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Glorious Grindhouse: The films of Sun Chung

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

sun1Love them or hate them, exploitation films have a long if not entirely respectable history. The bad ones are so poorly conceived and made as to be unwatchable. But the good ones – ah, the good ones are a movie fan’s guilty pleasure. And nobody turned out high quality, luridly mesmerizing, over-the-top operatic sex-and-violence epics like the Shaw Brothers studio director Sun Chung. Although his output was small – about 40 films over the course of his career – compared to Shaw stalwarts like Chang Cheh and Chu Yuan, a high percentage of Sun’s work hits the sweet spot of grindhouse perfection. Working in the genres of kung fu action, true crime, sexploitation, and horror, Sun brought amazingly fluid camera work and a sure hand in directing some of Hong Kong’s top screen talent to projects that might otherwise have been dismissed as crap. With Sun Chung at the helm, however, the results are, well, pretty splendid.

Sun Chung (Suen Chung, Sun Zhong) was born in Shandong in 1941 and grew up in Taiwan. After graduating from the National Institute of Arts there, he went to work in the local film industry as a production assistant. In 1968, he directed a musical titled WILD GIRL, and in 1970 the success of his second film, the comedy TOPS IN EVERY TRADE, brought him to the attention of the Shaw Brothers studio in Hong Kong. His Shaw debut was the wuxia film THE DEVIL’S MIRROR (1972). It’s a standard jianghu sword and sorcery tale, no different from hundreds of other films of the era, except for the vertiginous cinematography. Sun’s camera never stands still. It whirls, tracks, swoops, and follows the action, taking the viewer into the story as an unseen participant.

sisPoster for BIG BAD SIS.

Despite this early venture into martial arts filmmaking, Sun devoted his next few years at the Shaw studio to making a number of sexploitation films. Starting with THE SUGAR DADDIES (1973) and COHABITATION (1975), which he wrote as well as directed, Sun made his reputation as an intelligent if uninhibited purveyor of soft core sex films, Hong Kong style (meaning they often included kung fu set pieces and a subtext promoting righteousness despite the sleaze). He contributed segments to the popular omnibus series THE CRIMINALS (1976-1977), which re-enacted notorious recent local crimes, most of which seemed to involve prostitution or perversions of various kinds. (And let me insert a favorite memory here from one of THE CRIMINALS series, a throwaway detail incidental to the main story, but alleging that the Shaw studio hired Triad members and street gangs to work as extras on their action films, and sometimes when the director yelled “Cut” after a fight scene, the gangs went on battling until they were pulled apart by the crew!).

The high point of this part of Sun Chung’s career would have to be his collaborations with the fearless and feisty actress Chen Ping. Starting with THE DRUG CONNECTION (aka THE SEXY KILLER, 1976), a remake of Pam Grier’s COFFY, and continuing with BIG BAD SIS (1976) and THE LADY EXTERMINATOR (1977), Sun and Chen pretty much owned the subgenre of “ballsy chick avenger movie.” BIG BAD SIS made a huge impression on me when I first encountered it over thirty years ago. Despite the semi-pornographic interludes, Chen Ping essentially channelled actor Chen Kuan-tai’s persona in films like 1975’s BIG BROTHER CHENG ( the resemblance was deliberate, with Chen Kuan-tai making a cameo appearance in character), providing support and protection for her fellow factory workers against the men who try to exploit them.

avengingeagle1The evil eagles of THE AVENGING EAGLE.

Starting in 1977, Sun went back to making classic action films and started working with Shaw studio’s A list talent. From JUDGEMENT OF AN ASSASSIN (1977) to THE PROUD YOUTH and THE AVENGING EAGLE (both 1978), THE KUNG FU INSTRUCTOR and THE DEADLY BREAKING SWORD (1979), and KID WITH A TATTOO (1980), Sun crafted some of the most entertaining martial arts films of the era. His action director was Tong Gaai (Tong Kai, Tang Chia), the former partner of Lau Kar-leung, and a specialist in weaponry. In these hyperkinetic films, both drama and action cohere to keep audiences on the edge of their seats throughout the narrative. THE AVENGING EAGLE, a dark story of betrayal and revenge, is generally considered one of star Ti Lung’s best films. He would work with Sun again in THE DEADLY BREAKING SWORD and THE KUNG FU INSTRUCTOR (as well as in the sequel, THE MASTER STRIKES BACK, in 1985). Wong Yue (aka Wong Yu), a young martial artist best known for his work with Lau Kar-leung in films like EXECUTIONERS FROM SHAOLIN (1977) and DIRTY HO (1979), really shines as the star of THE PROUD YOUTH and KID WITH A TATTOO. Alexander Fu Sheng, Chan Wai-man, Yuen Wah and Ku Feng are among the other kung fu actors who did some of their best work under Sun Chung’s direction.

lanternsCult fave HUMAN LANTERNS.

Sun Chung next tried his hand at horror, first with REVENGE OF THE CORPSE in 1981 and then with HUMAN LANTERNS (1982), a cult favorite that features Lo Lieh as a deranged lantern maker who uses the skin of beautiful women to craft his creations. But the era of Shaw’s dominance of the Hong Kong movie scene was drawing to an end. Sun continued to work as a director for a number of smaller studios through the 1980s, making LADY IN BLACK (1987) with Brigitte Lin and CITY WAR (1988) with Chow Yun-fat. His last film as a director was ANGEL HUNTER (1992).

Watch a clip from BIG BAD SIS here.

Watch a trailer for THE AVENGING EAGLE here.

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Free kung fu movies in Boston!

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

Fist of Legend 1

Films at the Gate, an annual event that brings free outdoor kung fu movies to Boston’s Chinatown, returns for a fourth year this week, from Thursday Aug. 27 to Sunday Aug. 30. The screenings are designed to take audiences back to the days of Chinatown grindhouse theaters, and have been tremendously popular since they were instituted in 2006. The Asian Community Development Corporation, a Boston nonprofit, is the presenting organization. ACDC’s youth group, A-VOYCE, provides volunteer workers for the event, and any donations by attendees and sponsors go toward funding A-VOYCE activities.

This year, the film line-up includes Jet Li’s FIST OF LEGEND (and thanks to Bey Logan of Dragon Dynasty for screening permission) and Stephen Chow’s SHAOLIN SOCCER. (See the whole schedule here.)Be sure to get there early, pick up some Chinese take-out food, and enjoy pre-movie kung fu performances by the Wah Lum Kung Fu Athletic Association and the Bow Sim Mark Tai Chi Arts Association. On Friday and Sunday, Films at the Gate will also present a couple of short martial arts films, the award-winning FIVE MINUTES FLAT and AMERICAN CHOP SUEY, by Rhode Island-based filmmaker Nathan A. Quattrini, who will introduce the shorts. The Sunday screening will also include a demo by the actors from the films.

The screenings will take place in a vacant lot on Hudson St. in Chinatown (see website for details) except for the Saturday show, which will be in the new Greenway park next to the Chinatown Gate. A limited supply of chairs will be provided, but it’s a good idea to bring your own. See you all at the movies!

Five MinutesFIVE MINUTES FLAT (2009), directed by Nathan Quattrini.

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Bad to the Bone, Part 2: Chan Wai-man

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

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Chan Wai-man

There are a lot of stories about Chan Wai-man. They say he was a real gangster, a Triad insider, long before he became an actor. That he was a genuine brawler, a streetfighter who never backed down from a challenge even after he was famous. That he was a professional boxer who won fourteen bouts by a knockout. And that he was one of Bruce Lee’s best friends. Amazingly, the stories are true.

