This summer movie, Hollywood is ＂bowing down＂？
In 1983, Jackie Chan’s classic action comedy movie Plan A was released.
Despite the past 38 years, this film is still the peak of action comedy in the hearts of many fans.
At the end of the film, Jackie Chan contributed the most wonderful shot of his acting career for more than 40 years, which is also known as the insurmountable peak in the history of Chinese action.
In the picture, Jackie Chan climbed to the top of the flagpole with handcuffs, then jumped into the opposite bell tower with his back on his back, and then jumped off the clock tower about 10 meters high.
The special effects scene that fell from the bell tower was filmed at least three times. It took Jackie Chan a week to make up his mind to go into battle in person.
The audience watching the movie carefully will find that the landing posture of Ma Rulong played by Jackie Chan in the two scenes of this action is not consistent.
Because in the first shot, Jackie Chan used body double.
This stuntman who is willing to fight for his life with 5000 yuan is Mars, the martial artist of Hong Kong Dragon and Tiger.
When shooting this thrilling shot, no one was sure. Mars weighed about the same as Jackie Chan, so I asked him to come first.
Not dead, OK, you can let big brother go.
Mars is just one of the representatives of many dragon and tiger martial artists, and more unknown "desperate" past of dragon and tiger martial artists are all in the documentary "Dragon and Tiger Martial Artists".
01. The Unique Legend of Hong Kong Films
At the 38th Hong Kong Golden Awards in 2019, the professionalism award was awarded to Mr. Liu Yun, a "Dragon and Tiger Martial Master" who has worked hard in Wuzhi for more than 30 years.
The professional spirit award of the Golden Academy Awards was set up in 1990, in recognition of filmmakers who have made extremely high professional spirit and made important contributions to the film industry.
Since the establishment of this award, most of the winners are behind-the-scenes people who are not well known except writers, producers and directors, such as behind-the-scenes reporters, hair stylists, audience sitting and so on.
This time, the winner is the Dragon and Tiger Martial Master, also known as the martial arts stuntman, which is a unique legend of Hong Kong movies.
They specialize in martial arts, and play small roles such as thugs and minions in movies. They are hard-working and will not have much future. They earn money for their youth and their lives.
After Liu Yun won the prize, the news about making the documentary "Dragon Tiger Warrior" also spread.
Now that two years have passed, Master Dragon and Tiger has finally been finalized.
On August 18th, directed by Wei Junzi, a Hong Kong film researcher and veteran filmmaker, the film documentary "Dragon Tiger Warrior" appeared in Sammo Hung, Yuan Heping, Cheng Xiaodong, Yuan Wah, Donnie Yen, Qian Jiale and other Chinese-language films, and announced that it would be released on August 28th.
As soon as the news came out, movie stars forwarded it one after another, including many martial arts stars who are very important in the field of action movies.
Jason Wu, who has the image of "China tough guy", said:
"Are familiar figures! Look forward to it! "
Zhang Ziyi, who has the name of "the last girl", is simpler and more direct:
"Touched, looking forward to it."
As an ordinary movie fan, this documentary is both sentimental and meaningful to us.
"I have goose bumps just watching the preview, and I have a feeling of moving and remembering the movies of that era. I am looking forward to it."
"This is the last hope of the summer file."
"As a veteran Hong Kong film lover, I am really excited."
"This documentary tells everyone: What is a Hong Kong action movie?"
As early as 2020, the film "Dragon and Tiger Martial Master" was shortlisted for the "Special Recommended Unit" of the 7th Silk Road International Film Festival.
The audience who were lucky enough to see the film at the scene responded enthusiastically. They said:
"I have never seen such a kind and painful documentary!"
"We are familiar with many movies and stars in Hong Kong, but we know little about the stories behind them. This movie has made me understand them."
After reading these real comments and infinite expectations from netizens, let’s think about this question: What is the significance of "Dragon and Tiger Martial Master"?
In fact, the answer to this question is in the sentence that Tsui Hark said in the trailer:
"What they did before, no one will do it in the future."
02, a person can hold up a movie martial arts.
The final poster of "Dragon and Tiger Martial Master" is very informative.
On the poster, besides the inscription of Andy Lau, the back of the bruised martial artist standing in the middle is particularly eye-catching.
Every scar corresponding to this unknown martial artist represents a Hong Kong action movie, because in that era when martial arts flourished, these martial artists could support a movie martial arts drama by themselves.
In 1983, Five Lucky Stars, 1984, Fast Food Car, 1985, Mr. Zombie, and 1986, Brother Dragon and Brother Tiger.
Eastern condors in 1987, Hunting for Heroes in 1989, Angel Action 3, Knife in 1995, and Ah Kin in 1996.
The 1960s-90s of last century was the most vigorous era of action movies in Hong Kong and the most brilliant era of martial arts, and it was supported by a group of dragon and tiger martial artists who dared to think, do and fight.
At that time, Hong Kong filmmakers, no matter who they were, could say with confidence:
Hong Kong’s action is the best creativity, with the most difficult action in the film circle.
At this time, the Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts Master, even after learning in a class, everyone has their own action design, because they dare to think.
In order to highlight the thrills, Yuan Biao has to roll over from the second floor of the burning building.
In "eastern condors", a difficult action was designed, which jumped from a hillside more than ten meters high and then landed in a moving truck.
