History Trivia / InTheMoodForLove

* DeletedScene: In most films, a deleted scene is something that came ''close'' to making it in. With director Creator/WongKarWai, this isn't the case. It's more like WhatCouldHaveBeen. He doesn't do scripts, so ''all'' ideas -- even ones that another director would've weeded out much earlier on -- are being played with ''on set''. There are numerous deleted scenes, some of which completely change the story.

* DeletedScene: There are numerous ones; some of which completely change the story. In most films, a deleted scene is something that came ''close'' to making it in. With director Creator/WongKarWai, this isn't the case. It's more like WhatCouldHaveBeen. He doesn't do scripts, so ''all'' ideas -- even ones that another director would've weeded out much earlier on -- are being played with ''on set''.

* DeletedScene: There are numerous ones; some of which completely change the story. In most films, a deleted scene is something that came ''close'' to making it in. With director Creator/WongKarWai, these ideas are further removed. It's more like WhatCouldHaveBeen. He doesn't do scripts, so ''all'' ideas -- even ones that another director would've weeded out much earlier on -- are being played with ''on set''.

** Chan and Chow [[spoiler:actually do end up having sex after she tells him she doesn't want to go home that night.]]
* ViewersAreGeniuses: The Shanghainese culture employed in the film often flies by the heads of international audiences. For a Chinese audience, this reveals that the setting isn't just any ordinary place in Hong Kong but specifically an exiled Shanghainese enclave. Many Shanghainese people fled Mainland China for British-ruled Hong Kong after the communist revolution. This type of setting furthers the feelings of isolation the main characters experience. They are not only lonely because their spouses are being unfaithful to them but they are also living their lives away from their origins. This is especially painful from a Chinese perspective as it separates one from their "ancestral home". This setting was specifically chosen to mirror the director's own alienated childhood growing up in Hong Kong as a Shanghainese immigrant. 'In the Mood for Love' is set in 1960s Hong Kong but carries on an essence of Shanghainese culture which ended in the 1940s. On the meta-level, the film can be seen as tribute to Shanghai's past glory days which have now long faded; lost to the revolution.

** The Chinese title, Huayang Nianhua is a metaphor -- translated "the age of blossoms" or "the flowery years" -- but more accurately meaning "those wonderful varied years", is suggestive of period nostalgia. It is the title of a Chinese pop song from the 1940s by the Shanghainese singer-actress Zhou Xuan. The film associates itself with that of Shanghai's iridescent, kaleidoscopic age of bygone elegance and diversity.

** In the Mood For Love was inspired in many ways by the old Shanghainese film, ''Spring in a Small Town''. It came out just a year before the Communist revolution and due to its lack of "political grounding" was rejected by the communists.

* CompletelyDifferentTitle: The original title 花樣年華 (Huayang Nianhua) translates to "Our Glorious Years Have Passed Like Flowers", an old Shanghainese song by Zhou Xuan. It was given the international name based on the Music/BryanFerry song "I'm in the Mood for Love" because they thought audiences would not get the reference. Wong Kar Wai became enamored with the song during post-production.

** Many of the female characters wear UsefulNotes/{{Qipao}} because it is a dress which originated from Shanghai. The qipao was brought to Hong Kong by fleeing Shanghainese immigrants. Su dresses up in a similar fashion to Shanghainese songstresses of the 1940s.

** The Chinese title, Huayang Nianhua is a metaphor - translated "the age of blossoms" or "the flowery years" - but more accurately meaning “those wonderful varied years”, is suggestive of period nostalgia. It is the title of a Chinese pop song from the 1940s by the Shanghainese singer-actress Zhou Xuan. The film associates itself with that of Shanghai's iridescent, kaleidoscopic age of bygone elegance and diversity.
** The martial arts serials that Chow writes with input from Su recall the methods of the “old school” writers of martial arts fiction in 1930s and 1940s Shanghai.

** In the Mood For Love was inspired in many ways by the old Shanghainese film, 'Spring in a Small Town'. It came out just a year before the Communist revolution and due to its lack of "political grounding" was rejected by the communists.

* DeletedScene: There are numerous ones; some of which completely change the story. In most films, a deleted scene is something that came ''close'' to making it in. With director Creator/WongKarWai, these ideas are further removed. It's more like WhatCouldHaveBeen. He doesn't do scripts, so ''all'' ideas -- even ones that another director would've weeding out much earlier on -- are being played with ''on set''.

* DeletedScene: There are numerous ones; some of which completely change the story.

** Many of the female characters wear {{Qipao}} because it is a dress which originated from Shanghai. The qipao was brought to Hong Kong by fleeing Shanghainese immigrants. Su dresses up in a similar fashion to Shanghainese songstresses of the 1940s.

* CompletelyDifferentTitle: The original title 花樣年華 (Huayang Nianhua) translates to "Our Glorious Years Have Passed Like Flowers", an old Shanghainese song by Zhou Xuan. It was given the international name based on the Music/BryanFerry song "I'm in the Mood for Love" because they thought audiences would not get the reference Wong Kar Wai became enamored with the song during post-production.

* CompletelyDifferentTitle: The original title 花樣年華 (Huayang Nianhua) translates to "Our Glorious Years Have Passed Like Flowers", an old Shanghainese song by Zhou Xuan. It was given the international name based on the popular American song "I'm in the Mood for Love" because they thought audiences would not get the reference.

** Chan and Chow [[spoiler:actually do end up having sex after she tells him she doesn't want to gome home that night.]]

** Chan and Chow [[spoiler:actually do end up having sex when she tells him she doesn't want to gome home.]]

* DeletedScene: Considering this is Wong Kar-wai...