Chan (also known as Chen Hui-min or Michael Chan) was born in Hong Kong in 1946. He studied Chinese kung fu as a kid, specializing in Northern Shaolin style. But he was more interested in effective fighting moves than traditional forms, and he eventually switched to boxing and kickboxing. Like his pal Bruce Lee, who was also studying in Hong Kong at the time, Chan became a connoisseur of combat. He also probably became involved with the Triads at this time, acquiring impressively extensive tattoos that later would give an indelible stamp of authenticity to his gangster roles. In an interview with Bey Logan for the magazine Martial Arts Illustrated (read the interview here), Chan revealed that he joined the Hong Kong police force when he was eighteen, but was kicked out when his Triad background became known.

His reputation as a fighter continued to grow. In 1972, he took the top prize in a major Southeast Asian kung fu fighting tournament. Rival masters soon learned not to disparage Chan and his disciples, since any insult would result in a challenge match that inevitably led to a beat down. Meanwhile, the success of Bruce Lee’s films meant that producers in Hong Kong were out scouting for more martial artists who could be persuaded to act. Chan was approached by someone who had seen him fight in a televised match. He starred in a number of low budget gangster films from 1972 on, but the one that brought him early notice was JUMPING ASH (1976), a gritty police actioner co-directed by Josephine Siao and Leong Po Chih. I first remember seeing him in a string of late 70s period martial arts films by the Shaw studio director Sun Chung: JUDGEMENT OF AN ASSASSIN (1977), THE PROUD YOUTH (1978), and THE DEADLY BREAKING SWORD (1979).

Chan Wai-man (right) with Norman Chu in THE CLUB.

Chan Wai-man (right) with Norman Chu in THE CLUB.

Even in the wigs and elaborate robes required by historical films, Chan was coldly menacing. Classic kung fu-style choreography may not have been his favorite approach to screen fighting, but check out his impeccable weapon work in films like THE DEADLY BREAKING SWORD. He also worked with director Chang Cheh at Shaws, most notably in FIVE ELEMENT NINJAS (1982).

Chan Wai-man

In 1981, first-time director Kirk Wong (TWIN DRAGONS, THE BIG HIT) cast Chan Wai-man in THE CLUB, a brutal Triad expose that was loosely based on Chan’s early life (see a clip here). Chan also stepped in to handle the realistic knife choreography. In general, he seems more comfortable portraying modern-day gangsters – maybe not so much acting as re-living earlier life experiences! Surprisingly, Chan is also quite capable of kidding his hardcase image. His comic work includes CARRY ON YAKUZA (1989) and a cameo in THE INNOCENT INTERLOPER (1986), directed by Wang Lung-wei. Through the 1980s and 90s, Chan worked with all the top film people: Jackie Chan, Ti Lung, Chen Kuan-tai, Alexander Fu Sheng, Wong Jing, Leung Kar-yan, Michelle Yeoh, Ronnie Yu, Michael Hui, Johnny To, Wilson Yip…the list goes on and on.

Chan Wai-man has made a lifelong career of playing the “dai lo,” or gang boss. Just about every major Hong Kong director who has shot a Triad film has called on him at one time or another to reprise that iconic role. He continues to make films, most recently appearing in Sylvia Chang’s RUN PAPA RUN (2008), playing (what else?) a gang boss. He’s one tough guy, and, believe me, it’s not an act.

A video documentary in Chinese about Chan Wai-man’s kickboxing career.

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Hong Kong Godfather (1985)

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

HONG KONG GODFATHER (1985) 7/10 – Last week I wrote about Shaw Brothers movie villain Johnny Wang Lung-wei. Back when I used to work as a projectionist at the Star and China theaters in Boston’s Chinatown – was it really thirty years ago? – he was a familiar face, appearing in movies by Lau Kar-leung and Chang Cheh. But I had forgotten that he also directed a handful of action films. HONG KONG GODFATHER played on one of our screens. It made a big impression on me at the time, and it’s a shame the film isn’t better known.

HONG KONG GODFATHER was made around the same time as Jackie Chan’s first POLICE STORY, and anticipates John Woo’s A BETTER TOMORROW and HARD BOILED. Like HARD BOILED, the plot involves a relatively benevolent, old fashioned Triad boss (played by Shek Kin) who is ruthlessly eliminated by a younger rival (Pomson Shi). Shek’s Uncle Han is betrayed by a cowardly underling (Shum Wai) and avenged by three of his men: Mad Dog Wei (Leung Kar-yan), Playboy Lung (Norman Chu), and Sergeant Wen (Richard Cheung Kuen). Wang Lung-wei, who choreographed the action in addition to directing, appears briefly in the beginning and during the lengthy and impressive end fight as one of the rival’s henchmen.

Leung Kar-yan in HONG KONG GODFATHER.

Much of the final sequence takes place in the same shopping mall Chan used for POLICE STORY. While the choreography may not be as inventive as in that film, it’s much more brutal and realistic. The avengers and rival gang members go at each other with wicked-looking knives that leave the actors and sets awash in blood. Wang Lung-wei came into the film industry with a reputation as a brawler, and he understands the berserker rage that keeps a man fighting against insane odds. His righteous Triad protagonists are unstoppable.

HONG KONG GODFATHER boasts an exceptionally fine cast. Shek Kin, who was 72 at the time, performs a brief kung fu set for his grandson (see the clip here), but most of the action is handled by Leung (sometimes known as “Beardy”) and Chu. These two actors were rarely seen in starring roles, which is a shame, given how good they are. The film is also notable for a breathtakingly casual attitude towards police corruption. Not only does Uncle Han have a protege, Sergeant Wen, openly serving on the force, but there’s a strong implication that the rival gang is able to shut down the police investigation of Han’s murder, leading Wen to resign in order to pursue private vengeance.

Now for the bad news. The only DVD version of HONG KONG GODFATHER currently available is from Bonzai Media Corporation, which is apparently a bootleg operation. It’s also dubbed in Mandarin, an unforgivable desecration for a Hong Kong Triad film, and, despite the promise made on the cover, it is not the “uncut version.” At least one scene that I remember from the original was missing. On the other hand, it was produced by the Shaw studio and may eventually be re-released in a legitimate version. When that day comes, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this lost gem.

A clip from HONG KONG GODFATHER can be found at Youtube.

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Bad to the Bone, Part 1: Johnny Wang Lung-wei

Sunday, July 12th, 2009

wang5Heroes are important, but sometimes what really makes a great kung fu movie is the villain. From Shek Kin’s sneering, leering wuxia baddies to Sammo Hung’s startling turn as a cold-eyed psychopath in SHA PO LANG (KILL ZONE, 2005), the best kung fu villains are remorseless bullies with lethal skills. They may take a sick pleasure in inflicting pain or they may just not care, but when they’re around, innocent people are hurt or in danger until the hero steps in. Without a convincingly evil opponent, how can a righteous martial artist justify unleashing the full power of his or her art? This series will look at some of the great villains of the 1970s.

