Masters of Cinema: Wong Kar Wai

About this course

The course examines Wong Kar-wai’s development from Hong Kong genre filmmaking to transnational auteur cinema. It considers how gangster films, melodrama, romance and martial arts are reshaped through concerns such as memory, desire, displacement and historical change. Teaching combines presentations, film extracts and class discussion. Analysis covers narrative structure, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, music, performance and urban space, alongside Wong’s collaborations with creative partners and the place of his films within Hong Kong and global art cinema.

What you'll learn

• Analyse Wong Kar-wai’s films through narrative form, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, music and performance.
• Identify recurring motifs and themes including time, memory, longing, urban space, travel and romantic failure.
• Situate Wong’s work within Hong Kong cinema, including the First and Second New Waves and the period surrounding the 1997 handover.
• Compare his use of genre, melodrama and popular cinema across different stages of his career.
• Explain the significance of selected films within international art cinema and cinephile culture.

Is this course right for you?

The course is designed for learners at all levels who have an interest in cinema. No particular skills are required, and concepts including auteurism, mise-en-scène, editing, genre, melodrama and transnational cinema are introduced in class. Participation centres on viewing extracts, analysis and group discussion.

• Suitable for learners approaching film studies concepts for the first time.
• Requires engagement with film extracts and class discussion.

Before you go

• Film extracts and reading materials are provided.
• Learners do not need to obtain the films shown in class.