Wong Kar-wai's Ashes of Time

Ashes of Time, by the internationally acclaimed director Wong Kar-wai, has been considered to be one of the most complex and self-reflexive of Hong Kong films. Loosely based on the stories by renowned martial arts novelist Jin Yong, Wong Kar-wai has created a very different kind of martial arts film, which invites close and sustained study.This book presents the nature and significance of Ashes of Time, and the reasons for its being regarded as a landmark in Hong Kong cinema. Placing the film in historical and cultural context, Dissanayake discusses its vision, imagery, visual style, and narrative structure. In particular, he focuses on the themes of mourning, confession, fantasy, and kung fu movies, which enable the reader to gain a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the film.

Wimal Dissanayake is Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Hong Kong and also teaches at the University of Hawaii. A leading scholar of Asian cinema, his most recent work is New Chinese Cinema (with Kwok-kan Tam, Oxford University Press, 1998). He is also the founding editor of East-West Film Journal.