There is a scene of jumping directly into the sea from a 20-meter-high helicopter in "Catching Rats";
In "The Fast Food Car", there is also a "desperate" action that even Hollywood stuntmen refuse to try. ……
These actions that others can’t even think about are all thought out by our Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts Master, and we have done it.
Sammo Hung said in the trailer:We are seeing kung fu on real skills.
What’s even more "frightening" is that apart from their real kung fu, they also have the "courage" to do anything, all of which are head-on.
To put it simply—Willing to endure hardships and dare to play hard.
Jackie Chan had to jump off a high wall to catch a branch when filming "Brother Dragon and Brother Tiger", but in the process of filming, the branch suddenly broke, and Jackie Chan fell directly from a 15-meter-high tree, and his head almost died.
As a "death squad", Yuan Wu is risking his life every time.
Director Chen Desen once described Wu Xing’s studio like this:
"To take a shot of falling from a height, ten martial arts lines are required to be’ backup’. The first person is broken, and the second and third ones have to go on. The ambulance is waiting next to it, and it is broken and sent directly to the hospital."
Qian Jiale also said that after the "cut" of their studio, the director said "save lives" instead of "call it a day".
When people from foreign martial arts come to visit classes, they all think it is impossible, and whoever does it will die.
But for the master of martial arts in Hong Kong at that time, there was only one sentence, that is, "Never say no", and nothing was impossible.
Because if you don’t do this, the action will not look good, and the picture will not look good. The appreciation of real people’s actions is always irreplaceable by special effects.
The trailer of "Dragon Tiger Warrior" is less than two minutes, but every picture in it is breaking through the physiological limit. It is also because they have such momentum that Hong Kong action movies have a hard time.
This is the "life-threatening history" of Hong Kong film industry for 60 years, the "pain" of Hong Kong movies for 60 years, and the last legend of Hong Kong action movies.
03. Conquer Hollywood with low technology.
Action movies are the first time that China movies have been exported in the form of culture. In this way, the world can know a different China.
On the poster of Master Dragon and Tiger, there is such a sentence: Wyndell Dichinson Yau Tsim Mong, against Hollywood!
Director Wei Junzi said:
"Dragon and tiger warrior is not only playing, but also playing out.
The golden age of Hong Kong movies was played by the directors and stars in front of the stage and these unsung heroes behind the scenes, and it was only when they entered Hollywood and showed it to the whole world that Chinese movies had a place in the global film market of that era! "
In 1966, the martial arts action film come drink with me directed by Hu Jinquan won 790,000 box office in Hong Kong.
The following year, the new martial arts action movie One-armed Knife was released, which became the first film with a box office of 1.29 million Hong Kong dollars, and the director Zhang Che won the title of "Million Director".
Xia Nv, which took four years to shoot, failed at the box office, but caused a sensation in Cannes, becoming the first Chinese film to win the prize at Cannes Film Festival.
In 1972, The First Boxing in the World, directed by Zheng Changhe and directed by Liu Jialiang, came out, and the film was very popular in North America, ranking ninth in the annual box office list in North America with a box office score of 20 million dollars.
Quentin, the great Hollywood director, also used many classic moves of Hong Kong action movies in his classic film Kill Bill.
It is said that before the filming of Kill Bill, Quentin also asked the crew to watch Hong Kong action movies such as The First Boxing in the World and One-armed Knife.
Quentin also said more than once in the interview:"If my life has two sides, then one side is a Hong Kong action movie in the 1970s, and the other side is an Italian western."
Looking back now, Hong Kong action movies of that era, let’s say."Conquer Hollywood with Low Technology"It’s really no exaggeration.
It turns out that as early as 50 years ago, China films were already ahead of Hollywood blockbusters.
I believe that today, this summer movie can also make Hollywood "bow down".
Unfortunately, with the upgrading of film types, Hong Kong action movies began to decline, and Hong Kong films’ repeated breakthrough attempts failed to bring greater improvement, and the Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts gradually withdrew from the stage.
Action movies are "out of date", people who carry flags are old, people who fight for their lives can’t move, martial arts teams are separated, and fewer and fewer people can persist.
All this seems to verify what Tsui Hark said: "What they did before, no one can do it in the future."
But Hong Kong action movies have never given up trying.
There is a scene in one of the hottest Hong Kong films in this summer’s file, in which the two protagonists go from street shooting to unarmed fighting, and at the same time, they bring their "ferocity" to the extreme, and at the same time, they push the exciting impression to a new height, which once made people find back the pleasure of watching Hong Kong-style action movies.
Nicholas Tse, the leading actor, is also known as the most desperate young actor in Hong Kong.
Counting further, in "Bomb Demolition 2", Andy Lau also gave his life to complete the action scene in the film.
Oh, it turns out that in recent years, Hong Kong movies have not lost the "Dragon and Tiger Spirit" passed down for many years.
Therefore, although the era of action movies in Hong Kong has passed, the glory that was "desperately" fought by the dragon and tiger martial artists still exists in the past, and their spirit of daring to fight and dare to fight has been inherited by filmmakers.
"Dragon and Tiger Master" deserves to be seen by more people, because they and the era they lived in deserve to be remembered.
And their indomitable fighting spirit should also be carried forward. Only in this way can China’s films be truly immortal!