** One of them is an alternate ending featuring Chow [[spoiler: meeting Chan again at Angkor Wat and she seems to have moved on from him but he has not.]]
** Chan and Chow [[spoiler: attempt to consummate their love but the two can not go through with it out of guilt.]]

** The most explicit clue to the Shanghai-ness of the film is a landlady who speaks a large amount of Shanghainese. Chinese languages not from the same family are unintelligible so the usual Hong Konger would not have no idea what she is saying, but all the characters in this film understand her perfectly because they are all actually Shanghainese. The things she says also doubles as a BilingualBonus.

*** The Chinese title, Huayang Nianhua is a metaphor - translated "the age of blossoms" or "the flowery years" - but more accurately meaning “those wonderful varied years”, is suggestive of period nostalgia. It is the title of a Chinese pop song from the 1940s by the Shanghainese singer-actress Zhou Xuan. The film associates itself with that of Shanghai's iridescent, kaleidoscopic age of bygone elegance and diversity.

* ViewersAreGeniuses:
** The Shanghainese culture employed in the film often flies by the heads of international audiences. For a Chinese audience, this reveals that the setting isn't just any ordinary place in Hong Kong but specifically an exiled Shanghainese enclave. Many Shanghainese people fled Mainland China for British-ruled Hong Kong after the communist revolution. This type of setting furthers the feelings of isolation the main characters experience. They are not only lonely because their spouses are being unfaithful to them but they are also living their lives away from their origins. This is especially painful from a Chinese perspective as it separates one from their "ancestral home". This setting was specifically chosen to mirror the director's own alienated childhood growing up in Hong Kong as a Shanghainese immigrant. 'In the Mood for Love' is set in 1960s Hong Kong but carries on an essence of Shanghainese culture which ended in the 1940s. On the meta-level, the film can be seen as tribute to Shanghai's past glory days which have now long faded; lost to the revolution.
*** The most explicit clue to the Shanghai-ness of the film is a landlady who speaks a large amount of Shanghainese. Chinese languages not from the same family are unintelligible so the usual Hong Konger would not have no idea what she is saying, but all the characters in this film understand her perfectly because they are all actually Shanghainese. The things she says also doubles as a BilingualBonus.

*** The martial arts serials that Chow writes with input from Su recall the methods of the “old school” writers of martial arts fiction in 1930s and 1940s Shanghai.
*** Many of the female characters wear {{Qipao}} because it is a dress which originated from Shanghai. The qipao was brought to Hong Kong by fleeing Shanghainese immigrants. Su dresses up in a similar fashion to Shanghainese songstresses of the 1940s.
*** In the Mood For Love was inspired in many ways by the old Shanghainese film, 'Spring in a Small Town'. It came out just a year before the Communist revolution and due to its lack of "political grounding" was rejected by the communists.

** The Shanghainese culture employed in the film often flies by the heads of international audiences. For a Chinese audience, this reveals that the setting isn't just any ordinary place in Hong Kong but specifically an exiled Shanghainese enclave. Many Shanghainese people fled Mainland China for British-ruled Hong Kong after the communist revolution. This type of setting furthers the feelings of isolation the main characters experience. They are not only lonely because their spouses are being unfaithful to them but they are also living their lives away from their origins. This is especially painful from a Chinese perspective as it separates one from their "ancestral home". This setting was specifically chosen to mirror the director's own alienated childhood growing up in Hong Kong as a Shanghainese immigrant. On the meta-level, the film can be seen as tribute to Shanghai's past glory days which have now long faded. Hong Kong can carry on an essence of Shanghainese culture now lost to the revolution.

*** The Chinese title, Huayang Nianhua is a metaphor - translated "the age of blossoms" or "the flowery years" - but more accurately meaning “those wonderful varied years”, is suggestive of period nostalgia. It is the title of Chinese pop song from the ’40s sung by the Shanghainese singer-actress Zhou Xuan. It creates the association of Shanghai's iridescent, kaleidoscopic age of bygone elegance and diversity.
*** The martial arts serials that Chow writes with input from Su recall the methods of the “old school” writers of martial arts fiction in ’30s and ’40s Shanghai.
*** Many of the female characters wear {{Qipao}} because it is a dress which originated from Shanghai. The qipao was brought to Hong Kong by fleeing Shanghainese immigrants. Su is dressed up in a similar fashion to Shanghainese songstresses of the 1940s.

** The Shanghainese culture employed in the film often flies by the heads of international audiences. For a Chinese audience, this reveals that the setting isn't just any ordinary place in Hong Kong but specifically an exiled Shanghainese enclave. Many Shanghainese people fled Mainland China for British-ruled Hong Kong after the communist revolution. This type of setting furthers the feelings of isolation the main characters experience. They are not only lonely because their spouses are being unfaithful to them but they are also living their lives away from their origins. This is especially painful from a Chinese perspective as it separates one from their "ancestral home". This setting was specifically chosen to mirror the director's own alienated childhood growing up in Hong Kong as a Shanghainese immigrant. On the meta-level, the film can be seen as tribute to Shanghai's past glory days which have now long faded.

** The Shanghainese culture employed in the film often flies by the heads of international audiences and thus are left unaware that the story is actually set in a Shanghainese enclave, rather than any ordinary place Hong Kong. It furthers the feelings of isolation the main characters experience. They are not only lonely because their spouses are being unfaithful to them but they are also living their lives in a new place, away from their origins and have had to adapt to these differences such as learning a new language (Cantonese in this case). This can be especially painful from a Chinese perspective as it separates one from their "ancestral home". On the meta-level, the film can be seen as tribute to Shanghai's past glory days which have now long faded. This setting was specifically chosen to mirror the director's own alienated childhood growing up in Hong Kong as a Shanghainese immigrant.

** In the Mood For Love was inspired in many ways by the old Chinese film, 'Spring in a Small Town'.