User blog:ShonenChicoBoy/Shonen's Regimen and Tonic: March 2015

As the doctor prescribes: RUN! IT’S GODZILLA (Only not really)

Chop-Sockey! (Kung Fu Cinema, in more politically correct terms)

Here in America, Kung Fu Cinema is sort of eponymous with the 80’s, old [karate] masters catching flies, ninjas, (sometimes mutant), and Chinese take-out. Okay, okay, maybe not anymore (fortunately), but most people do, it seems, associate Kung Fu movies with over-exaggerated techniques, over-dramatic sound effects, and questionable dialogue dubbing. I know my dad and bro thought the same way: that these films were rather laughable affairs— until they saw Hero (a Wuxia, not Kung Fu film, but more on that later). It was like watching poetry, but as a movie. It was awesome. Now, I am by no means a martial arts expert, so I doubt I could tell you the differences between Northern Shaolin and Wing Chun off the top of my head, for example, but I am a guy who likes a good action flick, and what is a Kung Fu movie without a good action scene? So today, I’m gonna try and cover the history of Kung Fu Cinema, and I’ll try and keep this as short as possible but... I can give you no promises.



Once Upon a Time in China...

Obviously, Kung Fu Cinema didn’t start with the “cinema,” – it started with the. It also started way back when (read: thousands of years ago) to Chinese opera and legends of early days. If you haven’t seen a Chinese opera, I highly recommend you find one on youtube, to get an idea of the style. (You can also watch My Kingdom, if you like historical shanghai and modern fashion). There are some pretty obvious similarities between Chinese opera and Wuxia, and if you are familiar with Chinese opera I think you can better appreciate some of the tropes used in both genres.

'''Wait! You said “Wuxia” ... What the Fu is Wuxia?'''

Yeah, let’s get some definitions out of the way before I go any farther. Two things: first, what do I mean when I say “Kung Fu” and two, what do I mean by “Kung Fu Cinema?”

Most people think of Kung Fu as a martial art, and it is— and it isn’t. "Gōng" (功,“kung”) literally means something along the lines of “hard training,” and "Fu" (夫) is basically “time spent.” Eventually, “time spent in hard training” led to the term being used to describe martial arts, although it can be used for just about anything requiring time and effort. (Does that mean all Chinese people know Kung Fu? Hmmm.)

“wandering monk” character in the film  (definitely one of the worst starring him and Jackie Chan, in my opinion) elaborates, explaining that Kung Fu is “a concentrated effort toward a specific goal.” But what is the goal? Kung Fu is about the journey, and each student must discover the truth for themselves. Some chose to seek peace and the path of least resistance, but most seem to decide that the “goal” is simply to defeat others. As stated by the young Bruce Lee character in the 2010 film , when asked why he wanted to learn a particular style he replied “To beat up people I don’t fancy.” In other words: “It is up to you, young grasshopper.”

So, what is a Kung Fu movie? Most people make the mistake of lumping all Chinese martial arts movies under the term “Kung Fu,” but there are actually two distinct genres. One is. Think historical Chinese superheroes. A random dude from a Kung Fu Action Theatre podcast (Rob Paterson) put it this way: “it’s the Chinese equivalent to the American Western, or the Japanese Samurai film- a romanticized action story genre set in the past where good guys and bad guys are clearly marked…” Of course, the easiest way to explain it is to see it.



Wuxia is also known as the “flying swordsman” genre, for obvious reasons. These films are based on complicated stories ripped right from ancient novels and legends, feature stylized, weapon-based high-flying action, and aren’t too concerned with credibility. The heavy wire work is directly inspired by traditional Peking Opera, and has been used in Wuxia films since the turn of the century. In other words, it’s supposed to look like that. (' and ' are two Wuxia I highly recommend, the former for historical significance and the latter because it is beauty. *sobs*  is, like always, a popular suggestion as well.)

Kung Fu films, on the other hand, focus on realistic, literal “hand-to-hand” combat and lack the fantasy element of Wuxia. They usually have a simple linear plot, often a variant of the familiar “you killed my father/master/mother/sister/brother/dog- prepare to die!” type.

Another difference between the two genres is that Wuxia films are much older than Kung Fu films, as the latter genre didn’t truly emerge until the middle of the 20th century. But Kung Fu film has a complicated past that is in many ways tied directly to the Wuxia genre. In fact, Kung Fu film was the result of backlash from movie makers dissatisfied with the hyper-fantasy prevalent in Wuxia. They wanted something more solid, more realistic, and more true to their turbulent era. And so Kung Fu Film began.

Hong Kong’s “Hollywood”

From the turn of the century until the late 1920’s, Chinese film focused on the supernatural swordsmen, palm-power, and wire flying of Wuxia. But in 1949 that all changed when authentic Chinese martial arts appeared on screen with the emergence of a Hong Kong production of. Wong Fei Hong was a legendary folk hero who died in 1924. He is lovingly remembered in Cantonese film for his chivalrous exploits and impressive martial arts. was a trained martial artist who played Wong Fei Hong in nearly 70 films over a period of ten years. From his influence the role genuine martial arts in film was established as an indispensable element of Kung Fu Cinema, and the series documented, promoted, and preserved authentic Chinese martial arts.

