Thanks!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
We're selling out!
You may have noticed the ad banners that have been appearing today. I'm still testing this out so it may switch a couple of times. Now I'm not going to claim that running this site is a drain on my resources, but I could use some extra change for incidental expenses as I gear up and save up to move with my fiancee and start law school (ie become a pauper for next the couple of years). So if you were thinking of buying something through Amazon could you give a click and use our links. Still let me know what other retailers you like and I can mix up the links available.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Watching now: The Swarm!
Ever wondered what kill Irwin Allen's career well folks I'm watching it right now. The Swarm the massive budget, 156 minute killer bee opus. This movie is beyond goofy. To quote what I wrote at DVD Maniacs:
I love this film. I rented it randomly a year or two ago and man was it worth it. Just seeing the Irwin Allen formula (which I never found interesting) applied to bees is brilliant. Its like a satire except for the fact that you know it wasn't meant to be anything but serious. Kids with the Molotov, the attempts to destroy the bees, Michael Caine GETS INTO A MISSILE SILO BY HIMSELF! Pure art.Seriously ladies and gents expect some youtube clips latter. This films is a joy to revel in! Heck, just go and rent it right now or buy it. It retails for less than 14.99 and can probably be found a lot cheaper.
Born to Fight Dragon Dynasty DVD Review
Video: The video quality of this Dragon Dynasty DVD release is excellent and as one would expect anamorphically enhanced. Working most likely from a PAL source (at least at some point in the process) Dragon Dynasty did an excellent job transferring the film as I did not notice any ghosting or problems that typically plague PAL to NTSC transfers. The colors were vibrant and not oversaturated. There is grain in some scenes, but I strongly suspect that they were the original intention of the director or DP to give the film a gritty look at times.
Check out the screenshots:
http://hkfilmnews.blogspot.com/2007/04/born-to-fight-dragon-dynasty-screencaps.html
Audio: The Dragon Dynasty disc comes with four audio tracks. A Thai 5.1 and English 5.1 Dolby Digital Mix. The English dub is surprisingly decent and was most likely made in the
Subtitles: While I cannot verify the accuracy of the subtitles, I can say they are free of any grammar or spelling errors. For the main movie there is also a set of Spanish subtitles.
Extras: Dragon Dynasty goes all out giving us a two disc ultimate edition of Born to Fight loaded with extras. The first disc contains the only extra unique to this edition (the others are from the Thai DVD) with an audio commentary by Bey Logan. Bey earns extra points for referencing Gymkata numerous times and making legit comparisons to the use of gymnasts in martial arts films. Although his knowledge of Thai films is nowhere near as large as his information on
Overall: Dragon Dynasty offers a solid package for Born to Fight. If you do not own the film yet, then have no fear this is the perfect release for you to pick up. It also retails for far cheaper than its British or
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Media Blaster Upcoming Schedule Till July 2007
Many thanks to Richcard York at MB for giving HK FILM NEWS their upcoming schedule. We'll post some cover scans later. I can tell you that many of us at HK FILM NEWS are looking forward to Frankenstein Conquers the World.
5/1
ART OF THE DEVIL 2-pack (Tokyo Shock)
5/15
BLACK KISS (Tokyo Shock)
Asuka (Reika Hashimoto), an aspiring model, moves to Tokyo to pursue
her career. She takes up residence with a moody acquaintance named Kasumi
(Kaori Kawamura). Across the street from their apartment, Asuka witnesses a
bizarre murder — the body was flayed, disemboweled and arranged into a
hideous work of art. A series of coincidental murders occurs, all of which contain
what is possibly the murder's calling card: a black lip print dubbed "The
Black Kiss". This gruesome crime thriller in the tradition of SILENCE OF THE
LAMBS and SEVEN was originally known as SYNCHRONICITY ("Shinkuronishiti") and
features Ken Mitsuishi (AUDITION) and Masanobu Ando (BATTLE ROYALE).
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes
The truth of Black Kiss
Mystery of Black Kiss
Theatrical Trailer
5/29
ICHI THE KILLER Blood Pack (Tokyo Shock)
When a yakuza boss is murdered and his money is stolen, both truth and
revenge are brutally sought. Leading the charge is Kakihara (Tadanobu
Asano), the bleach-blonde pain junky whose interrogation methods are
fetishistically sadistic. As the layers of the sordid tale are peeled
back, it appears that someone is trying to turn rival gangs against each
other.
The centerpiece of this strategy is Ichi the Killer (Nao Omori), a
mysterious and completely unhinged master of slaughter. When the final
showdown comes, it's a psychologically cataclysmic event. This one of a
kind, over-the-top, stomach-churning, live-action cartoon from Takashi
Miike (VISITOR Q, IMPRINT) remains an extreme and influential modern classic.
Disc 1
NEW 16 X 9 1.85:1 transfer
-Commentary with director Takashi Miike and Manga artist/writer Hideo
Yamamoto
-5.1 English Dub
-5.1 Japanese Mix
-Original Trailer
-Featurette with Horror film Director Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever)
-Photo Gallery
DISC 2
-Featurette The Cult of ICHI (featuring horror writer JACK KETCHUM,
Fangoria’s Tony Timpone, director Mike Mendez, actress Barbara
Nedeljakova
(HOSTEL)
And many more)
-Interview with Producer Dai Miyazaki
-Actors Sabu and Tsukamoto discuss ICHI.
-“Memories of ICHI” The Making of Ichi the Killer
CAST interviews with:
-Interview with Tadanobu Asano (Kakihara)
-Interview with Nao Omori(Ichi)
-Interview with Sabu (SUZUKI) Susumu Terajimaas Sabu
-Interview with Shinya Tsukamoto (Jijii)
-Miike trailer reel
6/12
ID (Tokyo Shock)
The ID, our unconscious, contains all our selfish drives and desires.
Our conscious keeps these instincts in check, repressing them, in order to
maintain the civility required by society. But what happens when the ID
takes control and is allowed to run free? You get ID, this grim,
shocking, contemplative and experimental exploration of the horror that lies
dormant within us all. Lawlessness, death and complete psychological abandon
befall a rural community, home to factories, pig farms and general squalor.
Here, it's difficult to tell the humans from the animals. What transpires
ultimately defies description. But this rumination on repression,
apathy and the influence of violence is brimming with raw and unbridled
creativity.
Director Kei Fujiwara began her career as an actress and later gained
notoriety for her involvement in Shinya Tsukamoto's legendary TETSUO:
THE IRON MAN (1989) as well as her directorial debut, the disturbing yet
artful ORGAN (1996).
6/26
FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD (Tokyo Shock)
The still-beating, disembodied heart of Frankenstein's monster was
transported from Nazi Germany to Japan for experimentation during World
War II. But the heart is believed lost when Allied Forces drop the bomb on
Hiroshima. Several years later, a feral boy is running rampant through
Hiroshima, killing and feasting on small animals. This causes alarm and
arouses the curiosity of an American scientist, Dr. Bowen (Nick Adams),
and his assistant (Kumi Mizuno, MATANGO) who take the boy into their care.
Soon, the boy is growing at an alarming rate and exhibiting incomparable
strength.
The scientists only have one explanation: this is the mutated monster
of Frankenstein himself! But this town isn't big enough for two monsters.
The destructive, underground-dwelling Baragon emerges to do battle with
Frankenstein to the death!
Known originally as FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON, this fan favorite Toho
production has been a popular fixture on American television for the
past quarter-century. Tokyo Shock is proud to bring FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS
THE WORLD to U.S. DVD for the first time.
DISC ONE:
FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD "English Language Version" (84:47)
English Mono / English 5.1
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen (contrary to the earlier reports saying it
was 1.78:1, which was premature on my part)
EXTRAS:
Special Announcement (40 seconds)
Theatrical Trailer (2 minutes)
Extra International Footage (alternate octopus ending)
Deleted Scenes (approx 5 minutes)
Photo Gallery (approx 150 images)
DISC TWO:
FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON "International Version" (93:04)*
FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON "Japanese Theatrical Version" (89:53)
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Japanese Mono / Japanese 5.1 / English Subtitles
Audio Commentary with Sadamasa Arikawa (Director of Special Effects
Photography) with English Subtitles
Trailers for ATRAGON, DOGORA, MYSTERIANS, MATANGO
7/3
SODOM THE KILLER
Bad things happen when innocent blood is shed. In the early 1700s, Lord
Sodom Ichibei is happily celebrating his wedding day when his
wife-to-be suddenly dies during the ceremony. In his search for an explanation, he
kills any and every suspect he comes across. When Lord Ichibei tortures
and kills two innocent girls, Catherine and Theresa, their death brings
about a curse on the Sodom family. Three hundred years later, one of Sodom's
descendents, Ichiro, is also set to be married. But Catherine has been
reincarnated as Ichiro's sister and kills everyone at the wedding. This
transforms Ichiro into the evil and vengeful "Sodom the Killer", a
cursed man hell-bent on slaughter and world destruction. But Theresa,
reincarnated as a detective, is keeping a watchful eye on Ichiro...
