|
|
Post by nocomments87 on Nov 25, 2012 12:39:29 GMT -5
 Jui kuen (Drunken Master)Directed by: Yuen Woo-pingWritten by: Lung Hsiao, Ng See-Yuen, Yuen Woo-pingMusic by: Chow Fu-liangStarring: Jackie Chan as Wong Fei-Hung/Freddy Wong Siu Tien Yuen as Su Hua Chi/Sam Seed Jang Lee Hwang as Thunderleg/Thunderfoot Welcome to Martial Arts Theatre...I mean...the F.A.N. Movie Club. This week, we're going into a different territory: Martial Arts. Bad dubs, noticeable wires, and lots and lots of choreography. Some are intentionally funny, some are unintentionally funny...but that's the charm of Martial Arts films. Drunken Master is one of those rare movies that takes these elements and makes it work. It's "Kung Fu comedy" at its finest, and the dubbing actually isn't too bad (the DVD has the original Cantonese track, but for some reason, there are parts where it switches to English, most likely due to the footage that was restored that was cut originally). Here are my three reasons for why I've chosen this film: 1. Jackie Chan in his prime, doing what he does best. 2. Proof that not all Martial Arts movies are the same. Sometimes, for every 20 similar films of revenge and kung fu action, you get a rare gem like Drunken Master. 3. It's considered the film to end the infamous "Bruceploitation" in Hong Kong, which was a desperate attempt to cash in on Bruce Lee's name and likeness after his death. Of course, just like "Bruceploitation" from 1973-1978, Drunken Master had its imitators too: The Drunken Fighter (also in 1978), Drunken Swordsman (1979), The Shaolin Drunken Monk (1982), Drunken Tai Chi (1984), Revenge of the Drunken Master (1984), Drunken Master III (1994), and The Little Drunken Masters (1995). A spin-off movie was released the following year, in 1979, called Dance of the Drunken Mantis, which Siu Tien Yuen reprises his role. An official sequel was released in 1994 in Hong Kong, and 2000 in the US, called Drunken Master II (The Legend of Drunken Master). This sequel also comes very highly recommended, and is often considered one of the greatest Martial Arts movies of all time, alongside the original Drunken Master. The film "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow" is also considered a precursor to Drunken Master, and has a similar plot. So enjoy the movie...and remember, kids...don't try this at home!  On a side note, if you don't have the DVD (which you can find very cheap on places like gohastings...I paid $1.99 for the Sony DVD release), you can watch the movie for free (legally) on Crackle and Hulu, and if you have Amazon Prime, it's also available on there for free, for Prime users. Sorry, Sony doesn't like Netflix, for some reason, so you won't find it there, but at least you have other options. |
|
|
|
Post by BoilerRoomBrawler on Nov 25, 2012 17:42:10 GMT -5
Oh hell yes. I love Drunken Master. It's a lot of fun and it's easy to see how it made Jackie Chan a star and revitalized the Hong Kong martial arts genre. It's legitimately funny on top of top notch martial arts choreography.
And speaking of martial arts choreography, don't forget to credit the unparalled Yuen Wo Ping, who does martial arts movies to this day and was even involved in the martial arts choreography of various American movies, in particular The Matrix. Yuen's choreography and Chan's talent are a match made in heaven throughout the movie.
On top of that, I write matches for the FAWA, and the fight scenes of Drunken Master as well as many other Hong Kong Martial Arts movies (especially Yuen Wo Ping, again) are a big influence on how I write matches. To keep things focused, if one watches Drunken Master, they should watch how creatively every move leads into the next and how a greater sequence is formed from the sum of its parts. I honestly believe that pro wrestlers could learn a lot from watching martial arts movies like Drunken Master, and I recommend this movie to any e-fedders who want to write matches to see how creative a fight can get.
|
|
|
|
Post by nocomments87 on Nov 25, 2012 19:40:23 GMT -5
This is very true...and I'd even say it goes further than choreographed fighting like Martial Arts (in film) and professional wrestling. You can even utilize the fluid movement of Drunken Master with dancing. Every move serves a purpose. It's easy to see why Yuen Woo-ping is so sought after in Hollywood, when it comes to action choreography.
|
|
|
|
Post by BoilerRoomBrawler on Nov 25, 2012 19:49:59 GMT -5
Oh, yes. Totally agreed. Yuen's style is very much like a choreographed dance. That's what set Bruce Lee movies apart in their day - they aren't choreographed that way; they are choreographed more like an actual fight. As many already know, the roots Chan's craft and others are in ballet, not martial arts. In fact, Yuen attended the same ballet school as Chan, hit he graduated before Chan enrolled.
