Searching for Fallen Angels' Lost Lens

Sorting through obscure sources and decades of conflicting rumors to finally identify the ultra-wide lens used to shoot Wong Kar-wai's Fallen Angels.

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World of Wong Kar Wai | Criterion's Controversial Remasters vs. Original Blu-ray Releases: https://youtu.be/OrvGqEdomLo
The Matrix and How Bad Remasters Happen: https://youtu.be/KEdgmNZnLs4
Works Cited:
"It's All About Trust." Cinema Papers, No. 111 (p.28-33, 62-63), Aug. 1996
Teo, Stephen. "Johnnie To and the Hong Kong Action Film." (p.79, 259), 2007
Gary. "A Coin of Wong Kar-wai." City Entertainment (Hong Kong) No. 427 (p.33-35), 1995
Brunette, Peter. "Wong Kar-wai." (p.61, 62, 116, 144), 2005

Links:
Part 1: An Introduction
"Fallen Angels"
https://esfilmstylesandmovements.wordpress.com/2017/03/18/fallen-angels/
"Not back to the future, but ahead to the past"
http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2006/11/12/not-back-to-the-future-but-ahead-to-the-past/
"Wong Kar Wai's "Fallen Angels" and 6.5mm non-fisheye lenses" (Jan. 16, 2013)
https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128263
"Gel/lighting choice for dream sequence in bathroom: tips/advice?" (July 28, 2015)
https://cinematography.com/index.php?/topic/68120-gellighting-choice-for-dream-sequence-in-bathroom-tipsadvice/&tab=comments#comment-433499
"Are Wong Kar-wai's new 4k restorations better than the originals?"
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3125227/are-wong-kar-wais-new-4k-restorations-better-originals

Part 2: The 6.5mm
"Anyone have any info about the lens(es) used by Christopher Doyle on Wong Kar Wai's 'Fallen Angels'?" (r/cinematography, Aug. 22, 2018)
https://www.reddit.com/r/cinematography/comments/99b5lr/anyone_have_any_info_about_the_lenses_used_by/
"Zoom lenses..." (Jan. 21, 2004)
https://cinematography.com/index.php?/topic/146-zoom-lenses/
Cinema Papers, No. 111
https://issuu.com/libuow/docs/cinemapaper1996augno111
"Repair: Cine-Nikkor 6.5mm f/1.9" (Apr. 14, 2021)
https://richardhaw.com/2021/04/14/repair-cine-nikkor-6-5mm-f-1-9/
"Cine-Nikkor" (lens series brocure)
http://www.savazzi.net/download/manuals/Cine-Nikkor.pdf

Part 3: Kinoptik 9.8mm
"Film Products from Century Precision Optics" (Sep. 1, 1995)
https://www.pacificrimcamera.com/rl/01009/01009.pdf
Carvalho. "The ambivalent identity of Wong Kar-wai's cinema." (p.162, 243), 2009
https://ateve.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/ludmila-carvalho-2009.pdf
Motion Picture Lens Database
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1U5Dzl4ziFl4SWQyamBj8Z57RIDYsSy4jD5E4CYTENjo/pub?hl=en_GB&hl=en_GB&hl=en_GB&output=html

Part 4: The 6.8mm
Protsenko. "The Emotional Cinema of Wong Kar-wai" (p.65, 156), 2018
https://www.tdx.cat/bitstream/handle/10803/667114/tvp.pdf?locale-attribute=en
"Fallen Angels in the city of metaphors" (Feb. 28, 2014)
https://movie.douban.com/review/6566498/

Part 5: Deductions & Conclusions
Vantage Lens Table (Nov. 2014)
https://www.vantagefilm.com/file/edee/downloads/rentals/vantage-lens-table.pdf
Century 9.8mm Kinoptik Product Info
https://www.pacificrimcamera.com/rl/01017/01017.pdf

Additional vids:
Media Division: Legendary cine lenses on a budget – Zeiss Super Speeds vs Contax Zeiss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUjUxKvXgpw
BBC: Moving Pictures (with Wong Kar-wai & Christopher Doyle)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy60XQ4U048
A Beautiful Evening (Fallen Angels featurette)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoYM3JKobdE
Timestamps:
00:00 Opening
00:40 Lens primer
03:37 An Introduction
04:48 The 6.5mm
08:51 Kinoptik 9.8mm
13:10 The 6.8mm
15:07 Deductions & Conclusions

Видео Searching for Fallen Angels' Lost Lens канала WatchingtheAerial