Penny drops for Ashes actress Lau
Carina Lau Ka-ling says she finally understands Wong Kar-wai's Ashes of Time, 15 years after she appeared in the film.
Lau (below right) starred in 1994's Ashes of Time alongside the late Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia, Maggie Cheung Man-yuk and Tony Leung Ka-fai. A re-edited version of the film, Ashes of Time Redux, was completed recently, featuring previously unseen footage and a solo by cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Ashes of Time Redux premiered in Hong Kong this week, but won't open in local cinemas until June. Lau described the new version as impeccable, with upgraded audio and visual effects, and said the re-edit helped her better understand the film.
Lau, 43, said she didn't quite know what she was doing on the film set 15 years ago. 'My entire performance in the film consists of me acting alongside a horse. Frankly, I wasn't sure what I was doing. The director told me to gently stroke the horse and that was all I did,' Lau said.
But the actress said understanding Wong's films was not critical to enjoying them. 'People don't necessarily need to understand his films. It's fine if you don't get it all, you don't have to pretend. If you don't understand the story, then enjoy the beautiful cinematography of his films. It's always flawless,' she said.
'Maybe the only flaw in his films is that people may not understand the story. If you want to watch a film that you can understand, go watch [Infernal Affairs' Andrew] Lau Wai-keung's films and if you want to watch a film that doesn't make sense to you, watch Wong Kar-wai's,' she said with a laugh.
Lau said she was delighted by rumours her good friend, singer Faye Wong, might return to the limelight. 'I am so happy for her if the news is true. She is a very talented artist and it would be such a waste if she never sang again.