Hiroshi Takahashi, writer of the seminal Japanese horror film RINGU,
makes his directorial debut with this twisty and campy take on the genre he
helped create.
7/31
MUTANT MONSTERS Triple Feature (Includes: THE BEING, THE DARK &
CREATURES
FROM THE ABYSS)
5/1
ART OF THE DEVIL 2-pack (Tokyo Shock)
5/15
BLACK KISS (Tokyo Shock)
Asuka (Reika Hashimoto), an aspiring model, moves to Tokyo to pursue
her career. She takes up residence with a moody acquaintance named Kasumi
(Kaori Kawamura). Across the street from their apartment, Asuka witnesses a
bizarre murder — the body was flayed, disemboweled and arranged into a
hideous work of art. A series of coincidental murders occurs, all of which contain
what is possibly the murder's calling card: a black lip print dubbed "The
Black Kiss". This gruesome crime thriller in the tradition of SILENCE OF THE
LAMBS and SEVEN was originally known as SYNCHRONICITY ("Shinkuronishiti") and
features Ken Mitsuishi (AUDITION) and Masanobu Ando (BATTLE ROYALE).
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes
The truth of Black Kiss
Mystery of Black Kiss
Theatrical Trailer
5/29
ICHI THE KILLER Blood Pack (Tokyo Shock)
When a yakuza boss is murdered and his money is stolen, both truth and
revenge are brutally sought. Leading the charge is Kakihara (Tadanobu
Asano), the bleach-blonde pain junky whose interrogation methods are
fetishistically sadistic. As the layers of the sordid tale are peeled
back, it appears that someone is trying to turn rival gangs against each
other.
The centerpiece of this strategy is Ichi the Killer (Nao Omori), a
mysterious and completely unhinged master of slaughter. When the final
showdown comes, it's a psychologically cataclysmic event. This one of a
kind, over-the-top, stomach-churning, live-action cartoon from Takashi
Miike (VISITOR Q, IMPRINT) remains an extreme and influential modern classic.
Disc 1
NEW 16 X 9 1.85:1 transfer
-Commentary with director Takashi Miike and Manga artist/writer Hideo
Yamamoto
-5.1 English Dub
-5.1 Japanese Mix
-Original Trailer
-Featurette with Horror film Director Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever)
-Photo Gallery
DISC 2
-Featurette The Cult of ICHI (featuring horror writer JACK KETCHUM,
Fangoria’s Tony Timpone, director Mike Mendez, actress Barbara
Nedeljakova
(HOSTEL)
And many more)
-Interview with Producer Dai Miyazaki
-Actors Sabu and Tsukamoto discuss ICHI.
-“Memories of ICHI” The Making of Ichi the Killer
CAST interviews with:
-Interview with Tadanobu Asano (Kakihara)
-Interview with Nao Omori(Ichi)
-Interview with Sabu (SUZUKI) Susumu Terajimaas Sabu
-Interview with Shinya Tsukamoto (Jijii)
-Miike trailer reel
6/12
ID (Tokyo Shock)
The ID, our unconscious, contains all our selfish drives and desires.
Our conscious keeps these instincts in check, repressing them, in order to
maintain the civility required by society. But what happens when the ID
takes control and is allowed to run free? You get ID, this grim,
shocking, contemplative and experimental exploration of the horror that lies
dormant within us all. Lawlessness, death and complete psychological abandon
befall a rural community, home to factories, pig farms and general squalor.
Here, it's difficult to tell the humans from the animals. What transpires
ultimately defies description. But this rumination on repression,
apathy and the influence of violence is brimming with raw and unbridled
creativity.
Director Kei Fujiwara began her career as an actress and later gained
notoriety for her involvement in Shinya Tsukamoto's legendary TETSUO:
THE IRON MAN (1989) as well as her directorial debut, the disturbing yet
artful ORGAN (1996).
6/26
FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD (Tokyo Shock)
The still-beating, disembodied heart of Frankenstein's monster was
transported from Nazi Germany to Japan for experimentation during World
War II. But the heart is believed lost when Allied Forces drop the bomb on
Hiroshima. Several years later, a feral boy is running rampant through
Hiroshima, killing and feasting on small animals. This causes alarm and
arouses the curiosity of an American scientist, Dr. Bowen (Nick Adams),
and his assistant (Kumi Mizuno, MATANGO) who take the boy into their care.
Soon, the boy is growing at an alarming rate and exhibiting incomparable
strength.
The scientists only have one explanation: this is the mutated monster
of Frankenstein himself! But this town isn't big enough for two monsters.
The destructive, underground-dwelling Baragon emerges to do battle with
Frankenstein to the death!
Known originally as FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON, this fan favorite Toho
production has been a popular fixture on American television for the
past quarter-century. Tokyo Shock is proud to bring FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS
THE WORLD to U.S. DVD for the first time.
DISC ONE:
FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD "English Language Version" (84:47)
English Mono / English 5.1
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen (contrary to the earlier reports saying it
was 1.78:1, which was premature on my part)
EXTRAS:
Special Announcement (40 seconds)
Theatrical Trailer (2 minutes)
Extra International Footage (alternate octopus ending)
Deleted Scenes (approx 5 minutes)
Photo Gallery (approx 150 images)
DISC TWO:
FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON "International Version" (93:04)*
FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON "Japanese Theatrical Version" (89:53)
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Japanese Mono / Japanese 5.1 / English Subtitles
Audio Commentary with Sadamasa Arikawa (Director of Special Effects
Photography) with English Subtitles
Trailers for ATRAGON, DOGORA, MYSTERIANS, MATANGO
7/3
SODOM THE KILLER
Bad things happen when innocent blood is shed. In the early 1700s, Lord
Sodom Ichibei is happily celebrating his wedding day when his
wife-to-be suddenly dies during the ceremony. In his search for an explanation, he
kills any and every suspect he comes across. When Lord Ichibei tortures
and kills two innocent girls, Catherine and Theresa, their death brings
about a curse on the Sodom family. Three hundred years later, one of Sodom's
descendents, Ichiro, is also set to be married. But Catherine has been
reincarnated as Ichiro's sister and kills everyone at the wedding. This
transforms Ichiro into the evil and vengeful "Sodom the Killer", a
cursed man hell-bent on slaughter and world destruction. But Theresa,
reincarnated as a detective, is keeping a watchful eye on Ichiro...
Hiroshi Takahashi, writer of the seminal Japanese horror film RINGU,
makes his directorial debut with this twisty and campy take on the genre he
helped create.
7/31
MUTANT MONSTERS Triple Feature (Includes: THE BEING, THE DARK &
CREATURES
FROM THE ABYSS)
A New Writer Joins Us!
Big welcome to Paul Skelding who joins the writing staff today. Look for a lot of great articles on Wuxia and more. As you can see from his bio, Paul knows his stuff.
Paul Skelding, 36, resides on the US Trust Territory of Guam in
80s and started on a steady diet of Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee, and
cheesy 80s martial arts movies. In the 90s he discovered Jackie Chan,
Jet Li, and Shaw Brothers films, and his life has not been the same
since. Paul has studied several martial arts including Yang Tai Chi,
Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu, and Gracie Jujitsu. Using Guam as a
gateway, Paul has traveled extensively in Asia including China, Hong
Kong, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan and Japan.
Born to Fight Dragon Dynasty Screencaps
Today we got a chance to take a look at the Dragon Dynasty DVD of Born to Fight, expect a review in the next few days. For the moment, here are some screencaps of both discs. Easily a great DVD in terms of extras and video quality (along with sound options). If you haven't got this yet or just want one in NTSC or Region 1, I would advise you to pick it up when it streets next Tuesday April 24th. Until I can do a full review here are some screencaps to tide you over.
Chinese History Through Kung Fu Movies TImeline
So now you can try and check out the unique and interesting periods of Chinese history through kung fu movies. This list was done a couple of years ago but most likely wasn't seen by many recent members. We're also going to try and add to it more as even just the last three in terms of TVB and Shaw releases have been tremendous. Credit first of course.
