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Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau and Tony Leung.

A film that brought together the legends of Hong Kong cinema is returning to the big screen more than 30 years later. That film is "Days of Being Wild."

"Days of Being Wild" opens in a 4K remastered version on Sept. 12. Directed by Wong Kar-wai, the film follows Yuddy — played by Leslie Cheung — a restless young man whose youth is defined by ceaseless wandering and love.

The release was confirmed to mark the 70th birthday of Leslie Cheung, who died 23 years ago. Yuddy is also the character Cheung said most resembled himself.

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Particularly memorable is the mambo dance scene, in which Yuddy dances alone in front of a mirror — one of the film's most iconic moments and a defining image of Cheung that has been parodied dozens of times across television programs and commercials in Korea.

Early in the film, Yuddy stands in a tank top and shorts inside his home, dancing the mambo alone to the music of Xavier Cugat. The scene — a symbol of a youth who dreams of freedom yet cannot settle anywhere — still resonates with young audiences today.

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"Days of Being Wild" is also a rare gathering of actors who defined Hong Kong cinema — Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau, Carina Lau, Jacky Cheung and Tony Leung all appear together. The film has since been called a classic that assembled a constellation of stars unlikely ever to be seen together again, and the description fits.

The trailer released alongside the opening announcement captures Yuddy's lonely silhouette walking alone through an unfamiliar place as he searches for his birth mother, as well as his charm as he offers Su Lizhen (Maggie Cheung) an unforgettable one-minute moment, telling her: "From now on, we're friends. That's a fact you can't deny."

From Yuddy's free-spirited yet precarious love to the singular gaze and smile that made Leslie Cheung impossible to forget — his unmatched appeal, as alive today as ever, comes through fully even from the trailer alone.

"Days of Being Wild: 4K Remastered," confirmed for release to mark the 70th anniversary of Leslie Cheung's birth, opens at cinemas nationwide on Sept. 12.


balme@heraldcorp.com