Editing Ashes of Time

{{Short description|1994 Hong Kong film by Wong Kar-wai}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Ashes of Time
| image          = Ashes2.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Film poster
| native_name      = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes|t = 東邪西毒
 |s = 东邪西毒
 |p = Dōng Xié, Xī Dú
 |j = Dung1 Ce4 Sai1 Duk6
|l = Eastern Heretic, Western Venom }}
| director       = [[Wong Kar-wai]]
| producer       = Wong Kar-wai<br>[[Jeffrey Lau]]<br>Jacky Pang
| screenplay     = Wong Kar-wai
| story          = [[Jin Yong|Louis Cha]]
| starring       = [[Leslie Cheung]]<br>[[Tony Leung Ka-fai]]<br>[[Brigitte Lin]]<br>[[Tony Leung Chiu-Wai]]<br>[[Carina Lau]]<br>[[Charlie Yeung]]<br>[[Jacky Cheung]]<br>[[Maggie Cheung]]
| music          = [[Frankie Chan]]<br>Roel A. Garcia
| cinematography = [[Christopher Doyle]]<br>Pun-Leung Kwan
| editing        = Hai Kit-wai<br>Kwong Chi-leung<br>[[William Chang]]<br>[[Patrick Tam (film director)|Patrick Tam]]
| studio         = Jet Tone Productions<br>Beijing Film Studio<br>Tsui Siu Ming Production<br>Scholar Films<br>Pony Canyon Inc.
| distributor    = Newport Entertainment (HK)<br>HKFM (US)
| released       = {{Film date|1994|9|17|df=y}}
| runtime        = 100 minutes<br>93 minutes (Redux)
| country        = Hong Kong
| language       = Cantonese<br>Mandarin
| budget         = HK$40,000,000 (estimated)
| gross          = HK$9,023,583 (HK)<br>US$1,912,490 (Redux)<ref>[https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ashesoftimeredux.htm Ashes of Time Redux]. [[Box Office Mojo]]. Retrieved 2011-07-22</ref>
}}
'''''Ashes of Time''''' ({{zh|t=東邪西毒}}) is a 1994 Hong Kong film written and directed by [[Wong Kar-wai]], and inspired by characters from [[Jin Yong]]'s novel ''[[The Legend of the Condor Heroes]]''. Director Wong Kar Wai regards the film as his most important work.

==Summary==
The film follows the main antagonist Ouyang Feng, from the novel ''[[The Legend of the Condor Heroes]]'', when he is a young man crossing paths with other important characters. The movie humanizes Feng and depicts the events that lead to his descent into villainy. It sometimes completely subverts the intended meaning of the novel, as in Feng's copulation with his sister-in-law, which is depicted as sinister and taboo in the book but is shown as true love in the film; the longing for her serves as a common theme that echoes throughout the movie.

==Cast==
* [[Leslie Cheung]] as [[Ouyang Feng]], the Western Venom
* [[Tony Leung Ka-fai]] as [[Huang Yaoshi]], the Eastern Heretic
* [[Brigitte Lin]] as Murong Yang / Murong Yin / [[Dugu Qiubai]]
* [[Tony Leung Chiu-Wai]] as Blind Swordsman
* [[Carina Lau]] as Peach Blossom, Blind Swordsman's wife
* [[Charlie Yeung]] as Girl with mule
* [[Jacky Cheung]] as [[Hong Qigong]], the Northern Beggar
* [[Maggie Cheung]] as Ouyang Feng's sister-in-law
* Li Bai as Hong Qigong's wife
* Siu Tak-fu
* [[Collin Chou]] as Swordsman
* Lau Shun<ref>[http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=7895&display_set=eng Ashes of Time at HKMDB]</ref><ref>[http://chinesemov.com/1994/Ashes%20of%20Time.html Ashes of Time at chinesemov.com]</ref>