First up is Johnny Wang Lung-wei (aka Wong Lung Wei), a Shaw Brothers actor who worked with Chang Cheh and Lau Kar-leung before directing a series of well-regarded indie action films in the 1980s. Wang was born in 1949 in China. His family moved to Hong Kong soon after his birth. He was an indifferent student, and his formal education ended when he was expelled from school at age 14 for fighting. In his mid-teens, he played guitar in nightclub bands and studied karate. Wang broke into the film industry when he spotted an ad for an actor’s training program started by Chang Cheh, who was shooting a series of films about the Shaolin Temple in Taiwan. Wang applied and was accepted, and he debuted in Chang’s FIVE SHAOLIN MASTERS in 1974.

wang1Johnny Wang Lung-wei (left) and Gordon Liu in FISTS OF THE WHITE LOTUS (1980).

My earliest memory of him is from THE NEW SHAOLIN BOXERS (1976), directed by Chang Cheh and his protege Wu Ma. This undeservedly obscure film features a stellar performance by Alexander Fu Sheng as the hero, a Choy Li Fut stylist. Johnny Wang Lung-wei played the main villain, the one who goes up against Fu Sheng in the final battle (it’s on Youtube here). Wang is stocky and square-featured, and his face seems to naturally fall into a scowl. (Evidently he’s extremely affable in person, so appearances in this case are deceiving.) Although he’s only five years older than Fu Sheng, he almost seems a different generation. He’s a menacing presence throughout the film.

wang4In MARTIAL CLUB (1981).

Wang continued to work with Chang Cheh and also the Shaw studio’s premier wuxia director, Chu Yuan, through the 1970s, but his signature roles are found in the Lau Kar-leung classics DIRTY HO (1979), RETURN TO THE 36TH CHAMBER (1980), MY YOUNG AUNTIE (1981), MARTIAL CLUB (1981) and THE EIGHT DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER (1983). His fighting style is more about power than finesse, but his movements can be precise when necessary. In a recent interview, he said he still practices kickboxing. That practical but unglamorous art definitely suits his no-nonsense persona. He’s solid and intimidating on screen, making him a good foil for smaller, more lithe opponents like Fu Sheng and Gordon Liu.

Johnny Wang Lung-wei’s career in the Hong Kong film industry spans almost three decades. He has continued to act, appearing in films like Sammo Hung’s SHANGHAI EXPRESS (1986), Yuen Woo-ping’s TIGER CAGE (1988), YOUNG AND DANGEROUS (1995) with Ekin Cheng and Simon Yam, and Yuen Biao’s MILLENIUM DRAGON (2000). Wang has also written, directed, and action directed a number of films. None of them are famous, but they are well-regarded by the lucky few who have had a chance to see them. HONG KONG GODFATHER (1985) was a tight crime drama with a terrific cast; WIDOW WARRIORS (1990), judging by the clips on Youtube (check out Kara Hui Ying-hung’s fight here), shows that Wang wasn’t afraid to give his actresses a full-on action scene. 

wang3In BROTHERS FROM THE WALLED CITY (1982).

Here’s one more clip that will give you an idea of Johnny Wang Lung-wei’s style. It’s from an odd little sci-fi fantasy directed by Kirk Wong called FLASH FUTURE KUNG FU. It’s a rare example of Wang playing the lead, the hero part. In this scene, he fights the leader of a neo-Nazi group that has destroyed his teacher’s school (despite the futuristic trappings, it’s a very traditional plot). He probably designed his own choreography, using the kickboxing style that he personally favors. The great thing about being the hero is that he actually gets to win!

 
Thanks to Richard Cooper and Jade Screen magazine for permission to use material from their interview with Johnny Wang Lung-wei in 2004.

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A Tribute to Action Choreographers

Friday, June 19th, 2009

Three years ago, I heard about an event that caused me to seriously consider dropping everything and jumping on a plane to Hong Kong, cost be damned. The occasion was the 30th Hong Kong International Film Festival, held in April 2006 – more specifically, the festival program titled “A Tribute to Action Choreographers.” Lau Kar-leung, Yuen Woo-ping, Sammo Hung, and Ching Siu-tung were among the honored attendees. Only the conviction that it would be impossible to score a ticket at such short notice kept me at home, sulking.

The silver lining was an announcement by the HKIFF that a book documenting the tribute would be compiled from interviews and archival material, and published soon after the event. Sure enough, “A Tribute to Action Choreographers” appeared on the festival’s website later in the year. Unfortunately, I could never get the online order option to work, and, believe me, I tried many times. Recently I was able to score a copy on eBay, and now I can recommend the book without qualification to any serious student of kung fu choreography. Maybe if enough potential buyers speak up, a savvy dealer will make more copies available!

The heart of “A Tribute to Action Choreographers” is a series of priceless interviews with Han Yingjie, Tong Kai (Tong Gaai), Lau Kar-leung, Yuen Woo-ping, Sammo Hung, Ching Siu-tung, Stephen Tung Wai, Tony Leung Siu-hung, Chin Tsi-ang, Yueng Ching-ching, and Fung Hak-on. (Two additional interviews with the early choreographers Kwan Ching-leung and Tsui Chung-hok are unfortunately not translated into English.) Some of this material has been previously published in abridged versions in Hong Kong Film Archive books, but new interviews were also commissioned and translated for “Tribute.” Above all, it’s the fact that we can hear these men and women tell their stories and describe their work in their own voices that makes this resource so extraordinary.

Along with the interviews, the book features brief essays on wire work, dealing with injuries, working on Western productions, and the future of Hong Kong action filmmaking. One essay is devoted to the influence on kung fu films of the US production of the Steve McQueen vehicle THE SAND PEBBLES, which shot in Hong Kong in 1966. Lau Kar-leung, Tong Kai, Kwan Ching-leung, and Tsui Chung-hok were among the local stuntmen recruited for the film, and they took what they learned about Western technology and acting craft back to the Hong Kong studios. Another valuable feature, but also unfortunately not translated, is the “Genealogy of Hong Kong Martial Artists” – charts of the opera schools, stunt crews, and studio troupes that contributed to film and TV productions from the 1950s up to the present day.

tributeFrom left: Ching Siu-tung, Yuen Woo-ping, Sammo Hung, and Lau Kar-leung at the 30th Hong Kong International Film Festival in 2006.

The festival program, consisting of 20 classic kung fu and action films, not only lists production and distribution data for each film, but also includes a quotation from pertinent interviews or contemporary press coverage, giving fans a fuller understanding of the film’s impact on the genre’s development. All in all, “A Tribute to Action Choreographers” is a fine example of the kind of research sorely needed in this field: scholarly but readable, historically informed, and respectful of the artists who are responsible for producing these extraordinary films.

If anyone wants to try ordering a copy from the HKIFF site, here’s the link.

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Kung Fu Divas: Law Yim-hing and Yam Yin

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Law Yim-hing. Yam Yin. Hong Kong action cinema really took off in the years following World War II, when the success of THE STORY OF WONG FEI-HUNG (1949), directed by Cantonese filmmaker Wu Pang, proved there was an international market for martial arts films. The burgeoning industry recruited performers and stunt crews from opera troupes and local kung fu schools. Not all opera performers specialized in martial arts, but the ones who did were usually really good at it. Women who played the daomadan role were expected to learn real fighting arts in addition to singing and acting. Hong Kong cinema’s top daomadans of 50 years ago were Yu So-chow, Law Yim-hing and Yam Yin.

