Days of Being Wild

Days of Being Wild
Hong Kong promotional poster
Traditional	阿飛正傳
Simplified	阿飞正传
Mandarin	Āfēi Zhèngzhuàn
Cantonese	aa3 fei1 zing3 zyun6
Literally	True story of a hooligan
Directed by	Wong Kar-wai
Written by	Wong Kar-wai
Produced by	Alan Tang
Starring	Leslie Cheung Andy Lau Maggie Cheung Carina Lau Jacky Cheung Tony Leung
Cinematography	Christopher Doyle
Edited by	Kai Kit-wai Patrick Tam
Music by	Terry Chan Leuribna-Lombardo Oflyne
Distributed by	In-Gear Films
Release date	15 December 1990 (1990-12-15)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Cantonese[1]
Box office	US$146,310[2]

Days of Being Wild is a 1990 Hong Kong drama film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai. Starring some of the best-known actors and actresses in Hong Kong, including Leslie Cheung, Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau, Jacky Cheung and Tony Leung, the film marks the first collaboration between Wong and cinematographer Christopher Doyle, with whom he has since made six more films.^[3][4]

It forms the first part of an informal trilogy, together with In the Mood for Love (2000) and 2046 (2004).^[4]

Plot[]

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The movie is set in Hong Kong and the Philippines in 1960–61. Yuddy, or 'York' in English, is a playboy in Hong Kong and is well known for stealing girls' hearts and breaking them. His first lover in the film is Li-zhen, who suffers depression as a result of Yuddy's wayward attitude. Li-zhen eventually seeks much-needed solace from a sympathetic policeman named Tide. Their near-romance is often hinted but never materializes.

York's next romance is with a vivacious cabaret dancer whose stage name is Mimi. Mimi is also loved by York's best friend, Zeb. Unsurprisingly, York spurns her, and she begins a period of self-destruction. York initiates romantic relationships but refuses to commit to the relationship and is unwilling to make compromises. He is conflicted about his feelings about his adoptive mother, a former prostitute, and is obsessed about his biological mother, whom he eventually discovers is a Filipino aristocrat.

Cast and roles[]

• Leslie Cheung as Yuddy (Chinese: 旭仔; Jyutping: Juk¹zai²; pinyin: Xùzǎi)^[5]
• Andy Lau as Tide (Chinese: 超仔; Jyutping: Ciu¹zai²; pinyin: Chāozǎi), Policeman 6117, who becomes a friend and confidant of Su Li-zhen and later, after the death of his mother, he becomes a sailor and goes to the Philippines
• Maggie Cheung as Su Lizhen (traditional Chinese: 蘇麗珍; simplified Chinese: 苏丽珍; Jyutping: Sou¹ Lai⁶zan¹; pinyin: Sū Lìzhēn), who grew up in Macau and is the ex-girlfriend of Yuddy
• Carina Lau as Leung Fung-ying (traditional Chinese: 梁鳳英; simplified Chinese: 梁凤英; Jyutping: Loeng⁴ Fung⁶jing¹; pinyin: Liáng Fèngyīng), Mimi/Lulu (Chinese: 咪咪; Jyutping: Mi¹mi¹; pinyin: Mīmī), the girlfriend of Yuddy
• Rebecca Pan as Rebecca, a former prostitute who raises Yuddy, has a love-and-hate relationship with Yuddy, because she refuses to reveal the identity of Yuddy's biological mother
• Jacky Cheung as Zeb (Chinese: 歪仔; Jyutping: Waai¹zai²; pinyin: Wāizǎi), Yuddy's friend since childhood; Yuddy used to live above Zeb's family's garage as a kid; Zeb fancies Mimi/Lulu
• Danilo Antunes as Rebecca's lover, who only goes for her money
• Hung Mei-mei as the Amah
• Ling Ling-hung as Nurse
• Tita Muñoz as Yuddy's Mother
• Alicia Alonzo as Housekeeper
• Elena Lim So as Hotel Manager
• Maritoni Fernandez as Hotel Maid
• Angela Ponos as Prostitute
• Nonong Talbo as Train Conductor
• Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Gambler

Music[]

• Los Indios Tabajaras, "Always in My Heart"
• Xavier Cugat, "Perfidia"
• Leslie Cheung performed the song 何去何從之阿飛正傳 loosely translated as 'Choice' or 'The True Story of Ah Fei' as the film's theme song and it is also found in his album Beloved (寵愛).
• 梅豔芳 (Anita Mui) – 是這樣的 – the Cantonese cover of the theme song and is featured at the end of the film during the credits.

Box office[]

Days of Being Wild grossed HK$9,751,942 in its Hong Kong run,^[6] a number that would become typical for a Wong Kar Wai film. With the starry cast, this figure was considered a disappointment. Still, the film was successful enough to warrant a parody (The Days of Being Dumb, which also featured Tony Leung and Jacky Cheung), and now routinely tops Hong Kong critics' lists of the best local productions.

Reception[]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 91% based on 32 reviews, with an average rating of 7.70/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Days of Being Wild uses a young man's struggle to come to terms with a family secret as the foundation for a beautifully filmed drama with a darkly dreamy allure."^[7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 96 out of 100 based on 14 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".^[8]

The film ranked at number three on the Hong Kong Film Awards Association (HKFAA)'s 2005 list of The Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures.^[9] It placed at number 37 on the "Asian Cinema 100 List" at the 20th Busan International Film Festival in 2015.

Home Media[]

The film debuted on the Blu-ray format for the first time in the United States on March 23, 2021 in a collection of 7 Wong Kar-wai films by the Criterion Collection.^[10]

Awards and nominations[]

See also[]

• Leslie Cheung filmography
• Andy Lau filmography
• Jacky Cheung filmography
• Cinema of Hong Kong
• Christopher Doyle
• List of movies set in Hong Kong
• List of Hong Kong films
• Alan Tang

References[]

External links[]

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Days of Being Wild

• Days of Being Wild at IMDb
• Days of Being Wild at Rotten Tomatoes
• Days of Being Wild at Metacritic
• Days of Being Wild at AllMovie
• Promotional website for US region