Around the same time two brothers, and, had started a successful film studio in Hong Kong after WWI and had been turning out films since the 30’s. But it wasn’t until the 60’s when the studio began producing Kung Fu films. Notable productions included ' and '. Their huge output helped a number of notable kung fu directors establish themselves, perhaps the most famous being. Known as the “Godfather of Hong Kong Cinema,” Chang produced over 100 films in his prolific career. After the  was released in 1967, he became known as one of Hong Kong’s top directors. Inspired by American Spaghetti Westerns and Japanese Samurai films, Chang’s projects were defined by violence and bloodshed, filled with scenes of the hero cutting his way out of a roomful of opponents. But it was these characteristics, along with the themes of brotherhood, loyalty and honor that would have a major influence on the wave of Kung Fu films in the next decade. As for the Shaw Brothers, the sun was beginning to set on the studio empire as their chief competitor introduced a new figure to the world of Hong Kong cinema— one who would completely change the way the world saw Chinese films… and Kung Fu… forever.

You guessed it, that would be none other than Bruce Lee.



“You must be shapeless, formless, like water.”

In my opinion, is largely misunderstood. He was an excellent martial artist, to be sure, but not probably “the best” or the “god of Kung Fu” that everyone says he was. He was a human, and had his flaws and shortcomings just like the rest of us, yes, even in his martial arts. Now, like I said I’m not an expert, and I’m also not here to write a biography, but the fact that Bruce Lee fundamentally changed the world of Kung Fu Cinema is undeniable, so I’m going to talk about that. But first, here are some basic facts:

Lee was born November 27th, 1940 in San Francisco, but was raised in Hong Kong. He went back to Hollywood later on in order to try and make a name for himself in film, and was at that time best known for his role as Kato in the show . But aside from that, hardly any Hollywood executive took him seriously, so he returned to Hong Kong where he debuted in . He made three films after that, and was working on his fourth when he died suddenly at age 32 on July 20, 1973.

As far as his impact on martial arts in movies, he sparked a fundamental and lasting change in Hong Kong cinema. Action become valued over genre, as he gave his films a certain kind of “graininess.” They had a realism, gravity or “solidness” to them that Wuxia seemed to be lacking, and his style of “no style” placed a new emphasis on the individual— on creative expression. Needless to say, he became a huge hit in Hong Kong. After The Big Boss he made ' and ', before he teamed up with an American studio to film . Although he is probably best known for his role in that film here in the US, I thought that movie in particular sort of sucked, compared even to the rather "advant-garde" The Big Boss. Its one redeeming scene was “the mirror room fight,” which is all of the last five minutes of the film, or something. At any rate, if you only ever see one Bruce Lee movie, I suggest it would be best to see Fist of Fury. (Unless you want to see Chuck Norris' chest hair removed, in which case you should see Way of the Dragon.)

Back to Bruce, Sek Kei (from Bright Lights Film Journal) wrote that “As an exceptional martial artist, Lee's ability to synthesize various national martial techniques sparked a new trend in unarmed combat martial arts films. His talent shifted the focus from martial arts director to martial arts actor.” There was a certain authenticity to his films, and this appealed the dissatisfied, rebellious generation in early 1970’s Hong Kong."

Lee’s challenge of traditional style— both in his martial arts and filmmaking— inspired the next generation of Hong Kong filmmakers, who continued to craft the genre after his death. These included (A Better Tomorrow, Mission Impossible II, and ),, (largely behind the screens, but choreographed just about everything) and, of course,  (everything, just about).

There are nerdy film and martial arts critics who say Jackie Chan is, by far, the better in both film and fighting compared to Bruce Lee. Well, I’m not here to debate that, just letting you know that the debate exists. Chan has stated that he deliberately styles his movement to be the opposite of Lee's: where Lee held his arms wide, Chan holds his tight to the body; where Lee was loose and flowing, Chan is tight and choppy. In fact, when he was starting out Chan said he created his screen persona as a response to the numerous imitators who appeared before and after Bruce Lee's death. In contrast to Lee's characters, who were typically stern, morally upright heroes, Chan typically played well-meaning, slightly foolish regular men (often at the mercy of their friends, girlfriends or families) who always triumph in the end despite the odds.

As an idea of how important Jackie is to the world of Kung Fu Cinema, well... Name a modern Kung Fu movie that doesn’t have Jackie Chan in it. Come on, I dare you! (Okay, and  and  and... nevermind.) Even  had him in it… and it wasn’t even Karate! Of course, I was first introduced to Jackie Chan, like a lot of kids my age I imagine, by the cartoon series. He was also the voice of the monkey in, which (believe it or not) was actually extremely popular in China.

At any rate, despite its length, this blog has just barely scratched the surface here. You could write a book on this stuff. I didn’t even mention stuff about censorship or the uneasy relationship between China and Hong Kong that helped to form a lot of what we now recognize as the “Kung Fu genre” but... well, that’s a discussion for another day.

And now, what you have all been waiting for, a list of recommendations:

Shonen’s Top Ten Picks: (some of these are more “Wuxia” than “Kung Fu” but, meh, who’s counting?)

12. 8-Diagram Pole Fighter

11. One-Armed Swordsman

10. Legendary Weapons of Kung Fu

9. Dragon (with Donnie Yen)

8. Fearless

7. Once Upon a Time in China

6. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin

5. Ong Bak (not technically “kung fu” but, whatever…)

4. Ip-Man

3. Drunken Master (I and II)

2. Hero

1. Fist of Fury

Note: Definitely NOT Kill Bill, sorry Tarantino.

What are YOUR favorite Kung Fu movies?