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Buenos Aires Zero Degrees transcript!

 
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mu99le



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 2597

PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2003 5:31 pm    Post subject: Buenos Aires Zero Degrees transcript!

[ Credits: A JET TONE PRODUCTION, BLOCK 2 PICTURE INC. presents ]

Wong Kar-wai (WKW): :I'm a big soccer fan and Maradona was Argentinian...so I decided to do a film in Argentina

[ Title: Buenos Aires Zero Degrees ]

[ Iguazu Falls ]
(music: cucurucucu paloma)

[ Title: Buenos Aires (in chinese) ]

Leticia Yeh (production secretary) : After the screening, I decided to move back to Argentina.

[ Title: Zero Degrees (in chinese) ]

WKW (monologue) : When they see the film, our Argentine friends feel it's kind of remote. But actually it's very close to them

Leticia Yeh: Being here brings back all the memories of the filming. I tend to linger here when I'm passing by. (entering a building) We shot here everyday...and I miss this place. This was our office. My desk was over there. I sat here. This was the directer's room. It hasn't changed much.

[ The crew's voice. They are singing a song for Leslie's birthday ]
Voices: Happy birtyday to you, Happy Birthday dear Leslie~~~!!

[ Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung in a hotel room ]
(Tony Leung lights the candles on a cake.)
Tony: Make a wish!
(Leslie blows out the fire of candles.)

[ Again, Leslie's real birthday party ]
(Leslie blows out the fire of candles and cuts a cake with a knife. Tony and Leslie hold each other on the shoulder in laughing. Leslie takes some pictures with Wong Kar-Wai, Jacky Pang and Whilliam Chaung.)

WKW (monologue): I've worked with most of these people since my first film. We've been together for years now. A film crew is like a circus, on the road together. With this crew, I know I'll get the film done.

[ In a hotel room ]
(Tony holds Leslie's head and fondles him. )

Tony (monologue): I left Hong Kong for him...and followed him to Argentina
(Tony takes a shower. Leslie takes Polaroids. Tony poses for photos in fun.)
Leslie:You realise the journalists will quote that!

(They seat themselves on an end of the bed and look at the photos.)

[ Interview ]
Tony Leung: In Argentina, our lives and the movie blurred into one. In the film, Lai leaves Hong Kong for Argentina...and then everything stops and he's stuck. Much like myself showing up for work...and finding that shooting hasn't even started. (smiling)

[ At a hall ]
(Leslie and Tony exchange greetings with staff. Christopher Doyle appear.)

[ At the hall ]
(Tony shouts at the camera playfully.)
Tony:That's my ****ing camera!

[ Interview ]
Tony:This is very much like that. Action on the screen was close to what I was actually doing. It's been some time since I was satisfied by a role. I used to say that my favorite role was in "Days of Being Wild". Now it's "Happy Together."

[ The shots around Buenos Aires, street parformance, dance hall, subway e.t.c.. ]
(music:Happy Together)

Leticia Yeh: The director and crew arrived in mid-August 1996.

[ At an open cafe ]
(Tony learns Spanish.)

Lelicia: On the first day, every one was waving maps at me asking "Where's this? Where's that?"

[ The crew exploring the city ]
WKW: OK, we'll shoot here.

Lelicia: At that start, Jackey Pang liaised with te local crew. I was the interpreter. They were casting all the extras. I kept notes and took photos. I had a great time watching the films but it was so unpredictable! Somethimes they'd call in the middle of the night! (laughing)

[ WKW fliping through a photobook of tango dancers ]

[ At the dance hall ]
(Tony and Leslie are taking tango lessons.)

(WKW suggests Leslie how to move.)
WKW: When you're with Tony, your eyes should follow him.

(Tony practices his steps by himself. Leslie dances with a female tango dancer expertly. There broke out an applause.)

(Again, WKW suggests Leslie how to move.)
WKW: Leslie, maybe you shouldn't hold Tony with both hands. Have a cigarette in on hand, and hold him with the other.
(Leslie stands by side with Tony, holding him round the shoulder with one hand. They perform dance steps.)
WKW: Thats looks great, especially the reflection in the mirror.

(Leslie and Tony dances face to face.
(music: Finale)


[ caption ]
Shooting of "Happy Together" was about to start,
and there I was a director with two characters in mind,
we'd managed to find a city to put them in
but nothing else.

[ Dance scene in the kitchen ]


[ caption ]
...I was hungry for details of these two men's lives.

[ Dance scene in the room ]

[ In front of 3 Amigos, La Boca ]
Aili Chen (continiuing): The director took a lot of trouble finding locations. He was full of questions about Argentinians, where they live, what work they do. (introducing the city) This is a port called La Boca. It used to be full of sailors. It gradually became a residential area. It's kind of run-down now. This was a place!