Thread/idea by gfanikf KFF
Timeline from http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/time_line.html (coutesy of gfanikf - this forum)
Sensasian Timeline & List from http://tinyurl.com/35woeu
Magic8 posted this on asiandvdguide
iskandam posted this on KFCC
muay thai media posted this on KFCC
Jin Yong posted this on KFF
Limubai2000 added this (KFF)
Sensasian List link found by curtpdx (KFF)
Compiled by Limubai2000 from KFF
Chinese History Through Kung Fu Movies Timeline v .3
2690-2590 B.C. Huang Di
2333-2234 B.C. Tang Yao
2233-2184 B.C. Yu Shun
2100-1500 B.C. Xia
1700-1027 B.C. Shang
Last Woman of Shang (iskandam)
Na Cha The Great (Sensasian)
A Maid From Heaven (sensasian)
1027-771 B.C. Western Zhou
A Step Into The Past (TVB Serial)(Sensasian)
The King With My Face (Sensasian)
770-221 B.C. Eastern Zhou
770-476 B.C. -- Spring and Autumn period
Hsi Shih (Jin Yong)
Saga Of zhou Dynasty The Spring And Autumn Period (Sensasian)
475-221 B.C. -- Warring States period
Saga Of Zhou Dynasty The Warring States (Sensasian)
221-207 B.C. Qin
Emporer's Shadow (Magic8)
Hero (Magic8)
Emporer And The Assasin (Magic8)
First Emporer of China IMAX (Documentary)(Limubai2000)
Terracotta Warriors (Sensasian)
Shin No Shikoutei (Sensasian)
The First Emporer (Sensasian)
The Rise Of The Great Wall (Sensasian)
206 B.C.- A.D. 9 Western Han
Great Conqueror's Concubine Part 1 & 2 (iskandam)
Farewell To My Concubine (Sensasian)
Beyond The Great Wall (Sensasian)
Han Dynasty (Sensasian)
Heroic Prince (Sensasian)
Wulung Prince (Sensasian)
Silk Road Parts 1,2, & 3 (Sensasian)
A.D. 9-24 Xin (Wang Mang interregnum)
A.D. 25-220 Eastern Han
A.D. 220-280 Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms (TV-50) (iskandam)
Generation Pendragon (Sensasian)
Li bu And Diao Chan (Sensasian)
Hero Of The Three Kingdoms (Sensasian)
Strategy Of Three Kingdoms (Sensasian)
220-265 -- Wei
221-263 -- Shu
229-280 -- Wu
A.D. 265-316 Western Jin
The Butterfly Lover (Sensasian)
The Lovers (Sensasian)
2002 Butterfly Lovers 40 (Sensasian)
A.D. 317-420 Eastern Jin
A.D. 420-588 Southern and Northern Dynasties
Mulan (Sensasian)
Wu Yen (Sensasian)
Master Of Zen (Sensasian)
The Legend Of Lady Chung (Sensasian)
Dharma - Founder Of Shaolin (Sensasian)
420-588 Southern Dynasties
420-478 -- Song
479-501 -- Qi
502-556 -- Liang
557-588 -- Chen
386-588 Northern Dynasties
386-533 -- Northern Wei
534-549 -- Eastern Wei
535-557 -- Western Wei
550-577 -- Northern Qi
557-588 -- Northern Zhou
A.D. 581-617 Sui
A.D. 618-907 Tang
Warriors Of Heaven And Earth (Magic8)
Empress Wu Tse-Tien (Jin Yong)
Yang Kwei Fei (Jin Yong)
Foundation (Sensasian)
The Queen Of Tibet (Sensasian)
Heroic Ones (Sensasian)
A.D. 907-960 Five Dynasties
907-923 -- Later Liang
923-936 -- Later Tang
936-946 -- Later Jin
947-950 -- Later Han
951-960 - Later Zhou
A.D. 907-979 Ten Kingdoms
A.D. 960-1279 Sung
Water Margin (Magic8)
All Men Are Brothers (Magic8)
Deadly Duo (Jin Yong)
Heroes Of Sung (Jin Yong)
Brave Archer (series) (Jin Yong)
Golden Lotus (Jin Yong)
Legend Of The Condor Heroes (Book & Movie) (Sensasian)
Cat And Mouse (Sensasian)
The Lion Roars (Sensasian)
Twelve Gold Medallions (Sensasian)
The Grand Substitution (Sensasian)
The Heroine Of The Yangs Part 1 & 2 (Sensasian)
General Father, General Son (Sensasian)
Ashes Of Time (Sensasian)
Seven Warriors, Five Heroes (Sensasian)
Justice Pao - The Princes (Sensasian)
The Legend Of the Condor Heroes Parts 1,2 & 3 (TVB Series) (Sensasian)
Young Impartial Judge Parts 1 & 2 (Sensasian)
The Bride Napping (Sensasian)
Bao Gong Sheng Si Jie (Sensasian)
Junior Master Bao (Sensasian)
The Return Of The Condor Heroes (Sensasian)
Yue's Young Warriors (Sensasian)
Justice Pao - Zhe Bao Mian (Sensasian)
Yeung Female Warriors Parts 1 & 2 (Sensasian)
Ghenghis Khan (Sensasian)
The Yang's Saga (Sensasian)
Ghenghis Khan (TVB Series) (Sensasian)
All Men Are Brothers - Blood Of The Leopard (Sensaian)
Legend Of Condor Heroes (Puppet Show) (Sensasian)
960-1127 -- Northern Sung Brave Archer (series) (Jin Yong)
1127-1279 -- Southern Sung Brave Archer (series) (Jin Yong)
A.D. 916-1125 Liao
A.D. 1038-1227 Western Xia
A.D. 1115-1234 Jin
A.D. 1279-1368 Yuan
Musa (iskandam)
Bichunmoo (iskandam)
One Armed Swordman (Jin Yong)
Little Dragon Maiden (Jin Yong)
Brave Archer (series) (Jin Yong)
Marco Polo (Jin Yong)
Fall of Yuan to Ming
Musa (Muay Thai Media)
Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber Part 1 & 2 (Jin Yong)
A.D. 1368-1644 Ming
Secret Service Of The Imperial Court (Jin Yong)
The Kingdom And The Beauty (Sensasian)
Princes Chang Ping Parts 1 & 2(Sensasian)
Flirting Scholar (Sensasian)
The Three Smiles (Sensasian)
The Saga Of Yeun Soong Wun (Sensasian)
Big Foot Queen (Sensasian)
Chinese Odyssey - King Zhengde And Phoenix (Sensasian)
A.D. 1644-1911 Qing
New Tale Of Flying Fox (Jin Yong)
Emporer And His Brother (Jin Yong)
The Voyage Of Emporer Qian Long (Jin Yong)
The Emporer And The Beauty (Jin Yong)
Blood Brothers (Jin Yong)
Huang Fei Hung/Once Upon A Time In China Series (Muay Thai Media)
Boxer Rebellion (Muay Thai Media)
Empress Dowager (Jin Yong)
Last Tempest (Jin Yong)
Burning Of the Imperial Palace (Jin Yong)
Reign Behind the Curtain (Jin Yong)
Iron Bodyguard (Jin Yong)
Five Shaolin Masters (Jin Yong)
The 36th chamber of Shaolin (Jin Yong)
Disciple of the 36th Chamber (Jin Yong)
Return to the 36th chamber (Jin Yong)
Heroes Two (Jin Yong)
Executionners From Shaolin (Jin Yong)
Clan Of The White Lotus (Jin Yong)
Invincible Shaolin (Jin Yong)
Two Champion Of Shaolin (Jin Yong)
The Master (Jin Yong)
Dirty Ho (Jin Yong)
Sword Stained with Royal Blood (Jin Yong)
Legend of the Fox (Jin Yong)
Shaolin Temple (Jin Yong)
Adventures of Emperor Chien Lung (Jin Yong)
The Emperor and the Minister (Jin Yong)
Royal Tramp 1 & 2 (Jin Yong)
Iron Monkey (Sensasian)
Justice My Foot (Sensasian)
Hail The Judge (Sensasian)
Lawyer, Lawyer (Sensasian)
The Legend Of Ji Xiao Lan (Sensasian)
The Duke Of Mount Deer (TVB Series) (Sensasian)
Hero Fong Sai Yuk (Sensasian)
Prodigal Son (Sensasian)
Emporer Chien Lung And The Beauty (Sensasian)
Fake Emporer (Sensasian)
Anecdote Of Hau Zhuang (Sensasian)
Killing Machine (Sensasian)
Legend Of Yong Zheng Parts 1 & 2 (Sensasian)
Book And Sword Parts 1,2 & 3 (Sensasian)
Romance Of Book And Sword (Sensasian)
Voyage Of Emporer Chien Lung (Sensasian)
Warriors Two (Sensasian)
New Legend Of Shaolin (Sensasian)
Kangxi's Love Story Parts 1 & 2 (Sensasian)
Twilight Of the Forbidden City (Sensasian)
Reign Behind A Curtain (Sensasian)
Last Emporer (Sensasian)
Lover Of The Last Empress (Sensasian)