Law Yim-hing (Law Yim-heng, Luo Yanqing) wasn’t just a martial actress – she was a respected dramatic lead and in the first rank of Cantonese opera stars. Her opera films paired her with famous singers like Yam Kim-fei, Hung Sin-nui and Sun Ma Si Tsang. In BEATING THE MATCHMAKER (1949), an adaptation of the traditional “Dream of the West Chamber” story, she played the beautiful Tsui Ang-ang and Hung Sin-nui played her maid Hung Neong. She sang in most of her films, including the martial arts stories.

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Top: Law Yim-hing (left) and Yam Yin (right). On left: Law Yim-hing in opera costume (courtesy of David Wells) and in MY KINGDOM FOR A HONEYMOON, a fantasy romance from 1958.

Although little of her early work has survived, she was a favorite of many of the early kung fu actors and directors of the time, people like Wu Pang, Kwan Tak-hing, and Shek Kin. She frequently co-starred with Walter Tso Tat-wah in his Leung Foon movies, a spin-off of the Wong Fei-hung films. She also co-starred with Sek Yin-tsi in another successful early series based on the life of kung fu hero Fong Sai-yuk. In 1951, Law starred in a high-profile film called BIG BLADE WONG FIFTH’S REVENGE that promised in newspaper ads to provide “over 70 martial arts action setpieces in the film.” The producer was rumored to be a student of Wong Fei-hung himself. One of the martial artists appearing in the film was Lau Cham, father of action director Lau Kar-leung. In 1953, she starred in CROSSING YUANYANG RIVER BY NIGHT, part of the Leung Foon series, with fight choreography credited to both Lau Cham and his son Kar-leung. Law sang two songs in the film, “Missing You” and “Love Sickness Intensifies Facing the Moon.”

Like most of the people who worked in the Hong Kong film industry during the post-war boom, Law Yim-hing was astonishingly prolific. She averaged 20-30 films a year from 1949 through the mid-1960s. Her output included a 3D film in 1953, called HAPPY LOVERS – it was about an acrobatic troupe – as well as comedy (1953’s MR. COUNTRY BUMPKIN, 1959’s A FOOL IN THE ARMY) and serious drama with directors like Lee Tit, Lo Dun, and Ng Wui. If there is any doubt that this woman was completely devoted to her work, consider this: In the 1953 comedy NOT ALL PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME FATE, Law co-starred with her new husband, Ho Fei-fan. The couple used film shot at their actual wedding for the scene in which their characters get married!

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Law Yim-hing and Yam Yin co-starred in the 1950 swordplay film THE 24 BRAVE ONES, directed by Yam Yu-tin.

Yam Yin (Ren Yan) was the daughter of director Yam Yu-tin, a Shanghai veteran who was the first martial arts choreographer ever credited on screen. She was born in Tianjin and apparently relocated to Hong Kong with her family after the war. [Her youngest brother is Yam Sai-koon, the kung fu actor who played memorable villains in ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA (1991) and IRON MONKEY (1993).] According to press materials from her early movies, she was literate and well educated, in addition to being an excellent singer and martial arts performer. Her specialty was the high-kicking northern style of Chinese kung fu. Like her colleagues Yu So-chow and Law Yim-hing, Yam Yin turned out films at an astonishing pace – from 1948 to 1970, she appeared in at least 150 productions. She co-starred with both Yu and Law in numerous female-centric wuxia films like FONG KONG HEROINE (1950) and A SWORD AGAINST FIVE DRAGONS (1952). In 1955’s FIVE TIGER HEROES, a contemporary drama about a gangland feud, Yam Yin played a gangster’s sister who joins her brother and his lover, played by Law Yim-hing, to overthrow a rival. But Yam is best known for her longtime association with the Wong Fei-hung series starring Kwan Tak-hing. Starting around 1955, she appeared in dozens of the films as the female lead. Later in the decade, she appeared in several of the Wong Ang films about a female cat burglar, with Yu So-chow and Wu Lizhu. Among her last films were THE MIGHTY SNOW SWORD (1964) and SIX FINGERED LORD OF THE LUTE (1965), both directed by Chan Lit-bun.

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Yam Yin shows off her footwork in THE HEROINE WITH INVINCIBLE LEGS (1952), courtesy of David Wells.

David Wells at Soft Film: Vintage Chinese Cinema has another flyer from one of Yam Yu-tin’s films, THE PRECIOUS SWORD AND THE MAGIC BOW (1952), starring Yam Yin and Yu So-chow, here.

Watch a clip of Law Yim-hing singing a Cantonese version of “Tonight” in 1964 here.

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In Memoriam: Shek Kin 1913-2009

Friday, June 5th, 2009

shek-kin

One of the giants of kung fu cinema has passed away. Shek Kin’s career encompassed nearly 600 films over five decades, and the overwhelming majority of these films were devoted to martial arts. Shek was the real deal, recognized as a “ko sau” in kung fu by other masters and frequently profiled in Hong Kong martial arts magazines. His original training took place at the Chin Woo Association school in Guangzhou. He was respected as a worthy opponent by Kwan Tak-hing, Bruce Lee, and Jackie Chan. May his star burn ever bright.

 

shek-kung-fu1shek-kung-fu_2Shek was featured in NEW MARTIAL HERO magazine in the early 1970s.

 

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With Bruce Lee on the set of ENTER THE DRAGON.

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The man who was Fong Sai-yuk: Early kung fu actor Sek Yin-tsi (1920-1986)

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Sek Yin-tsi Even before Jet Li took on the role of legendary fighter Fong Sai-yuk back in 1993, Hong Kong filmgoers had already seen plenty of movies about the young hero. Fong’s story is part of the hung gar kung fu lineage. This southern Chinese martial art school was famous for producing tough, colorful masters whose exploits could be profitably dramatized by the Cantonese film industry. Wong Fei-hung is the best known hung gar hero, but Hung Hei-kuen, Luk Ah-choi, and Fong Sai-yuk have also inspired dozens of films.

If you’re a fan of action director Lau Kar-leung, you already know more than a little about the history of the hung gar school. The Lau family was firmly rooted in the lineage – father Lau Cham was a student of Lam Sai-wing, another legendary master who trained with Wong Fei-hung. Lau Kar-leung drew on oral traditions from his own school to create stories about hung gar heroes in films like CHALLENGE OF THE MASTERS and 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (both 1978). Even before Lau directed his own films, he collaborated as choreographer with Shaw studio director Chang Cheh on a number of other hung gar films, including HEROES TWO and MEN FROM THE MONASTERY (both 1974). 

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Flyers for THE TRUE STORY OF FONG SAI-YUK (1951) and FONG SAI-YUK AND JUNIOR’S REVENGE (1950), starring Sek Yin-tsi.

Fong Sai-yuk (Fang Shih Yu) was one of the original “men from the monastery,” the anti-Qing Dynasty patriots associated with the Heaven and Earth Society, which was founded to resist the Manchu invaders. Most accounts place him as either a friend or fellow disciple of lineage founder Hung Hei-keun. Sometimes he’s shown as a student at the Shaolin Temple, but other accounts say that Fong’s primary teacher was his mother, kung fu expert Miu Chui-fa. In that version of the story, Fong’s mother treated him at a very young age to an herbal bath that made his skin impervious to strikes from fists or weapons. The story ends with the unfortunate Fong killed by the White Eyebrow monk Pai Mei.

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Flyer for LEE FUNG-KIU’S FLYING DAGGERS (1951) with Sek and Law Yim-hing.