[ At Hotel Rivera (Tony's apartment) ]

Aili: You want to take a look?

[ In the apartment ]
( Leslie runs down the stairs.)

Aili: The phone was there.

[ In front of the phone ]
Leslie: (taking the phone) Hola!

[ Scenes and people around Hotel Rivera ]

[ In front of the phone ]
Tony: Recognize me?
(Tony rings off and runs up the stairs.)

Aili: (going up the stairs) That's where Tony took Leslie's call. (pointing the wall paper of corridor) This was William Chang's design.

[ The corridor ] (Leslie walks the corridor dragging his damaged body.)

Aili: (pointing one of the rooms) The director had his video monitor in here. (laughing) And this was the room they lived in.

[ In the room ]
(Tony closes the window. There is someone knocking on the door. Tony opens it and finds Leslie bleeding.)
Leslie: Lai Yiu-Fai, Let's start again.
(Tony clutchs Leslie in tight embrace.)

(Leslie sleeps in bed. Tony stares at him, remembering the past quarrel.)
Tony's voice : Leave me alone! You've left us broke! I want to get back to Hong Kong!

(Tony sleeps in the sofa. Leslie crouchs down beside Tony and stares at him.)

[ a leaking ceiling ]

Aili: In my memory, it's always damp. It's kind of soft. It's got a life of its own...but it's kind of sick.

[ In the room ]
(Tony and Leslie are sleeping in bed. A shot of crack in the wall paper.)

Aili: It's like life without sunshine.

[ In the room ]

Leslie: Your dad called yesterday. He wants you to go back.
Tony: Come back with me.
Leslie: (looking outside from the balcony) We'll see.

Leslie: **** this TV set, it's rubbish. Get it fixed, will you?
(Tony fixes the TV. Leslie plays with him. His hand is almost healed.)
Leslie:  I'll die if I can't watch TV.

(Tony leaves the room, watching Leslie's back.)
Tony (monologue): Everyday I go for work, I wonder if he will still there when I come back. I should buy a lock.

(Leslie looks outside from the balcony. Leslie opens the cupboard and takes some money.)
(Tony comes back and finds Leslie is not there. )
(music: Milonga for 3)

[ Flashback of the scene in which they break up on the road ]
[ Tony lies in bed and smokes ]
[ The lamp ]
[ Tony crouchs down beside the waterfront ]
[ Tony bangs his fist on the mirror ]

[ In the room ]
(Tony comes back and finds Leslie searching something fiercely.)

Tony: What are you looking for?
Leslie: Give it back!
Tony: I won't.
(Leslie hits Tony's head.)
Tony: Hit me! Go on!
Leslie: ****!
(Leslie kicks Tony to the wall and is going to leave the room.)
Tony: Ho Po-Wing!

(Leslie's back)

Tony: You come and go as you please. I've never said a word. But I think this is the last time. Why should I always be the one lest behind? Two can play that game. Just watch me! I never really wanted to till now. So let's do it differently, tonight. Tonight, I'll go first.

[ On the table, Tony's hands and a knife ]
(The blood spreads over the table.)

Tony (monologue): Ho Po-Wing and I will never meet again. So I'm leaving him a souvenier.

[ Shots around the room and the corridor ]

Tony's voice: You must be so bored now?
Leslie's voice: You've nothing better to do than pick a fight?

Leslie's voice: Give me my passport.
Tony's voice: Why do you need it?
Leslie's voice: None of your buisiness!

Aili: (On the rooftop) We shot the film a year ago. It was in 1996. It's changed a lot. Before, all this wasn't concreted a lot.

[ A shot of the telephone ]
Tony's voice: Have you eaten yet?
Leslie's voice: Bring me something to eat.


[ caption ]
Did they know it would be so cold in Summer here? (I didn't know myself.)
Do they get lonely?

[ In the room ]
(Something has changed in the interior. There are flowers and fruit on the table. A woman sits at the table. Someone knocks the door. The woman opens the door.)
A woman : Ah...it's you.

[ In a chinese restaurant ]
(The woman seems to work here.)

WKW (monologue): I need to hace a clear sense of each character's history. What did they feel when they zame to Argentina? Each character offers an individual storyline.

[ Interview ]
Mrs. Siu (Woman): I remember very well! Tony's character attempted suicide. We saved his life and he was brought to the hospital. Shooting the scene was quite scary at first. Tony was wheeled in on a stretcher. Blood everywhere, everyone was very nervous. All the doctors and nurses were screaming to save him.

[ In a hospital ]
(Tony is wheeled in on a stretcher.)

Mrs. Siu: The director's idea was that I had a hopeless cruch on Tony. (laugh) I was supposed to be jealous of his relationship with Leslie. They fancy each other, right? So he wanted me to express jealousy. That was the director's idea.

