FILM 2000: IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
TRIVIA: Filming was shifted from Beijing to Macau after Chinese authorities demanded to see the completed script. Director Wong Kar-wai never used scripts.
Maggie Cheung wears a different cheongsam dress in each scene. There were 46 dresses in total, though not all made it to the final cut.
During filming, director Wong Kar-wai improvised often with the actors, crafting the story and mood of the film as he went along. Originally, In the Mood for Love (2000) was a much more obvious romance film, with the actors throwing witty dialogue at each other and engaging in several scenes of lovemaking. Eventually, the actors and director decided to tone the mood down to the more subtle version that was released in theaters.
Maggie Cheung's hair and makeup took five hours each day to apply.
The number of the hotel room where Chow (Tony Leung) stays is 2046. Director Wong Kar-wai's next feature length film was 2046 (2004), which also starred Tony Leung.
The film was ranked #2 in BBC's "100 Greatest Films of The 21st Century" list, and the highest ranking non-English film.
The film is included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die," edited by Steven Schneider.
The film's original Chinese title, meaning "the age of blossoms" or "the flowery years" – Chinese metaphor for the fleeting time of youth, beauty and love – derives from a song of the same name by Zhou Xuan from a 1946 film. The English title derives from the song, "I'm in the Mood for Love". Director Wong had planned to name the film Secrets, until listening to the song late in post-production.