The earliest record of a Fong Sai-yuk film is probably a 1938 production: THE ADVENTURES OF FONG SAI-YUK, starring opera performer Sun Ma Si-tsang. It was directed by Hung Chung-ho, grandfather of modern kung fu star Sammo Hung. A sequel followed in 1939, called BURNING OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE. After the war, Hung and his wife Chin Tse-ang recruited a young Cantonese opera performer to play Fong Sai-yuk in a 1948 production called FONG SAI-YUK AND MIU CHUI-FA. The actor was Sek Yin-tsi (Sek Yin-ji), a specialist in martial roles who had been performing onstage since he was 11 years old. The martial arts choreography was contributed by Yuen Siu-tin, and Cham Yim-nung played Fong’s mother Miu Chui-fa. Sek Yin-tsi played Fong Sai-yuk in at least 18 films between 1948 and 1955. His co-stars frequently were the kung fu actresses Yu So-chow, Law Yim-hing, and Yam Yin. Perennial bad guy Shek Kin usually played the cruel Pai Mei.

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Flyer for THE FIGHTING BRIDE (1950), starring Sek Yin-tsi as Fong Sai-yuk and Yu So-chow as his wife.

Sek Yin-tsi became one of the most prolific martial arts actors of the early 1950s, starring in over 100 action films. One of his last onscreen appearances was in John Woo’s A BETTER TOMORROW (1986), where he played an elderly gang boss. The next kung fu actor who specialized in the role of Fong Sai-yuk was Alexander Fu Sheng, who appeared in many of Chang Cheh’s action films of the 1970s, with choreography courtesy of Lau Kar-leung. Finally, Jet Li played Fong Sai-yuk in two wildly successful films from 1993, with Josephine Siao as his mother.

As these handbills from the early Fong Sai-yuk films show, there was a strong opera flavor to the fight scenes. Some of the films (for instance, 1951’s FONG SAI-YUK”S EXPEDITION OF THE GRAND PEAK, with its “Flying Cloud Chariot” and magical “Hundred Treasure Ball”) sound overly reliant on special effects, but others appear to be genuine kung fu showcases. The publicity for FONG SAI-YUK’S NINE BATTLES AT O-MEI HILL (1949) and THE BATTLE BETWEEN FONG SAI-YUK AND THE FLYING HERO OF THE NORTHEAST (1951) explicitly touts the presence of real martial artists in the cast. It’s a shame that none of the films have survived.

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‘One-Armed Magic Nun’ – Chan Lit-bun and the ‘Mad Diva’ of wuxia

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

Suet Nei

At the beginning of the 1960s, Cantonese swordplay movies were a fixture at the Hong Kong box office. Actors like Yu So-chow, Walter Tso, and Shek Kin cranked out low budget martial arts films at an unbelievably hectic pace. By mid-decade, teenagers Connie Chan and Josephine Siao had joined the ranks, and Chan Lit-bun, Wu Pang, and Ling Wan were among the top action film directors of the time. But by the end of the decade, Mandarin-language filmmakers had taken over the genre. King Hu’s COME DRINK WITH ME (1966) and Chang Cheh’s ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1967) revolutionized Chinese martial arts films by deploying larger budgets and a more cinematic esthetic – in contrast, the Cantonese films were often little more than filmed opera plays with simple camera effects added. It would be yet another decade before Cantonese kung fu movie makers like Jackie Chan and Yuen Woo-ping re-asserted control of the local industry.

(Above) Actress Suet Nei, photo courtesy David Wells.

Wuxia director Chan Lit-bun

Wuxia director Chan Lit-bun.

Director Chan Lit-bun’s career reflects this flowering and dimming of Cantonese wuxia cinema. Born in Guangdong Province in 1923, he joined the film industry in 1947, working first as an actor (frequently in martial arts films by early directors like Hung Chung-ho and Wong Tin-lam) and then on the production side, monitoring script continuity and assisting directors like Wu Pang, the man responsible for most of the original Wong Fei-hung films. His directing debut was THE GOLDEN HAIRPIN, PART ONE (1963), and he went on to make almost 40 films over the next nine years. Most of the films were in the genre of wuxia, or magical swordplay. Chan was immediately recognized as a wuxia visionary, and his energetic approach to the genre was quite popular. He specialized in offbeat female characters, and one of his favorite leading ladies was a young actress named Suet Nei.

Suet Nei specialized in "mad diva" wuxia roles, as in THE GREEN EYED DEMONESS (1967), also directed by Chan Lit-bun.

Suet Nei specialized in “mad diva” wuxia roles, as in THE GREEN EYED DEMONESS (1967), also directed by Chan Lit-bun.

Vivacious Suet Nei was an ideal match for Chan’s take on the wuxia heroine as high-spirited, fierce, and unpredictable. THE GOLDEN HAIRPIN was the first film made by the 16 year old actress, who then went on to make another dozen films with the director. In the Hong Kong Film Archive publication “The Making of Martial Arts Films, As Told by Filmmakers and Stars,” Suet Nei is quoted as recalling, “I did trampoline leaps and action scenes on wires myself. I could also manage to jump down from roofs…I was just a girl then, and didn’t know fear.” Her aptitude in kung fu filmmaking must have impressed the experts – in 1969, she retired from acting to marry martial arts choreographer Tong Kai, who would go on to create fight scenes for many of the most iconic of the Shaw Brothers studio’s 1970s films. Suet Nei came out of retirement to work in TV a few years ago. She has also appeared in occasional films, like THE WHITE DRAGON (2004).

Ad for THE ONE-ARMED MAGIC NUN.

Ad for THE ONE-ARMED MAGIC NUN.

The last film that Suet Nei worked on for Chan Lit-bun was 1969’s THE ONE ARMED MAGIC NUN. Compared to the best Shaw studio films (and keeping in mind that Bruce Lee would release THE BIG BOSS two years later), MAGIC NUN strikes me as too much of a throwback to the wuxia films made earlier in the decade – the cinematography too static, the costumes and make-up too cheesy – but the feisty female roles played by Suet Nei, who has been ensnared in an evil spell and forced to do the bidding of a sorceress, and Lin Jing, as the titular Magic Nun, are fun to watch. It was probably one of the last old-style Cantonese costume swordplay films ever made, marking the end of an era. Chan Lit-bun formed a production company in Taiwan for a couple of years, but eventually he, like his longtime leading lady, retired from the film industry.

Here’s a clip of Suet Nei from THE ONE ARMED MAGIC NUN:

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From the Vault: Interview with Gordon Liu

Friday, April 17th, 2009

pict0379One of the most exciting yearly events for kung fu fans in the Northeastern US is Master Hu Jianqiang’s annual tournament and demo, sponsored by his Shaolin Wushu Center in Hartford, CT. Master Hu is a former national champion of China and he co-starred in several of Jet Li’s earliest wushu films. Previous tournaments have included special guests like Yu Chenghui and Ji Chunhua of SHAOLIN TEMPLE (1982), Zhao Changjun of BLADE OF FURY (1993), and Gordon Liu, with whom he worked on Lau Kar-leung’s DRUNKEN MASTER 3. Last year Master Hu was too busy opening a branch of his school in Los Angeles to host the tournament, but the 2009 edition of the Greater Hartford International Chinese Martial Arts Festival will take place on May 9 (for more information, go here). Special guests from the kung fu movie world may be announced shortly before the event, but right now it looks like there will be plenty of real martial arts experts. Visitors can expect to see some of the best wushu practitioners in the world.

liu-huGordon Liu (above and left with Hu Jianqiang) in Hartford CT in May 2006.