[ In the hospital ]
Woman(Nurse): (to Leslie or Tony) Is your friend picking you up?
Sitting on the seat in the corridor of the hospital, Tony looks up.

Nurse: (to Leslie or Tony) ...If you eat spicy food, your scars won't heal properly.

[ In the room ]
(Someone knocks the door. The woman opens the door and finds Leslie being there.)
Woman (Nurse) It's you.

[ At the entrance of the hospital ]
(Tony talks with the doctor at the entrance of the hospital. Leslie with his hand in caster comes out.)
Leslie: (getting out of the hospital) I have to go.
Tony: (to the nurse) Bye.

[ In a hospital room ]
(The nurse takes care of Leslie's hands.)
Nurse: You two have so much to talk about?
Leslie: You visit patients? I thouht only doctors made visits.

[ At the door of the room ]
Leslie: Why are you here? Where's Ho Po-Wing?BR> Woman (Nurse): He's not here.
Leslie: I just wanted to get something back.」
Woman: What?
Leslie: It doesn't matter. Never mind.
(turning his back on the woman, he mumbles)
Leslie: Unbelievable!
(Facing her again)
Leslie: Is he OK?
Woman: He's dead, didn't you know?

[ Flashback ]
(At the door of the room, Tony goes through the motions of slashing his throat with a knife.)

[ At the door of the room ]
(Leslie freezes.)

[ Flashback / In the room ]
(Tony leans against the wall and mumbles.)
Tony: Have you ever forgotten your name? You are Lai Yiu-Fai ... and I'm a Ho Po-Wing! You know why I keep your passport? I wanted to keep your name forever. I don't care if you use my name or not. But at least, you'll never forget it.

[ At the door of the apartment ]
(Leslie crouchs down.)

[ Screaming and Flashback of their days ]


WKW (monologue): This is not the film I have in mind. I'm still not sure what I want. So I'll keep looking.

[ Shots about young people in Buenos Aires ]

WKW (monologue): Leslie could have both identities. Lai and Ho.
(music: Carl Wong)

[ Leslie fussing with his hair in front of the mirror ]
Woman's voice: He loves his own mirror image, right? So what?

WKW (monologue): Leslie Cheung in drag as a woman.

[ Leslie Cheung's back shot in drag as a woman ]

WKW's voice: If it doesn't work, we won't show it.

[ On the rooftop of the apartment ]
(Leslie kisses Tony. They tangle each other.)

Leslie's voice: The idea was to tell the story of these two people, Tony and me. But I don't have enough time to do that. So the focus is closing more more on Tony.

[ Tony swiming in a pool ]
Tony's voice: That line "We can start again" refers to the film as well. Do we start the film all over again?


Last edited by mu99le on Tue Jul 15, 2003 5:35 pm; edited 1 time in total
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mu99le



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 2597

PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2003 5:33 pm    Post subject: DELETED SCENES AND ALTERNATE STORYLINES AND ENDINGS

- Profile of the Central Restaurant seen in the film. WKW thought about starting the story here. Maybe a young man (Chang Chen) moves to Argentina, and meets Tony Leung\'s character here and learns his story. - Chang Chen : WKW sees him as a \"young Leslie Cheung\". Many shots of Chang exploring Buenos Aires with his tape recorder.

- First shots of HK popstar Shirley Kwan Suk-Yee playing games in an amusement park.

- Chang meets Shirley on a train after getting into a fight.

- To take some control over his relationship with Leslie\'s character, Tony attempts suicide by slashing his wrists.

- Nurse who takes in Tony in the hospital falls in love with him and gets jealous at Leslie.

- Nurse moves into Tony & Leslie\'s apartment. Leslie shows up and she tells him Tony has died.

- WKW however, ditched this storyline.....he did not want to go in this direction.

- WKW really wanted the movie to be about both Leslie and Tony\'s characters. But when Leslie had to return to Hong Kong for a concert tour, started focusing more on just Tony\'s character.

- Storyline of Tony going to Argentina to look for his father when he gets a call from the police there saying his dad\'s in trouble. Attempts to track down his father\'s lover for details....then discovers his father\'s lover is in fact a woman !

- Shots of Chang and Shirley riding in taxis in the night streets of B.A.

- WKW wonders if Tony\'s character should end (die) when he reaches the waterfalls in Iguazu....then decides he should probably return to HK.

- Tony meets Shirley : many scenes of them hanging out together in amusement parks, and cafe\'s.

- Shirley sings an amazing version of Cucurrucucu Paloma.

- Shirley falls in love with Tony\'s character.

- Tony eventuall goes off to Iguazu falls alone, and Shirley finds a job near the Falls and often wonders what happened to Tony.....did he ever make it to the falls on his own ?

In closing comments WKW says that previously, film was life itself for him. But Happy Together was a sort of watershed or milestone event in his life. Now he wants to devote more time to other aspects of his life. Ending family shot.
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