Scene Analysis


Chungking Express
Wong Kar-Wai
Duration 00:01:05
(00:56:53 –00:57:58)


1. Scene Overview

In this scene, the main character, Mr.633, talks to a soap, tea towel and toys at his home ,where his girlfriend and he used to live together, after he broke with his girlfriend. He seems to make a conversation with them but it is just monologue and he actually tries to talk to himself. He wants to comfort his broken heart by saying something in his mind.


2. Analysis

Shot 1 - talking to thin soap (12 Secs)

Cinematograph

- Shot: Long Shot (to show the bath room and his appearance on the toilet)

- Camera Movement: Panning from dark to him but half of scene is still dark. This camera movement makes a effect like fade in. In addition, the black side and the scene in which he is are contrast.

Mise-en-scene

- He sits on the toilet and talks to thin soap. The color of tiles in the bath room, his underwear and the soap is white. White is the color for mourning in the East and it is often associated with hospitals.1) So, white color in this scene means the sadness and pain of breaking up with his girlfriend.

- He is just wearing underwear. Normally, people don’t wear only underwear when someone is at their home. So, what he wears only underwear shows there is no one. Then, what he talks to soap also shows he is alone at home and he feels lonely because his girlfriend who talked and was with him has gone from that house.

- There is just one light from the ceiling and this light is natural light. In this reason, only his head is bright and the rest of his body has got shadow. This shadow makes an effect to emphasize his loneliness.

- He is saying “You become thin, too much. You were fat before but you are thin now. What’s going on?” It is diegetic sound because it is his talking sound. The reason why he says like this is he becomes thin and he has a problem in his mind.

Editing

- Long Take
The reason why Long Take used in this shot is there is no person to response for him.


 
Shot 2 - talking to thin soap 2 (4 Secs)

 
Shot 3 - talking to tea towel (15 Secs)















Cinematograph

- Shot: Close up (to show dropped the water from the tea towel)
→Medium Shot (because he is speaking to tea towel)
→Close up (to show the tea towel dropped down on the table)
→Medium hot (to show squeezing tea towel)

- Camera Movement: Panning→ Tilting→ Tracking

- Depth of Field: Shallow Focus
(The main object is placed at the front and it is more important than background)

Mise-en-scene

- He picks a soaked tea towel up (tea towel drops the water) and he says “Don’t cry, be strong!” He expresses tea towel is crying. This technique is called “Empathy” in literary term. Empathy is defined as the attribution of one's own feelings to an object.2) As a result, tea towel is not crying but he is actually crying. Audience can feel more dramatic and artistic through this kind of technique.






















- He drops the tea towel on a table and says “why are you dropping down?” “Empathy” is used again. But it is little bit different. He makes tea towel drop down by purpose. He wants something to be in the same situation as him as well as he is dropping down.


- These are beer cans and flower pot on the table. Beer cans are crashed and fallen down on the table. That means he already drank them. In his situation, drinking beer shows he has tried to drown his troubles in beer. In contrast, the flower pot still looks good. That means he still keeps his flower pot. The flower pot is one of things which his girlfriend and he keep together. In the other words, this one is a memory that his girlfriend and he make together. Consequently, audience can know he is in trouble because of her but he doesn’t want to lose his memory with her and he doesn’t let her go yet through these opposite two things.






















- He says “I’ll help you out” and squeezes tea towel at the sink. This action should just look like he wants to help tea towel by squeezing that but it’s almost similar as before. Actually, he needs other’s help for escaping from this situation like crying, dropping down and becoming thin.

- The lights come into the room through the window and there is a light in the kitchen. However, it is still dark and dim. These kinds of lights can make a scene look like real life. Moreover, it can show the mind of character is dark.

Editing

- Long Take (to show what he is doing)


Shot 4 - hanging tea towel out (8 Secs)

Cinematograph

- Shot: Over the Shoulder (to show he hangs the tea towel out)
→Close Up (to show detail of shabby tea towel)

Mise-en-scene

- He hangs shabby tea towel. In this shot, the important thing is what the tea towel is shabby and torn. There are two reasons for showing that one. One of them is to show his mind has been torn and shabby. Another one is to show he has still used old tea towel because he has not forgot a memory with his girlfriend.

Editing
- Long Take (to show what he is doing and the detail of tea towel)


 
Shot 5 - talking to small toy (5 Secs)

Cinematograph

- Shot: Medium Shot (to show what he talks to a toy)

- Depth of Field: Shallow Focus
(The main object is placed at the front and it is more important than background)

Mise-en-scene

- He talks to a small toy, leaning against an aquarium and says “say something, don’t make her angry” He tries to talk to a small toy but the toy doesn’t say anything. This situation shows he is alone and lonely. In addition, audience can guess what she doesn’t like is through the dialogue. They can guess like this, when he didn’t say anything she used to get angry.

- Also, he leans against aquarium that is filled up by the water. The water often means tears so we can say he leans against tears. As a result, this one shows he has been living with tears since she has gone.

- Dark lighting makes him look more solitary.

Editing
N/A


 
Shot 6 - talking to big toy (9 Secs)

Cinematograph

- Shot: Medium Shot (to show what he talks to a toy)

- Depth of Field: Shallow Focus
(The main object is placed at the front and it is more important than background)

Mise-en-scene

- He brushes toy’s hair. The toy has been in there since his girlfriend and he lived together. But he still keeps this toy with great care. That also means he still loves her and he tries to comport himself.

- He says “People sometimes waver. So give her an opportunity” This dialogue looks like he gives her a chance to return to him. However, it is totally different way. The real meaning of this one is he thinks she might return to me because people sometimes waver so he will wait for her continually.

Editing
- Long Take (because of his dialogue)


 
3. Conclusion

The most important thing in this scene is he tries to talks to the things which had used with his girlfriend but still at home. The director should want to show he is sad and lonely because he broke up with his girlfriend, through talking to things not to be able to talk. Besides, this kind of action to talk to stuff or care them shows he wants to keep the memory with her and he is still waiting for her.
In conclusion, this scene shows the character’s pain of parting very well through his monologue, white color, props similar with him, and dark light and so on.