==Production==
In the 1960s, [[King Hu]]'s ''[[Come Drink with Me]]'' raised the artistic level of wuxia films. Wong grew up immersed in wuxia culture. In 1972, [[Bruce Lee]]'s ''[[The Way of the Dragon]]'' brought [[jianghu]] culture to the global stage.<ref name="companion">{{Cite book |url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/9781118425589 |title=A Companion to Wong Kar-wai: Nochimson/Companion |date=2015-11-05 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |isbn=978-1-118-42558-9 |editor-last=Nochimson |editor-first=Martha P. |location=Hoboken, NJ, USA |language=en |doi=10.1002/9781118425589}}</ref> In the mid-1990s, wuxia films entered a new stage. Wong selected characters from "new-school" wuxia novelist [[Jin Yong]]'s novel ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' and created an unprecedented wuxia story.<ref name="companion"/>

The film's story is a prequel to the novel ''[[The Legend of the Condor Heroes]]'' as it imagines the older characters when they were younger. It focuses on the main antagonist ([[Ouyang Feng]]) and humanizes him into a protagonist while retaining his despicable qualities.  Feng, known as the Western Venom, crosses paths with the other powerful wuxia masters.  Their backstories are depicted with great liberty and sometimes completely subvert the intended meaning from the novel.

During the film's long-delayed production, Wong produced a parody of the same novel with much of the same cast (in different roles) titled ''[[The Eagle Shooting Heroes]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bramhall|first=Paul|title=Eagle Shooting Heroes, The (1993) Review|url=https://cityonfire.com/the-eagle-shooting-heroes-1993-review/|website=City on Fire|date=13 January 2020|access-date=12 March 2024}}</ref>

Using negatives from around the world, Wong re-edited and re-scored the film in 2008 for future theater, DVD and Blu-ray releases under the title '''''Ashes of Time Redux'''''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Koresky|first=Michael|title=The Perfect Storm: Wong Kar-wai's "Ashes of Time Redux"|url=https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-the-perfect-storm-wong-kar-wais-ashes-of-time-redux-71623/|website=[[IndieWire]]|date=7 October 2008|access-date=12 March 2024}}</ref>  The film was reduced from 100 to 93 minutes.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jenkins|first=Mark|title='Ashes Of Time Redux': Sumptuous All Over Again|url=https://www.npr.org/2008/10/09/95558019/ashes-of-time-redux-sumptuous-all-over-again|website=[[NPR]]|date=9 October 2008|access-date=12 March 2024}}</ref>

==Soundtrack==
The music was composed by [[Frankie Chan]] and Roel A. García, and produced by [[Rock Records]] in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It was released in 1994. The redux version features additional cello solos by [[Yo-Yo Ma]].<ref>[https://www.chicagotribune.com/2008/11/14/ashes-return-not-an-improvement/ 'Ashes of Time Redux' stars Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Brigitte Lin]</ref>

{{Track listing
|headline = <big>Original Motion Picture Soundtrack<br> Track Listing</big>
|title1 = 序幕: 天地孤影任我行
|note1 = Prelude – A Lonely Heart
|length1 = 2:50
|title2 = 殺手生涯
|note2 = The Killer's Career
|length2 = 3:55
|title3 = 情慾流轉 
|note3 = A Flood of Love
|length3 = 2:45
|title4 = 又愛又恨
|note4 = Both Love and Hate
|length4 = 4:15
|title5 = 幻影交疊 
|note5 = Illusion
|length5 = 3:25
|title6 = 昔情難追 
|note6 = Bygone Love 
|length6 = 4:06
|title7 = 馬賊來襲  
|note7 = An Attack by the Highwaymen
|length7 = 3:17
|title8 = 痴痴期盼
|note8 = Expectation
|length8 = 5:00
|title9 = 糾結難解
|note9 = Tangle
|length9 = 5:18
|title10 = 決鬥
|note10 = A Duel 
|length10 = 3:35
|title11 = 塵歸塵 土歸土
|note11 = Dust to Dust
|length11 = 5:58
|title12 = 摯愛
|note12 = Sincere Love
|length12 = 3:11
|title13 = 追憶 
|note13 = Reminiscence
|length13 = 3:58
|title14 = 真相 
|note14 = The Truth
|length14 = 3:03
|title15 = 終曲: 世事蒼茫成雲煙
|note15 = Finale – Gone with the Wind
|length15 = 2:52
}}