Lai Shi, China's Last Eunnuch (Sensaian)
Young Of wong Fei Hung (Sensasian)
Opium War (Sensasian)
Sino Dutch War 1661 (Sensasian)
New Legend Of Fong Sai Yuk Part 3 (Sensasian)
Legend of Yong Zheng (Sesasian)
Kangxi Dynasty (Sensasian)
Yong Zheng Dynasty (Sensasian)
Dynasty Of Chien Lung (Sensasian)
Mr Winner (Sensasian)
Tales of a Eunnuch (Jin Yong)
Fong Sai Yuk Parts 1 & 2(Muay Thai Media)
Once Upon A Time In China (Magic8)
A.D. 1912 - 1949 Chinese Civil War/WW2
Fist Of Fury (Magic8)
Fist Of Legend (Magic8)
Vengeance (Jin Yong)
Anonymous Heroes (Jin Yong)
The Warlord (Sensasian)
May And August (Sensasian)
Soong Sister (Sensasian)
Peking Opera Blues (Sensasian)
Peony Pavilion (Sensasian)
Till We Meet Again (Sensasian)
Boxer From Shantung (Sensaian)
Route (Sensasian)
Shanghai Grand (Sensasian)
Lord Of East China Sea Parts 1 & 2(Sensasian)
Fist Of Legend (TV Series) (Sensasian)
Man Behind The Sun (Sensasian)
Centre Stage (Sensasian)
Narrow Escape (Sensasian)
Vermilion Door (Sensasian)
Story Of Three Loves Parts 1 & 2 (Sensasian)
Bund (Sensasian)
Spring River Flows East - The Eight War Torn Years (Sensasian)
Star, Moon and Sun Parts 1 & 2 (Sensasian)
Kawashima Yoshiko (Sensasian)
Fist Of Hero (Sensasian)
Thread/idea by gfanikf KFF
Timeline from http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/time_line.html (coutesy of gfanikf - this forum)
Sensasian Timeline & List from http://tinyurl.com/35woeu
Magic8 posted this on asiandvdguide
iskandam posted this on KFCC
muay thai media posted this on KFCC
Jin Yong posted this on KFF
Limubai2000 added this (KFF)
Sensasian List link found by curtpdx (KFF)
Compiled by Limubai2000 from KFF
Chinese History Through Kung Fu Movies Timeline v .3
2690-2590 B.C. Huang Di
2333-2234 B.C. Tang Yao
2233-2184 B.C. Yu Shun
2100-1500 B.C. Xia
1700-1027 B.C. Shang
Last Woman of Shang (iskandam)
Na Cha The Great (Sensasian)
A Maid From Heaven (sensasian)
1027-771 B.C. Western Zhou
A Step Into The Past (TVB Serial)(Sensasian)
The King With My Face (Sensasian)
770-221 B.C. Eastern Zhou
770-476 B.C. -- Spring and Autumn period
Hsi Shih (Jin Yong)
Saga Of zhou Dynasty The Spring And Autumn Period (Sensasian)
475-221 B.C. -- Warring States period
Saga Of Zhou Dynasty The Warring States (Sensasian)
221-207 B.C. Qin
Emporer's Shadow (Magic8)
Hero (Magic8)
Emporer And The Assasin (Magic8)
First Emporer of China IMAX (Documentary)(Limubai2000)
Terracotta Warriors (Sensasian)
Shin No Shikoutei (Sensasian)
The First Emporer (Sensasian)
The Rise Of The Great Wall (Sensasian)
206 B.C.- A.D. 9 Western Han
Great Conqueror's Concubine Part 1 & 2 (iskandam)
Farewell To My Concubine (Sensasian)
Beyond The Great Wall (Sensasian)
Han Dynasty (Sensasian)
Heroic Prince (Sensasian)
Wulung Prince (Sensasian)
Silk Road Parts 1,2, & 3 (Sensasian)
A.D. 9-24 Xin (Wang Mang interregnum)
A.D. 25-220 Eastern Han
A.D. 220-280 Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms (TV-50) (iskandam)
Generation Pendragon (Sensasian)
Li bu And Diao Chan (Sensasian)
Hero Of The Three Kingdoms (Sensasian)
Strategy Of Three Kingdoms (Sensasian)
220-265 -- Wei
221-263 -- Shu
229-280 -- Wu
A.D. 265-316 Western Jin
The Butterfly Lover (Sensasian)
The Lovers (Sensasian)
2002 Butterfly Lovers 40 (Sensasian)
A.D. 317-420 Eastern Jin
A.D. 420-588 Southern and Northern Dynasties
Mulan (Sensasian)
Wu Yen (Sensasian)
Master Of Zen (Sensasian)
The Legend Of Lady Chung (Sensasian)
Dharma - Founder Of Shaolin (Sensasian)
420-588 Southern Dynasties
420-478 -- Song
479-501 -- Qi
502-556 -- Liang
557-588 -- Chen
386-588 Northern Dynasties
386-533 -- Northern Wei
534-549 -- Eastern Wei
535-557 -- Western Wei
550-577 -- Northern Qi
557-588 -- Northern Zhou
A.D. 581-617 Sui
A.D. 618-907 Tang
Warriors Of Heaven And Earth (Magic8)
Empress Wu Tse-Tien (Jin Yong)
Yang Kwei Fei (Jin Yong)
Foundation (Sensasian)
The Queen Of Tibet (Sensasian)
Heroic Ones (Sensasian)
A.D. 907-960 Five Dynasties
907-923 -- Later Liang
923-936 -- Later Tang
936-946 -- Later Jin
947-950 -- Later Han
951-960 - Later Zhou
A.D. 907-979 Ten Kingdoms
A.D. 960-1279 Sung
Water Margin (Magic8)
All Men Are Brothers (Magic8)
Deadly Duo (Jin Yong)
Heroes Of Sung (Jin Yong)
Brave Archer (series) (Jin Yong)
Golden Lotus (Jin Yong)
Legend Of The Condor Heroes (Book & Movie) (Sensasian)
Cat And Mouse (Sensasian)
The Lion Roars (Sensasian)
Twelve Gold Medallions (Sensasian)
The Grand Substitution (Sensasian)
The Heroine Of The Yangs Part 1 & 2 (Sensasian)
General Father, General Son (Sensasian)
Ashes Of Time (Sensasian)
Seven Warriors, Five Heroes (Sensasian)
Justice Pao - The Princes (Sensasian)
The Legend Of the Condor Heroes Parts 1,2 & 3 (TVB Series) (Sensasian)
Young Impartial Judge Parts 1 & 2 (Sensasian)
The Bride Napping (Sensasian)
Bao Gong Sheng Si Jie (Sensasian)
Junior Master Bao (Sensasian)
The Return Of The Condor Heroes (Sensasian)
Yue's Young Warriors (Sensasian)
Justice Pao - Zhe Bao Mian (Sensasian)
Yeung Female Warriors Parts 1 & 2 (Sensasian)
Ghenghis Khan (Sensasian)
The Yang's Saga (Sensasian)
Ghenghis Khan (TVB Series) (Sensasian)
All Men Are Brothers - Blood Of The Leopard (Sensaian)
Legend Of Condor Heroes (Puppet Show) (Sensasian)
960-1127 -- Northern Sung Brave Archer (series) (Jin Yong)
1127-1279 -- Southern Sung Brave Archer (series) (Jin Yong)
A.D. 916-1125 Liao
A.D. 1038-1227 Western Xia
A.D. 1115-1234 Jin
A.D. 1279-1368 Yuan
Musa (iskandam)
Bichunmoo (iskandam)
One Armed Swordman (Jin Yong)
Little Dragon Maiden (Jin Yong)
Brave Archer (series) (Jin Yong)
Marco Polo (Jin Yong)
Fall of Yuan to Ming
Musa (Muay Thai Media)
Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber Part 1 & 2 (Jin Yong)
A.D. 1368-1644 Ming
Secret Service Of The Imperial Court (Jin Yong)
The Kingdom And The Beauty (Sensasian)
Princes Chang Ping Parts 1 & 2(Sensasian)
Flirting Scholar (Sensasian)
The Three Smiles (Sensasian)
The Saga Of Yeun Soong Wun (Sensasian)
Big Foot Queen (Sensasian)
Chinese Odyssey - King Zhengde And Phoenix (Sensasian)
A.D. 1644-1911 Qing
New Tale Of Flying Fox (Jin Yong)
Emporer And His Brother (Jin Yong)
The Voyage Of Emporer Qian Long (Jin Yong)
The Emporer And The Beauty (Jin Yong)
Blood Brothers (Jin Yong)
Huang Fei Hung/Once Upon A Time In China Series (Muay Thai Media)
Boxer Rebellion (Muay Thai Media)
Empress Dowager (Jin Yong)
Last Tempest (Jin Yong)
Burning Of the Imperial Palace (Jin Yong)
Reign Behind the Curtain (Jin Yong)
Iron Bodyguard (Jin Yong)
Five Shaolin Masters (Jin Yong)
The 36th chamber of Shaolin (Jin Yong)
Disciple of the 36th Chamber (Jin Yong)
Return to the 36th chamber (Jin Yong)
