Most of the time TIFF is about seeing the latest and the greatest. Catching stuff you may never see again, and things that may never get a theatrical release. But once in a while it goes the other way too.
Ashes of Time was originally released in 1994, the only period film ever made by Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar Wai, who is better known for his retro nostalgia and dramatic philosophical tales of romance and unrequited love.
I count Ashes of Time among my favourite films, but because of the timing of its original release (a period when very little Chinese cinema was made available theatrically in Toronto, especially for a 15 year old to access) I had only ever seen it on murky VHS tapes and their DVD counterparts (literally a VHS copy dubbed into a DVD disc - that cost me $50 on Amazon!!!).
The reason for such poor quality releases was because no one had a decent copy of the film, not the studio, not the director, no one. But at the dawn of the digital video age, restorations became a trend and soon Ashes of Time was among those on the list for a revamp. And so they began searching old movie houses world-wide for all the missing bits of footage, and began a lengthy restoration of the materials they did have.
The most exciting moment came when it was announced Wong Kar Wai would be presenting a restored version - called Ashes of Time Redux - of his period epic featuring new music by Yo Yo Ma at TIFF 2008!
Wong Kar Wai came to Toronto that year, my friend Darrin was volunteering at the airport when he came in, alas Darrin (whose greatest advice for TIFF-going always includes "represent the Asians!") was not the one who got to escort the famed director. This was during the early years of SMS and a time when Blackberry was king, but I remember Darrin messaging me while I was at the Elgin with updates about the whereabouts of one of my favourite directors.
We would also catch a later screening of Ashes of Time together that festival. One of my favourite screenings of TIFF 2008 and still one of the best movies I've ever seen. (In fact, one of my early posts in this blog mentions Ashes of Time Redux)
Last year at TIFF14, I had the opportunity to catch another restored Taiwanese classic: Dragon Inn (1967). I grew up a huge fan of the 1992 Hong Kong remake with the same title, and I'd always wanted to see the original. I had family searching in Hong Kong/Mainland China for it but have never been able to find a copy. We later found a copy on youtube but it was murky and hard to watch. Then the festival came to the rescue by screening a restored version last year as part of the Cinematheque program.
Yes, I was in a theatre full of elderly Asians lol, but it was so great to finally get to see the original Dragon Inn, and in a theatre to boot!
This year I'm looking forward to catching screenings of Heat and of course Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. I wasn't able to fit it into my schedule, but I would also recommend Visconti's Rocco and His Brothers.
Last year at TIFF14, I had the opportunity to catch another restored Taiwanese classic: Dragon Inn (1967). I grew up a huge fan of the 1992 Hong Kong remake with the same title, and I'd always wanted to see the original. I had family searching in Hong Kong/Mainland China for it but have never been able to find a copy. We later found a copy on youtube but it was murky and hard to watch. Then the festival came to the rescue by screening a restored version last year as part of the Cinematheque program.
Yes, I was in a theatre full of elderly Asians lol, but it was so great to finally get to see the original Dragon Inn, and in a theatre to boot!
This year I'm looking forward to catching screenings of Heat and of course Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. I wasn't able to fit it into my schedule, but I would also recommend Visconti's Rocco and His Brothers.
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