When it's time to let go, I don't look back, and I start another project as soon as possible. One thing I remind myself is that I don't want to Photoshop my past.
Wong Kar-WaiRead
This is what the difference is between Hong Kong and Chinese cinema - Chinese cinema was made for their own communities. It was for propaganda. But Hong Kong made films to entertain, and they know how to communicate with international audiences.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the distinct purposes behind Chinese cinema and Hong Kong cinema, highlighting their approaches to audience engagement.
Wong Kar-Wai distinguishes the motivations behind cinema produced in mainland China and Hong Kong, stating that the former often serves a propagandistic aim targeted at its domestic audience, while the latter focuses on entertainment and has a broader appeal to international viewers. This reflects the cultural and artistic differences in filmmaking approaches, with Hong Kong cinema being more adaptable and communicative across diverse audiences.
Themes
CinemaArtCultureEntertainmentAudience
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about film history, one can use this quote to illustrate how cultural contexts affect cinema.
More from Wong Kar-Wai
All quotes →To make films, it always begins with two words: what and how. First of all, you have to find a story, or what are you going to tell? And you have to find a way to tell it visually.
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What makes international cinema so interesting is that each territory has its own sensibility. When you look at an Indian or French film, there's a certain flavor. And even though the language is different, if the film is successful, it has something very common and understandable.
Wong Kar-WaiRead
Sometimes, when you're on the streets, certain music inspires you, and then you have a vision. But, at the end of the day, it's a synthesis of visions, so you have to think, as a director, of a scene, or how to deliver a line, or how do this visually.
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Chinese martial artists consider themselves to be gardeners, and it's an honor for them to take care of this garden, to better it and hand it over to the generations that follow. I think that's a very important message in a time when personal achievement seems to be the only criteria of success.
Wong Kar-WaiRead
My films are never about what Hong Kong is like, or anything approaching a realistic portrait, but what I think about Hong Kong and what I want it to be.
Wong Kar-WaiRead
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