NEVER IN THE history of Asian cinema has an unreleased film generated so many column centimetres, aroused so much speculation and prompted so many jokes about its completion date as Wong Kar-wai's 2046. Finally, after five years in production and that nail-biting, last-minute arrival at Cannes this year, the film is today released in Hong Kong.
And although the 2046 people will see isn't exactly the same as the one that premiered in front of Quentin Tarantino's jury at the Cannes Film Festival, it's not radically different. After leaving the festival, Wong went to Paris to complete the film's CGI sequences with French effects house BUF before moving on to Bangkok to work on the editing. Some scenes were shuffled around and others retrieved from the cutting-room floor (expect to see more shots of Maggie Cheung Man-yuk) but Wong's production company Jet Tone insists that, contrary to rumours, he didn't shoot any new footage.
When some of the film's stars, including Faye Wong Ching-man and Japanese superstar Takuya Kimura, appeared in Hong Kong a few months ago, rumours were rife that Wong had started filming yet again. But it turns out they were only shooting publicity photos and poster images. 'Since Cannes, he's worked on the technical aspects - the colour grading, music and special effects - but the basic story remains unchanged,' says Jet Tone distribution manager Rita Chuang.
To those familiar with Wong's working methods, the additional four months of post-production is almost to be expected. But it caught the film's British distributor, Tartan Films, and the Edinburgh Film Festival by surprise.
Earlier this summer, the festival, with Tartan's blessing, announced that it would close with 2046, then had to find a replacement when it became clear the film wasn't ready. According to the film's international agent, Fortissimo Film Sales, there were no plans to screen it between the Cannes premiere and its release in China and Hong Kong. Edinburgh closed with Korean director E. J. Yong's Untold Scandal instead.
The Edinburgh incident is yet another colourful chapter in the mythology that's grown around the film. Indeed, the story behind its protracted production history has become almost as intricate as the film itself. Which begs the question: why did it take so long?