Heroes Two (Jin Yong)
Executionners From Shaolin (Jin Yong)
Clan Of The White Lotus (Jin Yong)
Invincible Shaolin (Jin Yong)
Two Champion Of Shaolin (Jin Yong)
The Master (Jin Yong)
Dirty Ho (Jin Yong)
Sword Stained with Royal Blood (Jin Yong)
Legend of the Fox (Jin Yong)
Shaolin Temple (Jin Yong)
Adventures of Emperor Chien Lung (Jin Yong)
The Emperor and the Minister (Jin Yong)
Royal Tramp 1 & 2 (Jin Yong)
Iron Monkey (Sensasian)
Justice My Foot (Sensasian)
Hail The Judge (Sensasian)
Lawyer, Lawyer (Sensasian)
The Legend Of Ji Xiao Lan (Sensasian)
The Duke Of Mount Deer (TVB Series) (Sensasian)
Hero Fong Sai Yuk (Sensasian)
Prodigal Son (Sensasian)
Emporer Chien Lung And The Beauty (Sensasian)
Fake Emporer (Sensasian)
Anecdote Of Hau Zhuang (Sensasian)
Killing Machine (Sensasian)
Legend Of Yong Zheng Parts 1 & 2 (Sensasian)
Book And Sword Parts 1,2 & 3 (Sensasian)
Romance Of Book And Sword (Sensasian)
Voyage Of Emporer Chien Lung (Sensasian)
Warriors Two (Sensasian)
New Legend Of Shaolin (Sensasian)
Kangxi's Love Story Parts 1 & 2 (Sensasian)
Twilight Of the Forbidden City (Sensasian)
Reign Behind A Curtain (Sensasian)
Last Emporer (Sensasian)
Lover Of The Last Empress (Sensasian)
Lai Shi, China's Last Eunnuch (Sensaian)
Young Of wong Fei Hung (Sensasian)
Opium War (Sensasian)
Sino Dutch War 1661 (Sensasian)
New Legend Of Fong Sai Yuk Part 3 (Sensasian)
Legend of Yong Zheng (Sesasian)
Kangxi Dynasty (Sensasian)
Yong Zheng Dynasty (Sensasian)
Dynasty Of Chien Lung (Sensasian)
Mr Winner (Sensasian)
Tales of a Eunnuch (Jin Yong)
Fong Sai Yuk Parts 1 & 2(Muay Thai Media)
Once Upon A Time In China (Magic8)
A.D. 1912 - 1949 Chinese Civil War/WW2
Fist Of Fury (Magic8)
Fist Of Legend (Magic8)
Vengeance (Jin Yong)
Anonymous Heroes (Jin Yong)
The Warlord (Sensasian)
May And August (Sensasian)
Soong Sister (Sensasian)
Peking Opera Blues (Sensasian)
Peony Pavilion (Sensasian)
Till We Meet Again (Sensasian)
Boxer From Shantung (Sensaian)
Route (Sensasian)
Shanghai Grand (Sensasian)
Lord Of East China Sea Parts 1 & 2(Sensasian)
Fist Of Legend (TV Series) (Sensasian)
Man Behind The Sun (Sensasian)
Centre Stage (Sensasian)
Narrow Escape (Sensasian)
Vermilion Door (Sensasian)
Story Of Three Loves Parts 1 & 2 (Sensasian)
Bund (Sensasian)
Spring River Flows East - The Eight War Torn Years (Sensasian)
Star, Moon and Sun Parts 1 & 2 (Sensasian)
Kawashima Yoshiko (Sensasian)
Fist Of Hero (Sensasian)
Monday, April 16, 2007
Dragon Dynasty's Born to Fight Arrives to HK FILM NEWS!
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Let it not be said I only pick on apes appearing in Chinese films.
Enter The Baradagi Cheng Sing Fights An Ape and Bruce Li Beats Up Granny!
Time for you all to learn the history of China to help you enjoy your Kung Fu more!
Now you're properly thinking, Ian I'm watching Kung Fu what could possibly be the benefit of learning about the history of China? Well, what may seem like a plot details may actually represent an interesting facet of Chinese history from the the eunuchs, the salt trade, to armed escort services to much more. The goal of this new section Chinese History through Kung Fu Movies is to show the background information from scans of my Chinese history books in conjunction with clips mentioning the subject in the related Kung Fu movie. Also I'm going to post information of Chinese culture such as food and music occasionally too. I should also mention that I majored in Gov't + Law and History and minored in Asian Studies at Lafayette College. I'm also working on a MA in Poli Sci and Villanova University and will soon be starting law school at Seton Hall, just to give you a little background on me.
I hope you all enjoy this new section.
I hope you all enjoy this new section.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Cheng Cheh on the Martial Arts Film Genre
Republished from Stephen Feldman's amazing Cheng Cheh site
http://changcheh.0catch.com/ Give it a look today.
From The Making of Martial Arts Films -- As Told by Filmmakers and Stars, 1999, pp. 16-24:
Creating the Martial Arts Film and the Hong Kong Cinema Style
As a society prospers, its industry develops, and the dynamic energy of the people is at full throttle, culture and the arts will also thrive. This is true of China in the Tang Dynasty, of Europe in the Renaissance, and of America in its opening of the western frontier. Though a small territory, Hong Kong in the 60s and 70s was an explicit micro-model of such trends.
Crossroads of East and West
Western culture is the dominating culture in the modern world. However, Chinese culture has a long history and still carries its own weight. Hong Kong is a Chinese society and it functions as China's window to the West. Hence, it is the crossroads where Chinese and Western cultures meet. But Hong Kong only has a history of over 100 years. Originally on the periphery of the mainland, its absorption of Western culture is not deep enough. Thus, both Chinese and Western cultures have a poor foundation in Hong Kong. From the start, the development of art and culture in Hong Kong had a populist base. The supplementary columns of Hong Kong's newspapers are unique in this respect -- one of the most representative personages was Ko Hung (Sam So) who was active in the 60s and 70s and possessed the distinct local colours of Hong Kong. The martial arts novels became popular during this period, and the melodrama novels were no better than the sentimental romances. There were very few works of literary quality. Most films of better artistic values were those that geared towards the masses and the populist denominator.
However, populism is a virtue, not a flaw. Culture is based on "people," and the type of "people" determines the type of culture. A minority culture can only be enjoyed by a small group of people and cannot enter the mainstream. This is most apparent in cinema. If it is detached from the masses, it is detached from the market and cannot survive nor develop. There are many levels to populism, aud the more levels there are, the wider the human foundations. There are the common people, the middle-class, and the intellectuals. Take the martial arts novels. It includes writers such as Woshi Shanren and Jin Yong -- the former belongs to the Cantonese culture of the neighbouring masses while both the common people and the intellectuals enjoy the latter. The samurai pictures of Japan and the martial arts pictures of Hong Kong are quite similar. The samurai picture genre has produced an outstanding master in Akira Kurosawa.