To highlight the event, I’m reprinting my interview with Gordon Liu from three years ago:

The Greater Hartford International Chinese Martial Arts Tournament, hosted by Hu Jianqiang’s Shaolin Wushu Center, boasted a very special guest this year. The Master Killer himself, Gordon Liu, a longtime fan favorite for his work in films like 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (1978) and DIRTY HO (1979), attended the tournament and taught a Hung Gar seminar to the starstruck participants. Liu has practiced Hung Gar kung fu for many years. In films like CHALLENGE OF THE MASTERS (1976) and MARTIAL CLUB (1981), he even played Wong Fei-hung, the famous Hung Gar fighter whose life inspired over one hundred films.

“I know all about Wong Fei-hung,” he confided. “You know, I learned Hung Gar. My sifu is Lau Kar-leung’s father (Lau Cham, student of Wong’s disciple Lam Sai-wing). From the Hung Gar first generation, Hung Hei-koon, until now, I’m seventh generation. That’s the history. So when I play Wong Fei-hung, I have a very big responsibility, I cannot lose face before my school.” Liu has been working in the Hong Kong film industry since 1974, when he appeared in a Chang Cheh film, SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS (1974), that was choreographed by his adopted brother, Lau Kar-leung. Of all the Shaw Brothers films that he made with Lau, his favorite is EIGHT DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER (1984), for sentimental reasons. “Because I acted with Alexander Fu Sheng. Halfway through the production, he died, so I was very upset. It was very hard. It left me with deep feelings.” 

pict0385 pict0425 pict0440 pict0451Gordon Liu taught a Hung Gar seminar and joined the students for a light-hearted photo session afterwards.

One of Gordon Liu’s landmark films is the oft-sampled SHAOLIN AND WU TANG (1983), which he also directed. That production, with its nonstop action sequences, was a collaboration between Liu and his brother. “Lau Kar-leung was the action director,” he stated. “Everybody just knows Shaolin. They don’t know Wu Tang. Shaolin is very hard and Wu Tang is soft. Wu Tang has the sword and Shaolin has the staff.” Unlike many kung fu films that kill off the villain at the end, SHAOLIN AND WU TANG lightens the mood with comedy in the final scene. “Because Lau Kar-leung and I don’t want it to be too dark at the end.”

Liu has become known to a much wider audience since Quentin Tarentino cast him as both Johnny Mo, the leader of Lucy Liu’s Crazy 88s gang, and the cruel Pai Mei in his homage to action films, KILL BILL (2003-2004). “In Vol. 1, I was just playing Johnny Mo. Quentin was supposed to play Pai Mei.” But Tarantino observed Liu during his first days on the set as Johnny Mo. “He was watching to see how I act, how I fight. Then he decided I would be Pai Mei.” The character Pai Mei was inspired by roles played by Hong Kong actor Lo Lieh – “Quentin likes Lo Lieh very much!” – and Liu modeled his performance on the acting style of those old school films. “Johnny Mo and Pai Mei, both are roles I like, but I like Pai Mei more.”

Johnny Mo has a very cool weapon, a stick that pulls apart into double swords. It was designed by action director Yuen Wo-ping for Liu. “[He] knows my strengths. Sword and bo (staff) are what I’m stronger at.” Once the choreography has been set, Liu still has to interpret it in a way consistent with the part he is playing. “I don’t care who directs the action, because when I fight, it’s my character. The movement is ‘1 – 2 – 3 – 4,’ but when I fight, I’m acting in character. Just like in KILL BILL. When Johnny Mo fights Uma Thurman, it’s to kill, it’s revenge, so I fight very seriously.” But for Pai Mei, “I played that a little bit comedy.” Does he prefer comedy or drama? “Both – it depends on the story. I think my audience expects to see me do kung fu, but sometimes I do ‘comedy action’.”

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In the seminar that followed, Liu told his students that Hung Gar was “not beautiful, but powerful”. His demonstrations of the “kiu sau”, the highly articulated hand techniques of Hung Gar, were nevertheless both beautiful and powerful. A video from the seminar is here.

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Family Affair: Fung Hak-on, Fung Fung, and Fung Bo-bo

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

kung-fu-hustle-4I was watching the Dragon Dynasty release LAST HURRAH FOR CHIVALRY (1977) recently, with its special feature of an interview with the under-appreciated actor and action director Fung Hak-on. The golden age of kung fu cinema, the years between the first of Bruce Lee’s iconic films and Jet Li’s early classics, were so rich in superstars and kung fu talent that a guy like Fung is easily overlooked. I had no idea, for instance, that he was a stuntman and assistant choreographer for Lau Kar-leung at the Shaw studio, and that he followed his pal John Woo to Golden Harvest, where he worked closely with Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. His filmography includes gems like Chang Cheh’s MEN FROM THE MONASTERY (1974), Lau Kar-leung’s CHALLENGE OF THE MASTERS (1976), Yuen Woo-ping’s THE MAGNIFICENT BUTCHER (1979), Jackie Chan’s THE YOUNG MASTER (1980), Tsui Hark’s ZU: WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (1982), and, most recently, Stephen Chow’s KUNG FU HUSTLE (2004), where he played the blind assassin who fought Chiu Chi-ling’s tailor. Fung Hak-on usually played the villain, and his formidable skills proved a worthy challenge for the kung fu heroes he went up against.

sc0003f263Fung Hak-on (top, left) in KUNG FU HUSTLE and above with Kwan Tak-hing in THE MAGNIFICENT BUTCHER.

He studied martial arts at the Peking Opera school of Madame Fen Juhua, who also taught Lam Ching-ying, Meng Hoi, and his LAST HURRAH co-star Lee Hoi-san. LAST HURRAH FOR CHIVALRY was John Woo’s second film as a director, and it’s easy to see why he recruited the young stunt performer from Shaw’s to choreograph his film. Fung’s swordplay is fast and inventive, and his on-screen character, nicknamed “Pray for Death,” gives us a master class in dao, or broadsword, technique.

the-kid Flyer for THE KID.

Fung Hak-on, like so many other Hong Kong actors, grew up in a show business family. His father, Fung Fung (1916-2000), was a Cantonese opera performer who began making movies in the mid-1930s, frequently working with early martial arts filmmakers like Hung Chung-ho (Sammo Hung’s grandfather), for whom he made THE BEAUTIFUL WOMAN WARRIOR and TRIPLE STEALING OF THE NINE DRAGON CUP (both 1939), and Ren Pengnian (THE FLYING TIGER in 1940). He directed THE KID (1950), which featured an early starring role by nine year old Bruce Lee, and he played Lee’s gangster mentor in the film, heroically surrendering to the law and advising his young charge to go straight at the end. Soon after THE KID was made, Fung Fung suffered a facial injury which left him deformed, but he continued to act in character parts for decades – he can be seen as the bad guy’s bumbling henchman in THE YOUNG MASTER, advising Jackie Chan during the climactic fight scene.

 sc0003d336Child star Fung Bo-bo (on right, with her father Fung Fung above).

fungbbFung Bo-bo was also a star of Cantonese opera. 