==Reception==

===Critical response===
When the film opened in Hong Kong it received mixed reviews. Critics found it so elliptical that it was almost impossible to make out any semblance of a plot, Wong Kar Wai made an introspective film that focuses on the main characters’ inner lives rather than their martial arts performances. This decision is very rare in a wuxia film (a genre of fiction about martial artists in ancient China).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-04-16 |title=How Wong Kar-wai's Ashes of Time became a Hong Kong classic |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3079994/hong-kong-martial-arts-cinema-how-ashes-time-star-studded |access-date=2022-04-20 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}</ref>

In ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[Lawrence Van Gelder]] also gave ''Ashes of Time'' a mixed review:<ref>Lawrence van Gelder, "[https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9902E1DE1339F934A25756C0A960958260 Film Review: Pain of an Aging Warrior]", ''[[The New York Times]]'', 17 May 1996</ref>

{{blockquote|For those who seek metaphors, ''Ashes of Time''... presents the eye as well as the illusions of vision. One character is nearly blind. Another, a swordsman, goes blind in the middle of a horrendous battle. Two characters, Yin and Yang—one presented as a man, the other as his sister—are identical. And there is a brief appearance by a legendary sword fighter who hones his skills against his own reflection.

For those who seek battle, ''Ashes of Time'' offers intermittent blurs of action, streaks of flying figures, flashing steel, and rare spatters and gouts of moist crimson, all washing across the screen like hurried brush paintings.

Like the attainment of wisdom, ''Ashes of Time'' requires a long journey through testing terrain.}}

The [[review aggregator]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reported that 78% of critics have given ''Ashes of Time Redux'' a positive review based on 87 reviews, with an average rating of 6.80/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Wong Kar Wai's redux, with a few slight changes from his 1994 classic, is a feast for the eyes, if a little difficult to follow."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ashes_of_time_redux_2008 |title=Ashes of Time Redux (2008) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] |access-date=22 September 2020}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 69 out of 100 based on 20 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/dung-che-sai-duk |title=Dung che sai duk Reviews |publisher=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=22 September 2020}}</ref>

===Awards and nominations===
* 1995 [[Hong Kong Film Awards]]
** Won: Best Art Direction ([[William Chang]])
** Won: Best Cinematography ([[Christopher Doyle]])
** Won: Best Costume and Make-up Design ([[William Chang]])
** Nominated: Best Picture
** Nominated: Best Director ([[Wong Kar-wai]])
** Nominated: Best Action Choreography ([[Sammo Hung]])
** Nominated: Best Film Editing ([[Patrick Tam (film director)|Patrick Tam]], Kai Kit-wai)
** Nominated: Best Original Score ([[Frankie Chan]])
** Nominated: Best Screenplay ([[Wong Kar-wai]])
* 1994 [[Golden Horse Awards]]
** Won: Best Cinematography ([[Christopher Doyle]])
** Won: Best Editing ([[Patrick Tam (film director)|Patrick Tam]], Kai Kit-wai)
* 1995 [[Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards]]
** Won: Best Film
** Won: Best Director ([[Wong Kar-wai]])
** Won: Best Actor ([[Leslie Cheung]])
** Won: Best Screenplay ([[Wong Kar-wai]])
* 1994 [[Venice Film Festival]]
** Nominated: Golden Lion ([[Wong Kar-Wai]])
** Won: Best Cinematography ([[Christopher Doyle]])
* 1997 [[Fant-Asia Film Festival]]
** Won: Best Asian Film – Third Place

===Box office===
''Ashes of Time'' grossed HK$9,023,583 during its Hong Kong run.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0109688}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|2=Ashes of Time|m/ashes_of_time_1994}}

{{Wong Kar-wai}}
{{Condor Trilogy}}
{{Golden Osella}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashes Of Time}}
[[Category:1994 films]]
[[Category:1990s adventure drama films]]
[[Category:1994 martial arts films]]
[[Category:1994 drama films]]
[[Category:Hong Kong New Wave films]]
[[Category:Hong Kong drama films]]
[[Category:Hong Kong martial arts films]]
[[Category:Wuxia films]]
[[Category:Films based on Chinese novels]]
[[Category:Films based on The Legend of the Condor Heroes]]
[[Category:Films directed by Wong Kar-wai]]
[[Category:Films set in 12th-century Song dynasty]]
[[Category:1990s Hong Kong films]]
[[Category:Golden Osella winners]]