Jin Yong is the premier talent in martial arts literature and he was a product arising from the East-meets-West culture of Hong Kong. A learned man of Chinese culture, he is also well versed in Western culture, blending the literary culture and popular culture together successfully. His works came out simple but carried depth. The martial arts pictures of the 60s and 70s, no matter the works of an auteur or the works as a whole, are no match for the works of Jin Yong. The reason why he took a leading role in the take-off of the martial arts picture in Hong Kong cinema is due to this distinct appeal.
Martial arts films had its share back in the old days. In Shanghai, the genre got bogged down in the serials of the likes of The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple and The Swordswoman of the Wilderness, so were the martial arts films of Hong Kong cinema that remained on the level of Woshi Shanren for years and could not catch up with the times.
Populism does not mean vulgarity. The populist classics of China include quite some gems of literature that have an appeal to both literary and layman tastes. This is also true of Chinese opera. Being at the crossroads of East and West, the Hong Kong audience will naturally not be satisfied with "old-fashioned" martial arts pictures. Thus it is only to be expected that a new-style martial arts picture will emerge in accordance with the economic and social development of Hong Kong and its tendency towards Westernisation. With greater investments, production standards improve, leading to the participation of new intellectuals conversant in both Eastern and Western cultures. The first generation of auteurs recruited by the new style martial arts picture include King Hu and myself. Using Chinese cinema as a base, we endeavoured to include Western style of thinking and technology. King Hu studied the aesthetics of editing in Western cinema and created his own style of editing. As for myself, I studied the cinematographic techniques of those Western technicians or in Shaw Brothers under co-production deals, and "stole" a lot of their techniques.
Japan is the most westernised country in the East. Apart from influences from the west (particularly Hollywood films), we have also been influenced by Japanese cinema, in particular, the samurai pictures. I went to Japan to do location shooting for The Golden Swallow (1968). The location shooting itself was not at all significant compared to what I could learn from the production techniques of Japanese cinema. Some martial arts directors openly confess to being influenced by Japanese cinema and I think there's no shame in that. Reception isn't the same as copying. I was attracted to the martial arts genre because I had seen the films of Akira Kurosawa and realised that it was possible to make quality pictures in the genre.
When I was making The One-armed Swordsman (1967), I took the camera off its tripod and utilised the hand-held camera technique for the first time. Thus, a sense of mobility was added to Chinese films. I first used the slow-motion technique in The Magnficent Trio (1966) but it was after I had seen how the technique was used in Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch (1969) that I improved my methods in Vengeance! (1970).
The new style martial arts films of the 60s and 70s are a unique product of Hong Kong at the crossroads of east and west.
A Fusion of Lowbrow and Highbrow Cultures
Like the martial arts novels of Jin Yong, the genre incorporated elements of East and West, and the first generation auteurs also incorporated highbrow and lowbrow tastes. To appeal to the high and the low is the greatest objective. In Chinese martial arts literature, The Water Margin achieved this objective. The martial arts novels of the Tang Dynasty were inclined towards the highbrow tastes. Some of the profundity and richness of this literature is glimpsed in modern novels such as Huanzhu Louzhu's Zu -- Warriors of the Magic Mountain and The Legends of Yunhai, but apart from these, examples such as Seven Knights, Five Principles, The Legend of the Swordsman and The Swordswoman of the Wilderness were very lowbrow affairs indeed. The pictures adapted from these novels could go nowhere as a result.
The martial arts pictures current in Hong Kong cinema at the time were the likes of the Woshi Shahten stories -- stories full of local flavour and populated by folk heroes. The artistic quality of these pictures was low. The characters, from Fong Sai-yuk to Wu Wai-kin to Wong Fei-hung, lacked individuality and were more like stereotypes without emotions or psychology. The stories were simple and conducted along the lines of the good guys versus the bad guys. Hence, such films could not satisfy a society that was progressing and an audience that had greater demands of cinema. This was the background for the rise of the new style martial arts picture.
Many of the screenplays behind the new style martial arts pictures were original creations. They were not adapted from any novel. This is true at least of the films of King Hu and of those of mine. Naturally, we were all influenced by the Water Margin, the novels of the Tang Dynasty, and Jin Yong. We were young then and eager to express ourselves and there were a lot of things we wanted to say. King Hu later took inspiration from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, and I myself adapted some of Jin Yong's novels but they were not some of my best works. Jin's novels are lengthy works and are more suited to TV. I adapted The Brave Archer from him and made the picture in three parts and I still only touched the edges of the story and barely reached its core. Later, some pictures borrowed characters from his novels, such as Ashes of Time (1994), but they only made use of the subject to put across their own ideas. Their products were far from the originals.
In any case, the martial arts pictures began to have variations in their plots, sharp characters, and elaboration of romance and friendship. They brought in new artistic conceptions. The genre began to capture the mass audience and elevated its market position and its influence throughout Southeast Asia.
As its name implies, the martial arts (wu xia) pictures use the notion of martial arts (wu) to express the content of chivalry (xia). Martial arts denote action. Hong Kong cinema at the time used the southern school of kung fu and though the pictures freely mentioned the names of Shaolin and Wudang, the actors did not express the movements of these two schools. The majority of actors at the time were trained in opera, such as Kwan Tak-hing and Lam Kar-sing, etc. But the main pillar of martial arts in Cantonese opera was the Longhu (Dragon and Tiger) masters of martial arts which was derived from Peking opera. However, this was not a genuine strand of martial arts acting from Peking opera since it came from the serialised libretto play of the "Shanghai stream" of Peking opera.
However, the first generation of directors of the new style martial arts picture such as King Hu and myself, derived martial arts action from Peking opera but transcending the limitations of the Longhu masters. King Hu's action aesthetics is of a high standard and he never faltered from his methods of the swordplay film. I gradually became interested in the Hung Fist and the Wing Chun style which belong to the southern school, and I made Vengeance! (1970) and The Boxer from Shandong (1972), both set in the early years of the republic. Coincidentally, Bruce Lee also became popular at this time and he took the kung fu genre into new heights of popularity. At that time, I made Heroes Two (1974) and a series of Shaolin-based kung fu films. Though Kwan Tak-hing, Sek Yin-tsi, Lam Kar-sing propounded the Shaolin name, their kung fu had nothing to do with that school. The development of kung fu had to await stars like Bruce Lee, Chan Kwun-tai, Alexander Fu, etc. But that's another story.
The martial arts pictures inherited the stylised combat of Peking opera. Traditional Chinese opera and other regional operas are song-based operas, but forms such as Kunqu and Sichuan opera are based on song and dance. The dance segments developed into scenes of martial arts action and this development was completed with the appearance of Peking opera, which established a tradition of martial arts in opera. However, Kunqu, as evidenced in the operas The Night Flight of Lin Chong, Overturning the Sliding Cart, The Pass at the Boundary Marker, influenced the martial dramas of Peking opera. These were operas sung in the qu pai style of Kunqu and not in the traditional pihuang style of Peking opera. Cantonese opera, on the other hand, is well established as a regional opera and it emphasises song and dramatic plot, as do other regional forms such as Yue opera, Huangmei ("Yellow Plum") opera, and Taiwanese opera. The components of dance or martial arts in Cantonese opera were not profound but they later imbibed influences from Peking opera making them akin to the serialised libretto play of the Shanghai school. Most Longhu masters learned from Shanghai artists, such as Yuen Siu-tin (father of Yuen Woo-ping) and Yu Zhanyuan (teacher of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, and father of Yu So-chau), and Lam Kar-sing was a student of the martial arts opera diva Fen Juhua, who originally hailed from Shanghai.
Kunqu originated from Yuan opera. Its literary qualities were of a high standard, as evidenced in operas such as The Peony Pavilion and The Plum Blossom Fan. However, the martial arts component of Kunqu and Peking opera were later equally appreciated by lowbrow and highbrow tastes. Their works were popular but of a high standard. Martial arts stemmed from wushu, a form that had nothing to do with the practical art of fighting but was more like dance. Run Run Shaw discovered this early on, and so did film critic Sek Kei. Thus, the martial arts of Kunqu and Peking opera were really choreographic pieces, which were suited for adaptation to cinema. Action is a world language, thus Hong Kong's action films were accepted by Cantonese speakers and Mandarin speakers, by Southeast Asian countries which didn't understand Chinese, and gradually, by Europe and America.
The new style martial arts picture elevated production standards and the tastes of the audience; it strengthened the sensation of cinema and action. This development took place in a Hong Kong at the cross-roads of East and West, mixing highbrow with lowbrow, and the progress was rapid. As Sek Kei said, "It has elevated the action film from the world's worst to the world's best."