The other member of the Fung family who found a successful career on the Hong Kong screen is Fung Hak-on’s kid sister, Petrina Fung Bo-bo, called “the Shirley Temple of Hong Kong” when she was a leading child star in the early 1960s. Fung Bo-bo is also one of the “Seven Cantonese Princesses,“ a designation given to the young starlets who dominated the Hong Kong box office in the mid sixties. Her best known film from this period is THE WHITE DRAGON (1968), which was re-made by Wilson Yip in 2004 as a vehicle for Cecilia Cheung. She is a well respected dramatic actress who has twice won Hong Kong Film Awards for her work in 92 LEGENDARY ROSE DE LA NOIRE (1992) and Derek Yee’s C’EST LA VIE, MON CHERIE (1993).

daughterFlyer for VALUABLE FALSE DAUGHTER (1961), directed by Fung Fung, starring Fung Bo-bo.

See a clip of Fung Fung as a knife-wielding gangster befriended by young Bruce Lee in THE KID here.

See a clip of Fung Hak-on (in white) from LAST HURRAH FOR CHIVALRY here.

See seven year old Fung Bo-bo in THE MAGIC CUP, PART 1 here.

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Hong Kong Cinema celebrates 100th Birthday!

Friday, March 27th, 2009

weaponsIt depends on who you talk to, but by some accounts, Hong Kong is celebrating its first century of filmmaking this year. The earliest recorded “made-in-Hong Kong” movie is a short film from 1909 called STEALING A ROAST DUCK. The film itself, if it ever existed, disappeared long ago. But despite the paucity of documentation, the anniversary has been embraced as an excuse to celebrate the long and colorful history of the Hong Kong movie industry. As film historian Law Kar pointed out in a recent interview with the Guardian, “1909 is as good a place to start as any.”

renTop: Lau Kar-leung’s 1982 film LEGENDARY WEAPONS OF CHINA represented a high point in kung fu filmmaking. Above: Flyer for THE LADY IN COMBAT (1941) by early martial arts director Ren Pengnian.

Hong Kong cinema is much more than just kung fu and wuxia movies, but those are the genres that have found fans all over the world. Kung fu filmmakers arguably have done as much as any Hollywood mogul to shape modern cinema. The earliest Chinese action films may be primitive by today’s standards, but today there would be no classic kung fu movies by Yuen Woo-ping or Lau Kar-leung if their fathers Yuen Siu-tin and Lau Cham hadn’t spent a lifetime honing their craft with directors like Ren Pengnian and Wu Pang. When modern directors like Quentin Tarantino, Ang Lee, and Zhang Yimou bring all their skill and artistry to recreating the kind of low budget martial arts films they loved as youngsters, it’s time to pay respect to forgotten masters like Shek Kin, Yu So-chow, and Han Yingjie.

wfh-subdue-tigersdrunkenTop: Flyer for HOW WONG FEI-HUNG SUBDUED TWO TIGERS (1956), directed by Wu Pang. Above: Jackie Chan and Yuen Siu-tin in DRUNKEN MASTER (1978), directed by Yuen Woo-ping.

So let’s celebrate the anniversary and wish Hong Kong filmmakers another hundred years of profitable and influential industry. For more information about the centennial, read the Hollywood Reporter historical overview here. If you can read Chinese, the website hkfilm100.asia has been set up as a resource by Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK). 

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Life During Wartime: Chinese Patriotic Films of WWII

Friday, March 20th, 2009

lady3

Donnie Yen’s newest kung fu movie, IP MAN, was a huge popular success in China earlier this year, despite a rather grim tone to the story. The film is somewhat unusual for the genre in that it is set in a very specific period. The late 1930s saw the first brutal stages of the international conflagration known as World War II. Although Master Ip may be one of the most skilled martial artists in China, he can’t defeat the entire Japanese army. But as a symbol of resistance to oppression, Ip Man follows in the footsteps of many earlier Chinese patriotic heroes and heroines.

Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong.

Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong.

After years of smaller-scale conflicts, the Japanese invasion of China began in earnest in 1937. By the end of 1938, much of northeastern and coastal China was in Japanese hands, and the Chinese Nationalist government was operating from the provisional capital of Chongqing (Chungkung). Over the next few years, guerrilla warfare by local troops was an important part of the Nationalist strategy of resistance. In 1941, the American Volunteer Group, also known as the Flying Tigers, a US-financed air force, was also operating in Japanese-occupied China. The tide slowly but surely turned against the forces of the Imperial Japanese Army, but not without appalling losses and reports of atrocities against the civilian population. The Sino-Japanese war officially ended on September 9, 1945, with the surrender of the Japanese army.

An Asian flyer for Wong's US film LADY FROM CHUNGKING (1942), probably released after the war in Asia. The residual hatred towards Japanese soldiers can be seen in the flyer's emphasis on revenge.

An Asian flyer for Wong’s US film LADY FROM CHUNGKING (1942), probably released after the war in Asia. The residual hatred towards Japanese soldiers can be seen in the flyer’s emphasis on revenge.

Shanghai was one of the first Chinese cities to fall under Japanese control in 1937. It was also the center of Chinese film production. A handful of film studios continued to operate during the “Orphan Island Period,” from 1937 to 1941. They were subject to Japanese censorship, however, and after the war, some of the Orphan Island filmmakers were accused of collaboration. One 1939 Shanghai production, MULAN JOINS THE ARMY, directed by Bu Wencang, was nevertheless accepted by Chinese audiences as a veiled call for resistance. Many of the Shanghai filmmakers had fled to Hong Kong, where they also made films supporting the resistance effort, until Japanese control of Hong Kong in 1941 shut down film production there. During the hiatus in filmmaking, a number of actors, including future kung fu stars Kwan Tak-hing and Shek Kin, joined patriotic theater troupes and labored under dangerous conditions to lift the morale of their countrymen.

Anna May Wong as the guerrilla leader in LADY FROM CHUNGKING.

Anna May Wong as the guerrilla leader in LADY FROM CHUNGKING.

Chinese film production may have come to a standstill, but the propaganda and morale-boosting effects of patriotic movies were not overlooked by Chinese-American movie people. Hollywood star Anna May Wong (1905-1961) made LADY FROM CHUNGKING in 1942 and BOMBS OVER BURMA in 1943 to rally public support for anti-Japanese resistance forces in China. In LADY FROM CHUNGKING, directed by William Nigh for the Producers Releasing Corporation, Wong plays the leader of a guerrilla band masquerading as coolies in the countryside. She rescues two American Flying Tiger pilots when their plane is shot down by the Japanese over occupied territory, and becomes the mistress of a Japanese general to learn the details of troop movements. The general is played by Harold Huber, an actor who specialized in “ethnic” types. A peculiarity of LADY FROM CHUNGKING is that all the Japanese roles are played by actors of European descent, while the Chinese characters are played by actual Asians. Evidently the film was successful in building support for the war effort in China and for the Flying Tigers.

Wu Lizhu fights the Japanese in ALL THE PEOPLE OF ONE MIND.

Wu Lizhu fights the Japanese in ALL THE PEOPLE OF ONE MIND.

