Dear Reader,

The first two Movie Talks I wrote and posted in this great community were relatively- to very-easy for me to compose. In both cases, I did so in the time after giving each film a full screening. To tell you the truth, I watch all my movies now through the YouTube app, and I have a growing collection of movies that I have purchased there. The benefit of this is the ease with which I can flip back through the scenes with relative ease and review whatever might help me clarify my thoughts on the talk I'm trying to make. All in all, I was operating under a certain perhaps-innocent delusion that I would be capable of producing one to two of these Movie Talks for you per week, and I felt very confident about this...

Until I came to Ashes of Time Redux. It is really important to me for no reason that I come to you with this classic from Hong Kong's auteur Wong Kar-Wai third, and I am happy to do so today.

I just sincerely hope the text doesn't feel as tiresome as the writing process did.

Let's look into this..........

Ashes of Time: musing

The title already strikes a lot of chords with me. Let's not address the 'redux' part of it, at least for this article. What is meant in the expression "ashes of time" ??

It immediately strikes me as a metaphor for time. To express it tautologically, given that the metaphor is in fact true, you could express it thus:

memories are the ashes of time

When I view and re-view this great film, which I am so happy to say is back in my life after 10 year's absence, I find that the outspoken thematic presence of memory and memories in this film will maintain that this metaphor is at play in this fine art-work.

At the same time, I still cannot shake the feeling that there is a much deeper meaning also at play. It is like the shadow at the edge of your vision and when you turn to look it's gone.

Perchance you will see, dear Reader. If you go and look.

SPOILER ALERT

Ouyang Feng // Huang Yaoshi

Ouyang Feng is a desert-dwelling sword-for-hire that came to the desert from a place called White Camel Mountain after his brother married his one-true-love. She left him and married his brother after he wouldn't tell her he loved her most. According to his take on things, he thought it should be taken for granted that he loved her most, and he is not one to be compelled.

Ouyang Feng is the narrator for many stretches of this film, and he could probably tell you the astrological positionings (according to a Chinese way of looking at it) at the time he left White Camel Mountain for the desert.

Every year in spring, Ouyang Feng recieves a visit from his friend Huang Yaoshi, who always comes from the east. Ouyang Feng does not know this yet, but this year, dear viewer, will be the very last. Huang Yaoshi has arrived from the east with an unusual gift.

the magic wine

Huang Yaoshi brings the gift of the wine to Ouyang Feng, but asks if it is okay that he has some. You see, Ouyang Feng has no intention of dallying in any kind of wine, and certainly not a wine from a woman who told Huang Yaoshi that it would make you forget your past and that memory is the root of all suffering in human existence.

That night, Huang Yaoshi stared long at a birdcage, because it looked familiar.

When Morong Yin // Murong Yang stayed the night at Ouyang Feng's house, she spoke to him, might I add with longing, as if he were Huang Yaoshi, and she asked him who he loved the most. In the narration, he tells us that it was easy to say it when he was speaking as Huang Yaoshi.

Huang Yaoshi // Ouyang Feng

You see, dear Reader, Huang Yaoshi rides in from the east every year, and in the east lies White Camel Mountain. The woman who gave Huang Yaoshi the magic wine was Ouyang Feng's true love, and she died that year, which explains why when Huang Yaoshi rides off in the morning that day after drinking the wine he will never return again. Because he went there to check in on Ouyang Feng for her, because she still loved him. Huang Yaoshi was in love with Ouyang Feng's brother's wife, and for her he came once a year in spring. From the east.

Conclusion

I will spoil some of the plot, but I will not spoil all of the plot. You still haven't heard of the Blind Swordsman, or the flowers he seeks to see.

Thanks for reading, and let me know if you do go rent it.

---

#movie #talk #writing #reviews

---