This Jet Li movie series sparked a martial arts craze in the 90s

Over here, James Bond and Iron Man. The Guinness World Record for the hero with the most appearances in his series in any media went to Hong Kong film industry's Wong Fei-hong. Born in 1847, Wong was a real-life martial artist and doctor who was mythologised to legendary status. However, of his 107 films and his 20 television shows that have been produced about Wong so far, jet li's take on the character remains the most iconic. Conceived by Hong Kong's new wave magician director, Tsui Hark, Once upon a time in China The 1990s series successfully rebooted the hero for modern times, blending the stunts of Hong Kong cinema's peak with powerful questions about national identity.

Once Upon a Time in China (1991)

Legendary martial arts hero Wong Feihong fights against foreign forces plundering China. When Aunt Yi returns from America, Wong Feihong assumes the role of her guardian.

release date

August 15, 1991

director

Tsui Hark

cast

Jet Li, Yuen Biao, Jackie Chan, Rosamund Kwan, Kent Chen

runtime

134 minutes

Writer

Tsui Hark, Yuen Kai-chi, Leon Yiming, Elsa Tan

studio

Film Workshop, Golden Harvest, Paragon Film Limited

Sales agent

golden harvest

What is “Once Upon a Time in China”?

original Once upon a time in China The story takes place in the late 19th century, when the ruling Qing Empire of China was invaded by Western powers and the country's main ports were colonized. won (jet li) runs an ancient Chinese medicine clinic, Po Chilam, teaches kung fu to apprentices, and forms a civilian self-defense militia. His activities incur the wrath of American General Jackson (Jonathan Isgar), trafficking Chinese workers to San Francisco for the California Gold Rush. Jackson is rescued by his collaborators, the bandit Shafa Group, who are Qing officials (Won Chi Young), and his martial arts rival Mr. Im (Yen Siguan). Wong must now survive attempts on his life by these parties while trying to protect his lover, the 13th Aunt (Rosamund Kwan), from falling into the captivity of traffickers.

Although Wong Fei Hong has made 85 films so far, Once upon a time in China, Tsui revived the folk hero and propelled the franchise to new heights. At this point in his career, Tsui was already known as one of the key figures of the Hong Kong New Wave, bringing an American film school sensibility and a nihilistic, political edge to Hong Kong cinema. At the same time, he was reviving folk legends and other intellectual properties as wild, pioneering spectacles using early Hollywood special effects. Once upon a time in China was his biggest success as a director and spawned five sequels. At this point, Jet Li was already a star from his debut film. shaolin templebut only appeared in six films. Once upon a time in China His prolific decade began in the 1990s, and by the end of it he had risen to Hollywood stardom. The series would see the two men reunite numerous times in other projects such as: Swordsman II and black maskunofficially starting a martial arts boom.

“Once Upon a Time in China'' is a masterpiece of Hong Kong cinema.

The immediate appeal of this series is that it features stunts from the heyday of Hong Kong cinema, with Hark as a master choreographer united. Lau Ka Leung and Yoo Jim Yuenthe latter was its master Jackie Chan. In most Hollywood action movies, any action set piece in the first movie is easily a spectacular highlight, but the first thing that stands out about the stunts in Hong Kong movies is clarity. Although Haack's films are aesthetically pleasing, his camera is never unwieldy or flashy. Haak is dedicated to capturing the physicality of choreography in the simplest and cleanest way possible.

The second characteristic is creativity, and that's where the film shines. Stunts in Hong Kong movies are thrilling because they always find a way to engage with geography. Once upon a time in China It takes place in a restaurant, and the characters fight using plates and knives.Connection with geography ensures Battles are always colorful and fluidthe characters always seem to be thinking for themselves, capturing the audience's attention.

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Nevertheless, pure stunts alone don't make a good movie. One of the main reasons is that Once upon a time in China This work is thanks to Jet Li's Wong Feihong.Contains many legends Kwang Tak-hinGordon Lau', and although Jackie Chan has played Wong before, Lee was able to make Wong completely his own. Wong Fei-hong shares the same problem as many other martial arts heroes in movies. Even though he is the master of many disciples, he is so overwhelming that he never loses in the movie. Hark solves this problem by making Wong struggle ideologically rather than physically.as de facto As the leader of Foshan, he initially takes a diplomatic approach to the invading foreigners, but when the Westerners intensify their attacks and shoot at the Chinese, on the verge of genocide, he continues to take a backseat. I realize that I can't do it. In doing this he Jet Li modernized Wong Fei-hong, and Wong Fei-hong cemented Lee as a star.

'Once Upon a Time in China' captures a nation in conflict

But above all, the core elements that make this possible are: Once upon a time in China That theme is very strong and persistent. Tsui Hark is a representative of the Hong Kong New Wave, and the defining commonality of all Hong Kong New Wave films is the people's understanding of self-identity before Hong Kong's sovereignty was returned from British rule to China in 1997. It captures anxiety. This movie is set a century ago. It still captures that uncertainty and doubt. At the time Haack was making this film, China was pursuing Deng Xiaoping's “reform and opening up” policies after the Tiananmen Square massacre. As mentioned above, Wong tries to be diplomatic at first, but is there really room for diplomacy when foreigners are invading and colonizing? Are extremism and xenophobia justified when they border on genocide? These are all questions this film poses to the audience.

The film is more of a historical epic than an action movie, as there is very little fighting in the first hour. Instead, it's more interested in the geopolitical tensions between the characters, creating a perfect blend of theme and action. Synthesis flows to music by Hong Kong creative multi-hyphenate, James WongSimilarly, traditional Chinese instruments and melodies are fused with synthesizers.

Once upon a time in China This series is still loved all over the world. Even as Tsui Hark turns to authoritarian regime-supporting propaganda films, his undisputed classic remains impeccable and admired by the people of Hong Kong. In the West, the entire series was acquired by Janus Films and released through a Criterion Collection box set in 2021, giving it much-needed exposure. The dubbing may be tough for the audience at first, but the flashy action and tricky, complex questions will eventually win them over. Overall, the depth and spectacle of Hong Kong cinema during its heyday far exceeded Hollywood action productions.

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