It’s interesting to contrast Anna May Wong’s role in LADY FROM CHUNGKING with that of Wu Lizhu (Wu Lai-chu) in the post-war patriotic film ALL THE PEOPLE OF ONE MIND (aka BLOODSHED IN A BESIEGED CITADEL, UNITED AS ONE), directed by Ren Pengnian in 1948, and discussed in my “Origins of Kung Fu Cinema” series. Wu also played the female leader of a band of resistance fighters. In my earlier post, I wondered if Yuen Siu-tin, father of kung fu choreographer Yuen Woo-ping and early collaborator with Wu Lizhu and Ren Pengnian, had worked on this film. The agile choreography with comic touches was reminiscent of Yuen Woo-ping’s early work. I posted a clip from ALL THE PEOPLE OF ONE MIND, showing Wu fighting two Japanese soldiers, on Youtube. Two viewers think that one of the soldiers is actually Yuen Siu-tin. He would have been 36 years old in 1948. Take a look and see what you think!

Is that Yuen Siu-tin on the right?

In the years following World War II, many Chinese filmmakers, like those in Hollywood, would revisit the events of the war in order to show both the heroism and culpability of those times. Although memories are now fading, the events that occurred between 1937 and 1945 continue to evoke powerful emotional responses in audiences. The makers of IP MAN are to be congratulated for not shying away from showing the harshness of life during wartime.

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The Tai Chi Choreography of Yuen Woo-ping, Part 2

Friday, March 6th, 2009

14354_tai_chi_master_screen_jet_li-640x480

“Soft” or “internal” fighting styles in the Chinese martial arts tradition have acquired a mystique among kung fu fans. How can softness be powerful? It’s difficult for an observer to determine the source of power in arts like tai chi and pakua. Practitioners speak of “emptying,” “borrowing the opponent’s energy,” and “using 4 taels (approximately equivalent to ounces) to deflect 1000 catties (pounds),” contributing to the impression of a discipline that is more about magic than real combat. But Chinese internal arts, like aikido and jiujitsu, rely on a sophisticated understanding of body mechanics and physics to create their effect. The genius of Yuen Woo-ping’s tai chi choreography lies in the fact that he has been able to show audiences just what real tai chi is all about, using actors who are not actually tai chi masters. (Jet Li, Donnie Yen, and Wu Jing are all superb martial artists, but their tai chi expertise is nowhere near the level of people like Chen Xiaowang or Bow Sim Mark.)

Part 1 of this series looked at Yuen’s choreography for SHADOW BOXER (1974) and DRUNKEN TAI CHI (1984). This part will examine both 1993’s TAI CHI MASTER and the TV series also known as THE TAI CHI MASTER from 1997. TAI CHI MASTER, starring Jet Li, allowed Yuen to capitalize on Li’s previous training in Chen style tai chi as a member of the Beijing Wushu team. At the beginning of story, Li is a Buddhist student of the Shaolin fighting style, but over the course of the fim, he “converts” to Taoism and helps to found the Wu Dang-related school of tai chi. He is given the Taoist name of San Feng, which can be translated either as “three insanities”, referring to the mental breakdown that follows his betrayal by his brother monk, or as “three riches”, referencing the legacy of the real Zhang San Feng, a legendary early pioneer in tai chi technique.

In TAI CHI MASTER, Yuen Woo-ping makes specific the dichotomy of hard vs. soft in the kung fu world. His Shaolin style in this film is not just hard, it is also mean-spirited (personified by Yu Hai’s autocratic master) and, by implication, it feeds co-star Chin Siu-hou’s ambitions and cunning duplicity. Li’s character is at first the weaker of the two brothers. By abandoning his earlier belief system and embracing the natural order, he achieves enlightenment and martial mastery. Yuen reprises the ball imagery from DRUNKEN TAI CHI as part of Li’s self-taught training. A new element in this film is the use of wind metaphors, especially swirling leaves, to show the “fa jin,” or focussed release of power. The Chen style tai chi movements demonstrated by Jet Li use rippling waist movements to indicate fa jin.

 chenxw jl2 tc3 matrix

Tai chi Single Whip: Chen Xiaowang, Jet Li, Wu Jing, Laurence Fishburne (in THE MATRIX).

All of Yuen Woo-ping’s tai chi films are built around this concept of soft vs. hard. The heroes battle villains who are both tough and merciless. What sets apart the TV show THE TAI CHI MASTER (also known as MASTER OF TAI CHI) is that the hero (Wu Jing) also fights another soft stylist. His opponent, a pakua master played by Simmon Xu (aka Xu Xiangdong, Hsu Hsiang-dong, Chui Heung-tung), appears to be modeled on the real-life founder of pakua, Dong Haichuan. Wu Jing’s Yang Yuqian wants to learn the Chen family fighting style known as tai chi, but transmission of the art is limited to Chen family members. He works as a servant in the village in order to secretly learn tai chi. This is the story of Yang Luchan, who eventually modified the Chen family form to the version now known as Yang style. For the three battles between Yang and Dong, and working in the devilishly difficult idioms of tai chi and pakua, Yuen Wo-ping created some of the finest fight choreography ever seen.

tc21 Simmon Xu (Xu Xiangdong).

The truth is, in the other fight scenes and in any other representation of tai chi combat I’ve ever seen, there is little actual tai chi technique being used. Despite an occasional press, lock, or throw that employs a recognizable tai chi move, the combatants are usually resorting to what my teacher calls “force against force.” That’s OK. It’s not easy to show real internal technique in the movies. But these three scenes exist to show what can be done when a master choreographer and highly skilled actors are given the opportunity to shine. The climactic fight (a clip can be seen here) between Yang and Dong takes place in an arena ringed by banners rippling in the wind, which provide a visual echo of the twisting, coiling movement of the fighters. Dong starts off with a Single Palm Change technique, and Yang answers with Single Whip, showing the torquing of his waist that controls the trajectory of his arms. As they engage, Yuen Woo-ping highlights the grappling moves concealed in the fluid strikes, first as single joint locks, then in the form of multiple series of countermoves, with control passing back and forth between the opponents. Late in the fight, Dong executes a wrist lock on Yang and twists, turning the move into a throw. 

tc5 Grappling in THE TAI CHI MASTER.

One of the things that makes internal kung fu so difficult to present onscreen is the redirection that occurs, as the power of an opponent’s strike is deflected and turned back towards its origin. Yuen Woo-ping uses a combination of choreography and editing to allow the audience to follow the path of the energy, as, for instance, when Dong’s punch to Yang’s body results in Yang’s kick to Dong. Another type of redirection is Dong’s backbend and circling from the waist to avoid upper body strikes from Yang. Extreme waist flexibility, including backbends, is a hallmark of pakua, and a neat dovetailing of styles is seen in the sequence where Dong executes a typical pakua front kick, leaning back in counterbalance, and Yang responds by trapping the kicking foot and dropping into a tai chi Slide Down (or Snake Creeps Down) stance, uprooting Deng’s supporting leg. Once again, camerawork and editing direct the viewer’s eye along the path of the energy flow: from Deng’s kick to Yang’s trapping hand (hook hand), down through Yang’s body to his sliding foot, which hits Deng’s leg like a bowling ball slamming into a pin.

I could go on – about how the fighters “stick” to each other, keeping in physical contact between strikes, how they use coiling and circles to counter joint locks – but enough already. Watch the fights. Watch the feature-length re-edit of the TV series released by Tai Seng in 2005 (All the fights with minimal drama! Read Mark’s review here). See for yourself how soft stylists fight.

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The Tai Chi Choreography of Yuen Woo-ping, Part 1

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

shadow-boxer_2The fighting art of tai chi chuan, much like grappling and wing chun, is hard to adapt for screen choreography. All of these arts depend for their effectiveness on subtle shifts in application of pressure against an opponent. (more…)

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