As of 1980, master kung fu movie maker Lau Kar-leung was in the middle of a stream of hits following his break from a long-time collaboration with director Chang Cheh and co-choreographer Tang Chia. Films like HEROES OF THE EAST and MAD MONKEY KUNG FU established Lau’s style of mixing comedy, less-violent themes and the most elaborate and intense kung fu action ever put to film. As was the trend, Lau built up a stock group of kung fu stars he mentored and molded into a highly-skilled screen-fighting team.
All of this effort can be seen in MY YOUNG AUNTIE which is one of Lau’s many kung fu comedy masterpieces, but stands out on the strength of several outstanding screen-fighting performances from talented stunt actors. It’s especially a killer, first showcase for Lau’s beautiful and talented protégé Kara Hui who subsequently turned into a certifiable kung fu starlet on par with all of the greatest martial arts heroines including Angela Mao and Polly Kuan.
If there is anything that might put off some viewers, it’s Lau’s old-fashioned sense of humor and storytelling. This film was actually one of several attempts by Lau to address the issue of the generation and social gap in southern Chinese society. It’s not a bad idea, but looking back it seems rather quaint and out of touch with reality since the characters in Lau’s films are always caricatures. The formula must have been popular enough at the time for Lau rewrote this film for the similarly-themed LADY IS THE BOSS with the same cast.
In MY YOUNG AUNTIE, Lau plays with the rigid Chinese tradition of respecting the family hierarchy regardless of age. When an elderly, senior member of the Yu family is about to die, he marries a young ward named Jing Dai-nan (Kara Hui) to keep the inheritance out of the greedy hands of Third Uncle (Johnny Wang) and put it into the reluctant hands of the rightful heir Yu Jing-chuen (Lau Kar-leung).
This premise sets up the film’s main attraction, a series of comical scenarios as Dai-nan enthusiastically assumes her unlikely position as head of the family when she moves in with the elder Jing-chuen and his troublesome son Tao (Hsiao Ho). Jing-chuen is comfortable with the situation, but sexual tension and a rivalry develops between Tao and Dai-nan. They are roughly of the same age and of the same skill level when it comes to kung fu.
Having been schooled in Hong Kong, Tao conspires with his rowdy city friends to use their worldly knowledge to intimidate Dai-nan who is unfamiliar with modern urban trends in the 1930s. Eventually, the two team up to retrieve the letter of inheritance which has been stolen by Third Uncle. But as skilled in kung fu as they are, they’ll need some help from Jing-chuen and his three over-the-hill martial arts brothers.
With emphasis on comedy situations, the action may not seem as steady in this film as in some of Lau’s other efforts, but there is still plenty of martial arts action and it’s all incredible.
After several co-starring action and non-action roles, a 16-year-old Kara Hui gets her first leading action role and she is absolutely amazing. One must understand that this is not your typical kung fu movie role for a young female. In addition to performing many elaborate and potentially dangerous sparring movements with one or more male opponents all experienced in screen fighting, she’s also called upon to tease the audience with a little sexuality, fight in a skin-tight evening gown and heels, and make a fool of herself in a blonde wig. Furthermore, she has to essentially play several roles at the same time that include matriarch, country bumpkin, kung fu heroine, and sex symbol. That’s a tall order for any actress, but she pulls it all off with élan. It’s no wonder her performance earned her a Best Actress award at the first annual Hong Kong Film Awards.
The film would be nothing without competent co-stars to back Kara up. Hsiao Ho, one of Lau’s most experienced students is often dismissed as a lightweight screen fighter, heavy on comic antics and he displays this in spades here, but his aerial prowess, speed and forms are also quite evident. When the action kicks into high gear in the last 30 minutes, Hsiao delivers some blistering moves.
Lau himself is truly the master of real kung fu screen fighting and proves it in a magnificent duel with his favorite screen sparring partner Johnny Wang Lung-wei. MY YOUNG AUNTIE is also graced by the excellent screen-fighting talents of Wilson Tong and Yuen Tak who are both accomplished action directors themselves. Tong’s sword duel with Kara is about as good as it gets while Hsiao and Yuen Tak offer up a terrific fencing match during a costume ball.
Special mention goes to the lesser known Korean fighter Kwan Yung-moon who gets the hard body award for this film and is loads of fun to watch as a Qigong master, whose Iron Vest kung fu, Hsiao and Kara struggle to exploit.
There are some truly odd situations with exaggerated acting in MY YOUNG AUNTIE such as the costume ball where Hsiao is running around in a Robin Hood outfit. Gordon Liu makes an extended cameo to show off his real-life guitar playing and singing skills. He intentionally makes a fool of himself during ball by wearing a curly blonde wig. In any other movie these strange antics would be pretty dopey but mixed with Lau’s kung fu genius, consistency and overall confidence it all adds up to lots of fun that gets better with repeat viewings and a greater appreciation for the actors involved.
What I feel compelled to stress further is the subtext in Lau’s choreography or the story being told through the action. This is something that many Asian action directors ignore in mindless scenes that completely halt any plot or character development while Western choreographers often misinterpret it as making the action a slave to the plot. Lau cuts through both extremes to present dominate action that forwards the aims of the story.
An example of Lau’s unique brand of action is during a terrific scene where Kara and Hsiao infiltrate Johnny Wang’s home in search of the inheritance papers. They end up in a massive brawl with Wang’s subordinates, but that’s not what concerns the pair of heroes. Instead, they are continuing their rivalry as they each try to outdo one another while attempting to deal with their constricting social relationship as granddaughter and grandnephew. As a result, this phenomenal action choreography nearly falls to the background as the viewer focuses on the couple’s developing relationship, probably without even realizing it.
Superior kung fu and its superior application in a manically absurd comedy is what in part make Lau Kar-leung the greatest martial arts film director on earth. Now go watch MY YOUNG AUNTIE for the proof.
by Mark PollardRelated Topics:
Genre: Kung Fu
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