The Influence and Development of the Martial Arts Picture
The martial arts picture has the same basic requirements like all other pictures. Whether it is a tragedy or a comedy, the characters and the plots must move people and be entertaining. However, in entertainment, there must also be content, something aspiring to the higher levels. The modes of expression must be dramatic, cinematic, visual, atmospheric and rhythmic. A movie fulfiling all these demands is a good movie and vice versa. In terms of action, it is not enough to have action in a scene -- the action must be powerful and contain aesthetic beauty, the shots must carry the motion.
Chinese cinema has produced some masterpieces and though martial arts pictures number among these masterpieces, the majority are low quality works. Actually, Hong Kong cinema had remained insignificant for a long time. The China market was closed to it and it did not capture other overseas markets. Hong Kong cinema only relied on the small domestic mark in Hong Kong, and meagre capital from Singapore and Malaysia. At the time, Hong Kong had a few decrepit theatres that showed only Chinese movies. The better theatres showed only Western films. A film earned only about tens of thousands dollars. In such a market, the Cantonese film was a downmarket affair and it was only on occasion that a small little gem would appear, or else a picture would take the form of a "carnival" style bringing together all the artists in a big production. But this didn't do the trick in building up standards.
The Mandarin cinema was pioneered by Li Zuyong who came from Shanghai, bringing with him talent and money. He established Yung Hwa. However, the Shanghai talents that he brought along continued the old style of Shanghai cinema, which did not suit changing circumstances. Neither did it occupy a market niche. Yung Hwa ended up in financial straits. The company was saved by money from Singapore and Malaysia and its name was changed to MP and GI (later, this was changed to Cathay). However, the company became conservative, maintaining its output to please middle-class audiences, thus confining itself to melodramas and comedies. A breakthrough was needed. Run Run Shaw came over to Hong Kong from Southeast Asia with new investments to start the Shaw Brothers Studio. He turned the situation around, bringing Hong Kong cinema to the era of colour and widescreen. To secure the Taiwan market, Shaw Brothers produced Huangmei (Yellow Plum) opera films, as Mainland opera films were prohibited from the Taiwan market. This widened the studio's revenue base, raised production standards, and built up the grounds for the rise of the new style martial arts picture.
The Hong Kong cinema was a conservative force at the time. The overseas Chinese market in Singapore and Malaysia was a conservative-thinking audience. For example, European and American movies were centred on male actors. Even actresses like Vivien Leigh and Ingrid Bergman took second billing to Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart. Peking opera is also male-centred. Even the "four greatest female stars" were males, such as Mei Lanfang, etc. However, Hong Kong cinema was different. Its popularity was built on female stars, and stars like Ling Bo and Yam Kim-fai played male parts. Insiders in the Hong Kong film industry were quite obstinate about this tendency, so I took up the slogan of yanggang (masculinity) in my film column "My Views on Cinema." Now, this slogan is taken as a mantra not only in the film industry but also in the music industry. But in the film industry at the time, the realisation of yanggang would have to wait until the resurgence of a new martial arts movie style -- a resurgence guided by the moguls Run Run Shaw and Raymond Chow. At that time, I had been recommended by Raymond Chow to enter Shaw Brothers. The rise of yanggang was a requirement of the market and not discrimination against actresses. Female audiences also wanted to see male stars. After all, the fans of male singers were mostly females.
The 60s and 70s were the most energetic periods of Hong Kong -- the period when young people exerted themselves. The age of love tales was the past. The masses were striving ahead in a rebellious mood and the colonial administration was receiving a shock to the system. Yangggang and the martial arts pictures represented this spirit of the times. After I made The One-armed Swordsman (1967), riots broke out in Kowloon. Then, during the riots, I made The Assassin (1967). In an Ming Pao Monthly article published on May 1998, titled "Hong Kong's Anti-Establishment Movies and the Mass Movement," Law Kar wrote: "Zhang Che's movie characters are young swordsmen, assassins, martyrs and death-defying fanatics. His heroes are tragic men who defy authority and the establishment." At the time, people called my movies "violent" and "bloody." I always thought this was a very shallow way of looking at my movies.
Chua Lam also said that I broke "many myths in Hong Kong cinema." One myth was that the audience only liked to see female stars. Another was that the male hero could not die. There really were a lot of conservative ideas around at the time. For example, it was thought that Southeast Asian Chinese did not like to see characters in pigtails. So films set in the Qing Dynasty, period did not show characters with pigtails -- rather they wore hats and kerchiefs round their heads to hide the pigtails. I broke this taboo with my film Blood Brothers (1973).
That was also the time of the transition from black and white to colour film. The use of colour was very conservative. White was avoided because it was thought to reflect light, and white was not viewed as a colour. In Peking opera, the costumes are very colourful but the heroes in an action scene invariably wore white to signify the image of a hero. If the characters were of low status, poor, or were criminals, or were wounded after a fight, they invariably wore black. Thus, I created the image of Wang Yu as "the knight in white. "Later, when I made Vengeance!, which was set in the early Republican period, my star David Chiang wore white student uniform (or the Zhongshan suit), which influenced Bruce Lee -- he wore a similar style in Fist of Fury.
The new ideas of the martial arts picture made Hong Kong cinema very popular at the box-office. Directors became "million-dollar directors" and this kicked off a trend. It seemed like all directors were making martial arts pictures, with varying achievements. The martial arts picture stimulated improvements in other genres. The pace picked up in comedies and melodramas. The shots were livelier, the subject matter much broader, the plots richer, the characters and emotions anew. Thus, Hong Kong cinema took off and became its unique self. Hong Kong became the filmmaking centre of Southeast Asia.
The martial arts picture was also undergoing transformation. When I made Vengeance! in 1970 as a picture set in the early Republican period, I won the Best Director Award in the Asia-Pacific Film Festival (David Chiang won the Best Actor Award). I changed the fighting style from swordplay to the "fist and leg" and this prepared the way for the appearance of Bruce Lee and the kung fu genre. Back in the days when I wrote my column "My Views on Cinema," I saw some of Lee's early Cantonese films and saw his potential even then. I recommended him to MP and GI. The production chief Song Qi told me that Bruce Lee was in America and contact had not been made. Later, when I became a director at Shaw Brothers, Bruce Lee took the initiative to contact me and I recommended him to Shaw Brothers. When his agents negotiated with Shaw Brothers, I wasn't involved. Finally, the talks broke down and Lee signed on with Golden Harvest.
Bruce Lee absorbed the best qualities of Taekwondo, Thai boxing, and Karate, to give a realistic and real-fighting look to the kung fu film. This had never been attempted before. Thus, Chinese kung fu pictures broke out of the Hong Kong market and made their presence known throughout the world. Since this part of history is well known, I wish not to say more, but my own films in this period included the likes of Duel of Fists (1971, starring Di Long) which created a trend of Thai boxing movies; The Boxer from Shandong (1972, starring Chan Kwun-tai) which was the forerunner of the Shanghai Bundi trend; and The Disciples of Shaolin (1975, starring Alexander Fu) which began the trend of young "boxing punks" movies -- the term xiaozi (boxing punks) was actually a Northern slang which later gained currency in Cantonese.
Though Bruce Lee was trained in Wing Chun, a southern school of kung fu, he made Mandarin films. The resurgence of Cantonese films had to wait until the appearance of Michael Hui's comedies. I later made a series of Cantonese kung fu movies, featuring folk heroes like Fong Sai-yuk, Hung Hei-kwun, Wu Wai-kin. These pictures influenced later movies like Jet Li's The Shaolin Temple, but they were all made possible because my picture Blood Brothers had broken the taboo against Qing-costume movies. There was a spate of movies that copied the story of Blood Brothers: Shaw Brothers made The Oath of Death and Luo Wei made Thunderbolt!. These were made as period movies but they all failed. I believe the story of Blood Brothers is a very good one but it is necessary to make it as a Qing-costume movie. But Shaw Brothers had doubts because the audience in Southeast Asia didn't like Qing-costume movies, or so they thought. Finally, I arrived at a compromise and that was not to have my characters shave their heads and keep the pigtails.
In the past, the Hong Kong martial arts movie (both the swordplay and kung fu strands) avoided the use of guns. In my film Vengeance!, I first used guns and Chen Xing played a gunman. His image was based on Italian Westerns. I also highlighted blood spurting out from bodies, shot in slow-motion. The effects were splendid. But, because of the popularity of Bruce Lee's kung fu movies, there was no chance to go down this road. It wasn't until John Woo, who worked with me before, that gunplay developed into its own unique strand.
