The widely acclaimed films of Wong Kar-wai are characterized by their sumptuous yet complex visual and sonic style. Bettinson argues that Wong’s films—from Days of Being Wild and Chungking Express to In the Mood for Love and The Grandmaster—are permeated by an aesthetic of sensuousness and “disturbance” achieved through techniques such as narrative disruptions, jarring cuts, the blocking of facial access, and other complex strategies. The effect is to jolt the viewer out of complete aesthetic absorption.
This tenth-anniversary edition of The Sensuous Cinema of Wong Kar-wai includes a substantial new afterword bringing the story of Wong’s career up to date (including reflections on the mainland Chinese drama Blossoms Shanghai). Bettinson revisits and extends the arguments of the first edition, surveys the recent key debates on Wong’s filmmaking, and introduces fresh lines of critical investigation.
Price: £24.00
Pages: 204
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
Imprint: Hong Kong University Press
Publication Date:
20 March 2025
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9789888900824
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
LITERARY CRITICISM / Asian / General, PERFORMING ARTS / Film / General
“Gary Bettinson’s Sensuous Cinema of Wong Kar-wai is a major step forward in our understanding of this director. Bettinson scrutinizes Wong’s unique place in world film culture, his unusual production methods, and his debts to several cinematic traditions, both Asian and European. A close examination of Wong’s style shows, in unprecedented depth, how these lyrical, apparently loosely constructed films are underpinned by a strong formal and emotional coherence. The result is an unequaled study of a filmmaker whose work, from As Tears Go By to The Grandmaster, has redefined contemporary cinema.”
—David Bordwell, University of Wisconsin–Madison
