EAST 350 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Diegesis, Shutter Speed, Chungking Express
15 May 2018
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Lecture 9
March 13, 2018
8:21 AM
Group Presentation:
Days of Being Wild
Produced in 1990 by Wong Kar-wai, film takes place in the 1960's. In the 1960's
Hong Kong was still a transitory space, they were in the formation of their identity
- being a hybrid between Britain and China.
Themes
• Origin and Absence
Yuddy's life is similar to Wong Kar-wai's life. He was born in Shanghai, moved to
Hong Kong with mother, father and siblings were unable to join them for 10years
due to the Cultural Revolution.
• Time and transition
The Story of a Fei vs Days of Being Wild
A Fei - a local slang in Shanghai used to express a rebellious young, Fei means to
fly and so this alludes to the allegory of the legless bird.
Yuddy's fate is consistent with the story of the legless bird, like the bird who has
to keep flying, Yuddy doesn't know who his biological mother is and keeps
searching for her, after being rejected by her he decides to land (die)
Yuddy wants to be perceived as a playboy who doesn't (and will not) form
attachments to any of the women in his life, who does not care about what
anyone thinks.
Character development
Yuddy - he's an immigrant from Shanghai, first portrayed as a playboy, he
develops short intimate relationships with the female characters who become
attached to him but he has no intention of settling down with either of them.
Throughout the movie he talks about being the legless bird, gestures he makes
such as lighting a cigarette and constantly combing his hair fit in with the playboy
persona. Yuddy is encaged by his tragedies.
Tide - he is at first like an opposite character to Yuddy, he appears to be a symbol
of justice and a good gentleman.
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