Woo's characters, his theme of male bonding, and his depictions of emotions in his gunplay films were influenced by martial arts pictures. The shots of blood spurting out in slow motion are really quite expressive, and these types of movements -- reactions from being shot and the like -- are based on the techniques of martial arts pictures. Thus, they appear quite unique when placed among the action films of Hollywood and of course, Woo was a big influence. Jackie Chan's achievements are also immense and I don't need to elaborate. What should be mentioned is that Jackie has training in Peking opera, and the same is true of Sammo Hung.
Conclusion
The martial arts picture was the vanguard of all that was creative and unique in Hong Kong cinema. At its peak of popularity, it influenced all of Southeast Asia and it even broke out of this region to influence Europe and America. Hollywood has been greatly influenced by the genre. Regretfully, just as Hollywood has absorbed Hong Kong cinema influences and its talents, the local film industry is in decline. The reason for the decline lies in the failure for Hong Kong cinema to retain its balance and integrity in the mixing of Eastern and Western cultures and lowbrow and highbrow tastes. Instead, there is a polarisation. In some cases, only local layman's tastes are satisfied; in other cases, Western culture is imitated at the cost of the Hong Kong flavour. There are pictures that cater only for the "minority audience" -- pictures that are enjoyed by the few. Then there are pictures that are glossy but shallow. To learn from the past in order to know the future, there is only recourse to achieve the integration of eastern and western cultures, the lowbrow and the highbrow. Only this way can we renew our energy and rebuild the film industry so that it may enter a new age of prosperity.
(Translated by Stephen Teo)
http://changcheh.0catch.com/ Give it a look today.
From The Making of Martial Arts Films -- As Told by Filmmakers and Stars, 1999, pp. 16-24:
Creating the Martial Arts Film and the Hong Kong Cinema Style
[an article by] Zhang Che
Crossroads of East and West
A Fusion of Lowbrow and Highbrow Cultures
The Influence and Development of the Martial Arts Picture
Conclusion
(Translated by Stephen Teo)
Friday, April 13, 2007
Seven Man Army Audio Review and Video Clips!
Today we have an audio review that was done for Cheng Cheh's amazing Seven Man Army in celeberation of Cheng Cheh month. This is a great film and prehaps one of the most star-studded films ever prehaps only rivaled by Shanghai 13.
The Audio Review
http://www.yousendit.com/download/QlVqUWV2cGtTRTQwTVE9PQ
The Final Fight
The Audio Review
http://www.yousendit.com/download/QlVqUWV2cGtTRTQwTVE9PQ
The Final Fight
Enter the Baradagi- Bruce Li Fights an Ape!
This is a new section of the site courtesy of my friend Brad who is an aficionado of just plain weird films and a lot of them are kung fu related. His youtube channel has more than just kung fu so make sure to check it out (especially if you like Godzilla films and the ilk..
Now ladies and gentlemen. Bruce Li Fights an Ape!
Now ladies and gentlemen. Bruce Li Fights an Ape!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Hong Kong Godfathers Audio Review and Final Finale Video Clips
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The Mystery of Audio Dubbing Interview
If you ever had an interest in audio dubbing and the effort that goes in to it, then do we have a treat for you. It takes a lot of effort and skill, but the challenge is often part of the fun. Marin Spanic who works for NEW DVD in
Basic Info
1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Age 34. Had to quit usual day job because of health reasons. Doing DVDs now fulltime since Feb 2007.
2. What was the first martial arts film you saw and
when?
Mid-80s- Millionaires Express, German dub on TV. Saw it while on a very boring Vacation. I think I watched it quite a few times these Weeks. Still hooked to it, can't watch the Movie in any other Language or I'll fall asleep.
3. Growing up in Germany were you frustrated when you
found out that many Kung Fu films in Germany often
were cut?
Sure, but then the search for the uncut VHS Versions came up, and often they were much more unwatchable - crappy Fullscreen Dupes, whereas German Stuff was mostly Letterboxed...
4. What is you favorite Shaw film and Shaw director
Hard to say. I don't have a Number 1 Movie, but these rank very high:
THE DUEL
NEW ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN
KING BOXER
All of the 3 in GERMAN dub for me only - the dubs are the most perfect you could imagine, making the dialogues even better with actors dubbing, not crap
done by the usual "But still" folks. I simply can't imagine watching these Movie in another language than the old German subs. (and I HAVE seen them all
subbed and all)
New DVD’s
1. Can you describe NEW in terms of what they release
and how big they are?
Not so big. Some 3 Movies every 1-3 months. Small Movies, no big studio Stuff.
2. How did you come to work for NEW?
Folks heard how good my dub stuff is I did for myself and copied [it] around for friends. Word-of-Mouth that is. They worked hard to get my number and called me... (like other folks I work [I] now for!)
3. What are your exact duties while working for NEW?
a) look for interesting movie
b) look for material needed (Uncut movie? Audio options? Extras?)
c) Dubbing, editing.
d) Sometimes authoring when there's not much time left.
4. It surprises many non-German speakers that English
dubs are often included on NEW DVDs. Why is this the
case?
Because I want as perfect DVDs as possible. It's not that we NEED the English Dubs in
5. How does NEW get the rights to these films especially the rarer ones like Fight for Shaolin Tamo Mystique aka Lady Wu-Tang?
We get them from the German Holders. We tried to get Stuff from HK or
6. What elements do you often receive from the rights
owners?
The only thing we get is - at best - a German cinema print, which is of course more often than not cut. So lots of work is to be done 'till it's ready for release.
7. What are some of the latest releases and upcoming
NEW DVDs that you think our readers may be interested
in?
(all titles will be Widescreen 2.35 and German Language; further dub Options with the title)
THE EIGHT MASTERS (Cut, with windowboxed Inserts)
(Mandarin, English)
Shaolin Kung Fu Mystagogue (cut, with 2.10 Widescreen Inserts) / 2 German Dubs
(Mandarin, English)
I am also working for another Company at
DESPERATE CHASE (BLOOD OF THE DRAGON)
(2x English Dubs, Mandarin)
I am also working on LEGEND OF THE WOLF for the MIG Filmgroup, SKY HIGH, and other Stuff. Too much to round up here!
8. Has NEW had any trouble releasing films uncut from
the German Censor Boards?
We don't issue films to the censor boards, so there are no problems.
If we DID, we would have no problems these Days to get an uncut 18,
but it costs a lot. We ARE doing it for stuff like LEGEND OF THE WOLF,
and that stuff gets no Problems these days.
Audio Dubbing
1. What is the process of adding additional language
options to a film for a DVD release?
Well, it's best you have an UNCUT Print in English or Chinese. Then you can dub that onto the cut German print to see what's exactly missing. Note that down and you know if and what and where to insert later.
2. How do you attempt to clean up the audio and remove
hiss, crackels, and other imperfections?
Use Noise Reduction Filters from Sonic and Adobe. Works pretty well, most annoying is some low hum and buzz. These always have to go.
Remove hiss only when the audio is not disturbed too much. Tape and 35mm Print crackle should be removed also.
3. What did the
amount of Shaw Brothers films released in English?
All their Shaws on Video were in English; it seems to me that ALL Shaws sold worldwide outside of
4. With the criticism by many that Kung Fu dubs never
match the lip movements, how do you go about trying to
sync the dubs (German or English)
German Cinema dubs are often better synched than even the Mandarin Stuff.
They are normally no problem. As for the usually crappy English dubs, just make it fit. For a seasoned pro this is no problem at all. Never compare to the Original out-of-synch dub, but use your own wit and intelligence.
5. What was the hardest audio project you had to do?
Pick any Celestial Frame-Cut Mess. If you don't notice any lags, it's well worth the work. The best thing an Audience can say to you is, "I noticed no problems with the audio", even when you have to work DAYS to make it perfect. Look at that REDSUN Crap. They can't even synch the most simple stuff correctly, and still
they sell that crap in tons. When I stumble upon this stuff I see/hear all the amateurish faults done on all aspects of these boots. Pathetic.
6. Any dream films you would love to work with?
Tell me- what's a greater Dream than what I do NOW? making DVDs of "KARATE-MOVIES" and "Horror-Stuff" you loved as a Kid? Can it get ANY better? I can do Perfect DVDs of Movies I like and thats for a living... not many have even such a "Dream-Come-True" I think.
Thanks for
Once again thanks to Marin for this interview
Now as I promised here is a dub comparison.
Red Sun
Marin’s
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
