Reports have surfaced from many Chinese media outlets that Wong Kar-wai has scripted a sequel to his beloved 1994 romance Chungking Express. Titled Chungking Express 2020 and set in Chongqing in 2036, the China Film Administration approved the script back in April, which means it can move ahead. Here’s a brief synopsis:
In 1990s Hong Kong, the lovelorn Policeman No. 223 encounters a blonde female assassin. They only spend a short time together overnight. The Policeman No. 663, getting over a failed relationship, has his life gradually changed by a “dreamer” who broke into his apartment. In Chongqing in 2036, young Xiaoqian and May are unwilling to be matched with their genetically-assigned partner, and are determined to find their own “destiny.”
While Wong Kar-wai has already technically expanded the story of Chungking Express with Fallen Angels––which was the planned third story of Chungking but ended up spinning off into its own feature––he’s clearly taking a different route than a direct follow-up. From that brief synopsis, it sounds like it’ll be a loose sequel, rather finding thematic connections similar to those that bond Days of Being Wild, In the Mood for Love, and 2046. He’s currently only on board as the screenwriter, so if a different director hops on, perhaps it could get made sometime in the near future. If the meticulous Wong Kar-wai wants to make it himself, then we’ll patiently wait to see if it ever comes to fruition, since the quest for perfection consumes time and patience. Just don’t expect cinematographer Christopher Doyle to return.
“To me Chungking Express and Fallen Angels are one film that should be three hours long,” Wong Kar-wai said in 1998. “I always think these two films should be seen together as a double bill. In fact, people asked me during an interview for Chungking Express: “You’ve made these two stories which have no relationship at all to each other, how can you connect them?” And I said, “The main characters of Chungking Express are not Fay Wang or Takashi Kaneshiro, but the city itself, the night and day of Hong Kong. Chungking Express and Fallen Angels together are the bright and dark of Hong Kong.” I see the films as inter-reversible, the character of Fay Wang could be the character of Takashi in Fallen Angels; Brigitte Lin in Chungking Express could be Leon Lai in Fallen Angels. All of their characters are inter-reversible. Also, in Chungking Express we were shooting from a very long distance with long lenses, but the characters seem close to us.”
【小题1】Which film does the underlined part “one of his most beloved films” refer to?| A．In the Mood for Love. | B．Chunking Express. |
| C．Fallen Angels. | D．Days of Being Wild. |
| A．The story of Chungking Express 2020 will directly follow that of Chungking Express. |
| B．It has been announced that Wong Kar-wai will direct Chungking Express 2020. |
| C．Currently, the script of Chungking Express 2020 has not been finished yet. |
| D．Wong Kar-wai intends to adapt Blossoms for both the small and the big screen. |
| A．attentive to small details | B．curious about surroundings |
| C．indifferent to others’ feelings | D．indecisive about contents |
| A．what the film Chungking Express really intends to emphasize is the city Chongqing itself |
| B．Chungking Express and Fallen Angels must be viewed as two separate cinematic works |
| C．the seemingly-unrelated films Chungking Express and Fallen Angels tell the same story |
| D．long lenses were employed during the shooting to highlight the actors and actresses |
