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Maggie Cheung Man-yuk wears exactly 21 different cheongsams in the visually striking ‘In The Mood For Love’, Wong Kar-Wai’s masterpiece from the year 2000. The movie is set in the almost claustrophobic Hong Kong of the sixties and tells the story of two neighbours, a journalist and a secretary, that slowly drift closer and closer. In the same way the plot unravels accompanied by the same languidly solemn soundtrack, Maggie Cheung’s character cruises through the movie wearing 21 different variations of the same dress, which is a traditional qipao (or cheongsam).
Her outfits seems to be unfazed by the emotional turmoil that goes on under her perfectly coiffed do, and seem to only work as a visual companion to the wonderfully assembled sets and interiors of the film: You will see her wearing floral prints and iridescent silks, always and undisputedly adapting to her surroundings.
If tea is sipped from a jade-green cup, then her chosen dress will be wonderfully colour matched. Intricated wallpapers will mean nothing but elaborated tubular embroideries.
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He remembers those vanished years,
as though looking through a dusty window-pane,
the past is something he could see but not touch.
And everything he sees is blurred and indistinct.
The End
By Matteo Sarti
sourced from this blog post
