The longing for connection that may be reflected in that river when one views these movies in their youth feels more elegiac in middle age. Wong's films are a river, always moving, and a bit different every time you step into them. An eternal perfectionist, Wong decided to refine his art instead of just polishing it, leading to some controversy in cinephile circles, to which Wong quotes Heraclitus in response: “No man steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” Wong returned to all seven films to restore them last year and made some notable changes along the way, deepening and even changing some color palettes, and even altering the aspect ratio on one movie.
Some of his biggest films are missing (“Ashes of Time,” “ The Grandmaster,” “ My Blueberry Nights”), but this is still an incredibly comprehensive look at one of the most influential modern directors that allows further appreciation of his work with restorations that make some of them into very different experiences. “ The World of Wong Kar Wai” is one of the best Blu-ray box sets in the history of the form, an assemblage of seven films from 1990 to 2004 (and one notable short from his collaboration " Eros") by the Hong Kong master craftsman. One of the most refined and acclaimed conductors of cinema is the focus of Criterion’s latest Blu-ray box set, joining acclaimed filmmakers like Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, and Agnes Varda, all of whom also received must-own collections in the last couple years. “A filmmaker is like a conductor-you have to set all the instruments to one tone.” - Wong Kar Wai