff asked in a whisper, with tiredness in their eyes. However, Wong Kar-wai turned his head with a hint of banter in his eyes, "Because I want every shot to poison your bones."
His words are full of dedication to art, as if telling the stubbornness of a director.
Although this single-camera shooting technique is "slow", it puts forward extremely high requirements for the director's planning of each shot and the actor's scene performance. Wong Kar-wai stood in front of the monitor, adjusting the light over and over again, striving for perfection in every frame.
"Come again," he said, "I want to see the soul in the light and shadow" The photographer wiped his sweat and silently started working again, this is Wong Kar-wai's "poison", and he will never give up until he achieves his goal.
At a time when the current trend of multi-camera shooting has accounted for 85% of film and television dramas, Wong Kar-wai has retained his unique "slow stew warmth" method and invested a lot of time and money. When Dong Yong asked the reason, Wong Kar-wai just said lightly: "This can make the girls show better style and charm."
Behind this sentence is his ultimate pursuit of art.
The visual presentation of Blossoms is outstanding. The orange light and shadow and the oil painting-quality picture amazed the audience: "The light and shadow color palette of this show is amazing, and every episode is like a blockbuster movie."
Wong Kar-wai's "toxic" aesthetic is perfectly embodied here.
In the soundtrack room, Wong Kar-wai's perfectionism is vividly expressed. "57 songs," he whispered, "each one has to fit perfectly." "A 30-episode TV series used 57 episodes, each of which was a hit song from the 90s.
The staff cautiously reminded him that the copyright fee had exceeded 10 million Wong Kar-wai raised his head, and a trace of disdain flashed in his eyes, "How can the perfection of art be measured by money?" ”。
Carefully selected songs such as Jacky Cheung's "Stealing Hearts", Jiang Yuheng's "Looking Back Again", and "No More Hesitation" by the Beyond Band not only make the audience feel warm nostalgia, but also perfectly fit the plot of the film, vividly showing the psychological changes and emotional fluctuations of the characters.
Wong Kar-wai's "toxic" aesthetics are vividly reflected in every detail of "Flowers", and he spent three years carefully polishing this audio-visual feast with a budget of up to 500 million yuan. Every shot, every frame, and every note of the film has been carefully scrutinized and revised by him.
Some viewers sighed in private: "This is Wong Kar-wai's 'poison', so beautiful that it makes people tremble."
The unique artistic charm of "Flowers" is precisely due to the almost paranoid perfectionism of director Wong Kar-wai, although this concept has led to huge cost and time investment, but its artistic value cannot be ignored.
Wong Kar-wai's "poisonous" aesthetics, although it has been controversial and criticized, still symbolizes the most precious medicine in the current film and television industry where fast food culture is prevalent, resisting the temptation of impetuousness.
Wong Kar-wai stood in front of the filming set of "Flowers", his eyes were foggy, as if he had returned to his childhood and shook with a floor fan. "This is the Shanghai I remember," he told himself softly, his tone full of nostalgia.
As a director born in Shanghai, Shanghai in the 90s has a special place in his heart, a kind of "nostalgia" that cannot be erased.
In his classic work "Flowers", Wong Kar-wai presents Shanghai in the 90s from a unique perspective, blending the glittering and bizarre bustling scenes of neon and the bits and pieces of chicken and dog in the hutongs of the city, making the audience feel as if they have traveled through time and space, and can truly feel the atmosphere of that era, but also have a strong sense of unreality.
Some people have questioned Wong Kar-wai's depiction of Shanghai in the 90s, arguing that Shanghai at that time was not as beautiful as depicted in "Flowers". In the face of doubt, Wong Kar-wai only smiled faintly, explaining that what he photographed was "the Shanghai of memory".
In the memory of many "old Shanghainese" people, Shanghai at that time was indeed full of opportunities, flourishing and very "beautiful".
Wong Kar-wai's "poison" is manifested in his persistence in reproducing memories. He uses pictures and music to sketch the dreams of the times, making the audience feel as if they are there. Jacky Cheung's "Stealing Hearts" awakens people's memories of youth, and Jiang Yuheng's "Looking Back Again" depicts the regret and loneliness that people love but can't love in the play.
The "Flowers" version of Shanghai, which is "neon and eye-catching, like a sea of flowers", completes Wong Kar-wai's memories of Shanghai when he was a child. Under his lens, the ups and downs of those who rode the wind and waves in those years were endowed with poetic beauty.
This is Wong Kar-wai's "poison", which makes people want to stop and make people intoxicated.
As netizens said, the sense of age of "Flowers" can only be expressed by old songs. Wong Kar-wai used his "poison" to successfully evoke the audience's collective memory and nostalgia for that era.
This "nostalgia" has become the most touching charm of "Flowers".
The broadcast of "Flowers" set off a heated discussion among the audience, and everyone sighed: "Where is this TV series, it is simply an audio-visual feast!" Wong Kar-wai's "poison" has been fully demonstrated in this work, redefining the aesthetic standards of domestic dramas.
The actors' acting skills are so natural, as if they are acting in their true colors. Li Li played by Xin Zhilei is beautiful and full of momentum, which has become a big surprise in the play. And Tang Yan perfectly interprets Miss Wang's firm, courageous, defenseless, and decisive character.
You Benchang is 89 years old, but he used a look to let the audience have a new understanding of him, and when the uncle saw the packaged Mr. Bao, the eyes seemed to be imprinted in the hearts of the audience.
Wong Kar-wai's uniqueness is not only reflected in the actors' performances, but also in the overall production of the film. The unique aesthetics of light and shadow brought by single-camera shooting and 57 carefully selected hits from the 90s have created "Flowers", an artistic masterpiece that cannot be easily replicated.
Ma Yili shared her experience in the interview, and she mentioned that Wong Kar-wai would get to know the actors in-depth during the filming process, discover their lesser-known characteristics, and then ask the screenwriter to temporarily change the script to give the actors more room to show.
This almost paranoid pursuit of perfection gives the movie "Flowers" a unique charm.
The success of Blossom is not only a triumph of the work itself, but also a triumph of Wong Kar-wai's aesthetics. He integrated his unique "poison" into it, presenting the audience with the artistic heights that TV dramas can also reach.
Some netizens commented on this: "Only Wong Kar-wai can achieve Wong Kar-wai" The "poison" may be the medicine needed by the current film and television industry, bringing a new audio-visual experience to the audience.