Chun gwong cha sit (1997)

Director:

Kar Wai Wong

Writer:

Kar Wai Wong (writer)

Release Date:

29 April 1997 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Yiu-Fai and Po-Wing arrive in Argentina from Hong Kong and take to the road for a holiday. Something is wrong and their relationship goes adrift...

Plot Keywords:

Tango | Argentina | Cigarette | Gay Asian | Waterfall

Awards:

6 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Leslie Cheung	...	Ho Po-wing
Tony Leung Chiu Wai	...	Lai Yiu-fai
Chen Chang	...	Chang
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gregory Dayton	...	Lover
Shirley Kwan	...	(scenes cut)

Directed by
Kar Wai Wong

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Kar Wai Wong		writer

Produced by
Ye-cheng Chan	....	producer
Kar Wai Wong	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Danny Chung

Cinematography by
Christopher Doyle

Film Editing by
William Chang
Ming Lam Wong

Production Design by
William Chang

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Johnnie Kong	....	assistant director (as Johnny Kwong)

Sound Department
Chi-tat Leung	....	sound
Du-Che Tu	....	sound

Special Effects by
Tom Cundom	....	special effects

Music Department
Danny Chung	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Ignacio Barbe	....	location manager
Juan Carlos Copes	....	choreographer

Production Companies

• Block 2 Pictures
• Jet Tone Production
• Prénom H Co. Ltd.
• Seowoo Film Company

Distributors

• Golden Harvest Company (1997) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
• Artificial Eye (1998) (UK) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Lucky Red (1998) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Artificial Eye (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Kino Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Artistas Argentinos Asociados (AAA) (????) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Aska Film Distribution (????) (Canada) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Atalanta Filmes (????) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Cinemien (1997) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• JMM Invest (????) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Kino International (????) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Wanda Distribución Cinematográfica de Films S.A. (????) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Arthaus (????) (Norway) (VHS)
• Cult Filmes (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Homescreen (1997) (Netherlands) (video)
• Lume Filmes (2007) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2004) (New Zealand) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Optical Art (titles and opticals)

Also Known As:

Happy Together (Hong Kong: English title) (USA)
Buenos Aires Affair (International: English title)
Chun guang zha xie (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
Happy

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin | Cantonese | Spanish

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Netherlands:12 | Iceland:12 | Italy:VM18 | New Zealand:R18 | France:U | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:III | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:(Banned) (original rating) | Singapore:R(A) (re-rating on appeal) | South Korea:(Banned) (original rating) | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (cut) | Spain:18 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina

Company:

Block 2 Pictures

Trivia:

The names of the two main characters are the names of the film's assistant cinematographers.

Goofs:

Continuity: Before Fai push starts the old car, the engine has already started while it is standing still.

Quotes:

Ho Po-wing: Lai Yiu-fai... we could start over.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fa yeung nin wa (2000)

Soundtrack:

Bar Sur I

Brilliant & Touching Story of loneliness & dislocation

I didn't think so the first time I saw HAPPY TOGETHER, but I really think this film is a masterpiece. Technically it's amazing - the hand-held camera-work is incredible, and the mindbending shifts from saturated colors to monochrome (which I first felt was a stylish stunt) really underscores the loneliness and alienation of the characters brilliantly - the overall effect by the films' end is devastating.

HAPPY TOGETHER was apparently also - at least partially - inspired by the Argentine novelist Manuel Puig, author of 'Kiss Of The Spider Woman' among many other novels, and Puig's fiction tackles similar issues in a similarly fractured style (filled with footnotes, digressions and sudden shifts in perspective), all to incredibly powerful emotional effect.

If HAPPY TOGETHER is something of an homage to Puig, it's a great one. On it's own it's also a devastating portrait of a disintegrating relationship.