Word: elfin
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...hour and a half, and their almost-touching sparked more erotic heat than a dozen Jenna Jameson epics. 2046 is a kind of sequel, with Leung languidly courting a quartet of beauties: a prostitute (Ziyi Zhang), a vamp (Carina Lau), a gambler (Gong Li) and the elfin girl of his dreams (Faye Wong). That gives the director four times as many chances to let furtive glances and plaintive words collide--which they do, to subtly devastating effect. These days dreamy romances are hard to find, especially of the smoky, smoldering Wong Kar-wai brand. 2046 is the kind of picture...
...Jameson epics. In the new film Leung plays a harsher version of the same character, as he languishes in room 2046 of a Hong Kong hotel and half-heartedly courts a quartet of fabulous dames: a prostitute (Zhang Ziyi), a vamp (Carina Lau), a gambler (Gong Li) and the elfin girl of his dreams (Faye Wong). That gives the director four times as many chances to let furtive glances and plaintive words collide-which they do, to subtly spectacular effect. It?s a story of love and loss, beautifully designed (by William Chang) and shot (mainly by Christopher Doyle...
Shooting mostly in California, with a few locations in Japan (including a Kyoto temple whose head monk granted access because he was a fan of Chicago), Marshall got beautiful performances from his cast. Suzuka Ohgo, as the young Chiyo, brings an elfin gravity to the first 40 minutes of the film. Zhang, 26, blossoms persuasively from a girl of 15 to a woman in her early 30s, and Watanabe lends his warmth and regal machismo to the Chairman. But it's Gong Li, in a Bette Davis bitch-goddess role, who strides away with the picture. Her stiletto stare...
...whole we have some very attractive qualities. For example, many of us are type A personalities and therefore less likely to let ourselves go physically. Also, we have a collective elfin beauty, the type of beauty normally found in irregular features and ears that are pointy...
Movie romance is a snapshot of beautiful women turning grief into glamour, passion into pictures. The camera here (mainly manned by cinematographer Christopher Doyle) monitors their hearts like a fond lover, capturing Gong's fire-and-ice hauteur, Faye Wong's elfin radiance, Zhang's panoply of pouts, flirtations and surrendering smiles. Even if a Chinese movie doesn't sound like your idea of summer fun, give 2046 a chance. Its pearly artistry and gorgeous faces should put you quickly, deeply, in the mood for love. --By Richard Corliss