Few would deny, martial arts films are a unique genre of Chinese-language movies, a type that is hard to copy or even imitate in other cultures or regions.
In recent years, thanks to films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, martial arts films have come out of their shells and gone from being just cult movies to becoming a popular genre.
The recent hype for films like The Matrix, Charles Angels and their never-ending sequels are the best proof of the extensive influence of martial arts movies.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CLASSIC MARTIAL ARTS FILM FESTIVAL-LEGENDA
Similarly Japanese-period dramas, films about samurai culture and samurai stories, are also something special in Japanese movies.
Quentin Tarantino's upcoming film Kill Bill is another example, for the film is a clear homage to both Hong Kong action movies and Japanese samurai movies. For martial arts fans or those who anticipate seeing Kill Bill, it is imperative to check out The Classic Martial Arts Film Festival-Legendary Swordsman vs. Samurai (經典武俠影展 - 當俠客遇上武士).
This is the fifth installment of POP Cinema, a government funded mini film festival series to promote non-Hollywood movies to a wider audience.
Clearly, this martial arts collection is the most exciting chapter so far in POP Cinema's history.
The film festival began yesterday in Kaohsiung, at the Kaohsiung City Film Library, and will go on to Sept. 26. Afterwhich it will go to Taipei at SPOT-Taipei Film House from Sept. 26 to Oct. 10.,
proceeding then to the Image Museum in Hsinchu from Oct. 8 to Oct. 19.
Legendary local martial arts film actor Shih Jun (
Seventeen classic films (12 Chinese martial arts films and five Japanese samurai films) will be screened in the showcase. Dragon Inn (龍門客棧,1968), the opening film of the festival is a must-see film for martial arts fans.
The film becomes a reference for many later martial arts films including Crouching Tiger. In 1992, Hong Kong director Tsu Hark also produced New Dragon Inn as a tribute to Hu's classic. For audiences nowadays, the pace of the 1968 film may be slow and the kung-fu may not be fast enough, but the cinematography and the narrative is still very impressive.
Come Drink With Me (大醉俠, 1966) is Hu's first martial arts film and is about a woman who dresses as a warrior in order to save her brother. The scene when there is a rumble at an inn and the woman faces off against rivals from different martial arts sects, is another classic that Ang Lee adapted in Crouching Tiger. He also made Zhang Ziyi (章子怡) act in that scene.
A Touch of Zen (俠女,1971) is a story about an evil power ruthlessly capturing and killing the good, but at the end Hu questions the martial arts chivalry spirit with a philosophical touch. A fight in the bamboo woods has also become another widely imitated scene.
The film was the first winner at Cannes for a Taiwan film, taking the prize for technical achievement in 1975.
Also presented as epic stories, Japanese samurai movies exhibit a different style. Samurai 3: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956), another opening film deals with Musashi Miamoto, the legendary swordsman. After winning 60 duels, he hesitates take up another challenge to fight a young Shogun on the small island of Ganryu.
There are also two classics from the Japanese master Akira Kurosawa. Tsubaki Sanjuro (1962) looks at young samurais facing corruption and killings within the clan. Should they join in with the killings to end corruption or will they fall into the same trap as the conspirators?
Ran (1985), a winner in Cannes and at the British Academy Awards, is an epic about a cruel and powerful warlord facing treachery among his sons, who eventually sees his kingdom fall apart. It's Kurosawa's version of Shakespeare's King Lear.
Another master of martial arts movies is Chang Cheh (張徹). Director John Woo (吳宇森) sees Chang as his long-time mentor. And obviously Woo's excellence in depicting brotherhood and heroic sacrifice originate in Chang's movies.
Iron Bodyguard (大刀王五, 1973) is set in the turmoil of revolution in the Ching dynasty. Local bodyguard Big Blade Wang Wu receives an offer to rescue revolutionaries from prison. He decides to take the job and plans a seemingly suicidal assault.
Blood Brothers (刺馬, 1973), another Chang masterpiece, is a film about friendship, betrayal and revenge. In both Chang films movie fans can recapture the heroic glamour of actors Ti Lung (狄龍) and David Chiang (姜大衛).
Another type of martial arts film focuses on the unrestrained spirits of Hsia (俠), or martial arts fighters. Here, the underworld fighters are all care-free characters with superb kung-fu.
Chu Yuan's (楚原) movies are representative of this type. The Magic Blade (天涯, 明月, 刀, 1976) tells of the endless competition and envy in the world of martial arts. Killer Clans (流星, 蝴蝶, 劍, 1976) depicts a warrior's pursuit of excellence in martial arts, as well as a mysterious romance.
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