2046 is a Hong Kong movie written and directed by Wong Kar-wai, released in 2004. It is a sequel to Days of Being Wild (released in 1991) and In the Mood for Love (released in 2000). It follows the love-life of Chow Mo-wan in 1960s' Hong Kong but includes some science fiction elements.

Cast and roles include

• Tony Leung Chiu Wai - Chow Mo-wan, the main character and narrator. A journalist and writer, he is the same character, played by the same actor as in In the Mood for Love.
• Maggie Cheung - Su Li Zhen, the woman Chow Mo-wan loved most. See In the Mood for Love.
• Gong Li - Another Su Li Zhen. Presented as a "professional gambler" and nicknamed "Black Spider", she said that she was from Phnom Penh. Chow Mo-wan met her in Singapore.
• Wang Sum
  • Mr. Wang, the hotel owner. He had taken singing lessons in Harbin, China.
  • The captain of the train to (or from) 2046.
• Faye Wong
  • Wang Jing Wen. The first daughter of Mr. Wang, the hotel owner. She was in love with a Japanese man, a relationship that her father opposed strongly.
  • An android in the train to (or from) 2046.
• Takuya Kimura
  • A Japanese man, sent to Hong Kong for a while by his company. He is Wang Jing Wen's boyfriend.
  • Tak, a passenger of the train to (or from) 2046.
• Dong Jie - Wang Jie Wen. The second daughter of Mr. Wang, the hotel owner.
• Carina Lau
  • Mimi/Lulu. See Days of Being Wild.
  • An android in the train to (or from) 2046.
• Chang Chen
  • The drummer boyfriend of Mimi/Lulu. Played by Jacky Cheung in Days of Being Wild.
  • A passenger of the train to (or from) 2046.
• Zhang Ziyi - Bai Ling. An occupant of room 2046 in the Oriental Hotel, and a lover of Chow Mo-wan.
• Siu Ping-lam - Ah Ping, a colleague and friend of Chow Mo-wan.
• Bird McIntyre

Filming details

A total secrecy surrounded the movie before its release, and this led to a lot of speculation as to the significance of the number "2046", many believing that it would be the year in which the movie would be set, and that it would be a science fiction film. It also became an in-joke that the title would actually refer to the year of release.

The film took a whole four years in making, and the production was suffering from bad luck; for an example, the production was shut down because of the SARS epidemic in March 2003. At last, it premiered during the 2004 Cannes Film Festival as a competitive film (the reels arrived straight from the laboratory causing a delay in the schedule), yet Kar-Wai pulled the film off after the premiere to continue editing it. Kar-Wai was reportedly editing it all the way to October, and it was at last finished and given to the public to see in late October.

It has been picked up by Fox Searchlight in the United States of America, but a release date is yet to be announced.

Title

2046 is the number of the hotel room in In the Mood for Love in which Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung's characters meet to write their kung fu serial.

In the movie 2046, "2046" is the number of a hotel room occupied by Lulu, and later by Bai Ling at the Oriental Hotel, while Tony Leung's room number is 2047.

In the same movie, the main character (Tony Leung) writes science fiction stories, in which 2046 is a popular year to which people time-travel. The stories are titled "2046" and later "2047" (a collaboration with Faye Wong's character).

The year 2046 is 49 years after the handover of Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, a possible allusion to the Mainland government's promise of fifty years of self-regulation for the former British colony.

Plot details

The main line of the movie takes place in Hong Kong, in the "Oriental Hotel", between 1966 and 1969. Some flashbacks show the main character (Tony Leung) in Singapore. Some parts of the movie show pieces of the 2047 science fiction story that Tony Leung is writing.

A herald of Wong's respect for his imagination, as well as a summary of his previous films, 2046 is a ground-breaking film in Wong's career, much like La Dolce Vita to Federico Fellini. As Chow Mo-Wan uses his personal experience to imagine "2047", he manages to face his troubled past. Similiarly, Wong Kar Wai uses his previous personal experiences, already portrayed in his earlier movies, to imagine "2046", a film that houses his trademark sentimentalism, allowing his very self to push ahead into his realm of imagination.

Music

Original music:

• Shigeru Umebayashi : "2046 Main Theme", "The Christmas Song" (Fast Version), "Interlude I", "Polonaise", "2046 Main Theme" (Rumba Version), "Lost", "Long Journey", "Interlude II", "2046 Main Theme" (With Percussion, Train Remix)
• Peer Raben : "Dark Chariot", "Sisyphos At Work"

Non-original music:

• Xavier Cugat: "Siboney" – Instrumental, "Perfidia"
• Dean Martin: "Sway"
• Georges Delerue: "Julien et Barbara" (originally from the soundtrack of François Truffaut's Vivement Dimanche!)
• Connie Francis: "Siboney"
• Vincenzo Bellini and Felice Romani: Norma opera: "Casta Diva ", performed by Angela Gheorghiu and the London Symphony Orchestra, directed by Evelino Pido - recorded in 2000
• Zbigniew Preisner: "Decision" (originally from the soundtrack of Thou shalt not kill , Part 5 of Krzysztof Kieslowski's The Decalogue)
• Secret Garden: "Adagio" with David Agnew (cor anglais)
• Nat King Cole and the Nat King Cole Trio: "The Christmas Song "

Producers

• Eric Heumann - co-producer
• Amedeo Panaghi - co-producer
• Marc Sillam - co-producer
• Wong Kar-wai - producer
• Zhang Yimou - producer

Cinematographers

• Christopher Doyle
• Kwan Pun-leung
• Lai Yiu-fai

Awards

• In April 2004, the film was nominated for the Golden Palm Award at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, later receiving mixed reviews.
• In March 2005, it was awarded Best Film at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Additionally, Tong Leung and Zhang Ziyi were awarded best actor and actress for their roles in the film. Other awards included best photographer, best art director, best constume design, and best original music.

Release dates

• France: May 20, 2004 - Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival
• Hong Kong: September 29, 2004
• Malaysia: September 30, 2004
• Taiwan: October 1, 2004
• Singapore: October 14, 2004
• United Kingdom: October 15, 2004
• France: October 20, 2004
• South Korea: October 22, 2004
• Japan: October 23, 2004
• Italy: October 29, 2004
• Thailand: November 4, 2004
• Norway: November 5, 2004
• Denmark: November 12, 2004
• Portugal: November 18, 2004
• Finland: November 26, 2004
• Germany: January 13, 2005
• Netherlands: February 3, 2005
• US: August 5, 2005

See also

• List of movies set in Hong Kong

External links

• Official website, by Jet Tone Films Ltd (Hong Kong)
• Official website, by Océan Films (France) (in French)
• Official website (Japan) (in Japanese)
• MonkeyPeaches 2046 page
• HelloZiyi.us 2046 page
• Zhang Ziyi CSC: 2046