|
|
|
|
Post by nocomments87 on Nov 25, 2012 20:25:34 GMT -5
The ballet roots are definitely noticeable in this movie, and in other Chan films...but it only adds to the timing of each move. Bruce Lee's films may have been more realistic in style, due to the fighting nature of the choreography, and thus, fans may prefer them (I, myself, consider Way of the Dragon as my personal favorite Martial Arts movie, but Drunken Master is a very close second), but sometimes, you just want to watch a movie to escape reality for a bit...to have a good time. That's where the one-two combo of Jackie Chan and Yuen Woo-ping work so well.
|
|
|
|
Post by BoilerRoomBrawler on Nov 25, 2012 20:45:01 GMT -5
Yep, they are two different flavors that have no reason to not coexist.
|
|
bob
Salacious Crumb
The "other" Bob. FOC COURSE!
started the Madness Wars, Proudly the #1 Nana Hater on FAN
Posts: 78,464
|
Post by bob on Nov 25, 2012 23:29:30 GMT -5
For some reason I thought Drunken Master was released a lot more recently.
|
|
|
|
Post by nocomments87 on Nov 25, 2012 23:42:53 GMT -5
For some reason I thought Drunken Master was released a lot more recently. Perhaps you were thinking of the sequel, Drunken Master II, released in Hong Kong in 1994 (for the US, it wasn't released until 2000, under the title "The Legend of Drunken Master"). It's a damn good movie as well... |
|
bob
Salacious Crumb
The "other" Bob. FOC COURSE!
started the Madness Wars, Proudly the #1 Nana Hater on FAN
Posts: 78,464
|
Post by bob on Nov 26, 2012 8:30:31 GMT -5
For some reason I thought Drunken Master was released a lot more recently. Perhaps you were thinking of the sequel, Drunken Master II, released in Hong Kong in 1994 (for the US, it wasn't released until 2000, under the title "The Legend of Drunken Master"). It's a damn good movie as well... Yup. You're right. |
|
bob
Salacious Crumb
The "other" Bob. FOC COURSE!
started the Madness Wars, Proudly the #1 Nana Hater on FAN
Posts: 78,464
|
Post by bob on Nov 26, 2012 19:31:00 GMT -5
So I watched this earlier today. Thus giving Drunken Master the distinction of being the first kung fu movie I've ever seen. I really enjoyed it.
It reminded me of Stalag 17 because it was funny as all hell until you could tell things got super serious about half way through.
|
|
bob
Salacious Crumb
The "other" Bob. FOC COURSE!
started the Madness Wars, Proudly the #1 Nana Hater on FAN
Posts: 78,464
|
Post by bob on Nov 29, 2012 14:24:24 GMT -5
*kung fu kicks the the thread*
|
|
bob
Salacious Crumb
The "other" Bob. FOC COURSE!
started the Madness Wars, Proudly the #1 Nana Hater on FAN
Posts: 78,464
|
Post by bob on Nov 29, 2012 22:38:25 GMT -5
Movies like Drunken Master, where cast members made it before they became famous, are always interesting to me. It's amazing how much younger Jackie Chan looks in this then when he arrived in Hollywood.
|
|
|
|
Post by nocomments87 on Nov 30, 2012 10:34:00 GMT -5
Indeed...Jackie was only 24 when Drunken Master was released, and had already come a long way since playing uncredited extras in two Bruce Lee films: Fist of Fury in 1972 and Enter the Dragon in 1973.
Watching Drunken Master, and hell...just about any action/martial arts film with Jackie Chan, is a good way to pay tribute to his excellent career. I'm sure most people are aware of this, but Jackie has retired from doing action movies. The movie "Chinese Zodiac", which is set to be released on December 20th in China, will be his last action movie. At age 58, it's impressive that he's gone on for so long...and still doing his own stunts. A true legend for sure...
|
|
|
|
Post by BoilerRoomBrawler on Nov 30, 2012 15:51:42 GMT -5
Speaking of "True Legends," I fully recommend the recent Yuen Wo Ping movie "True Legend."
|
|
|
|
Post by nocomments87 on Nov 30, 2012 20:42:48 GMT -5
Speaking of "True Legends," I fully recommend the recent Yuen Wo Ping movie "True Legend." I'll definitely hunt it down and give it a watch...always looking for a good martial arts film to check out. Thanks for the heads up... |
|
|
|
Post by BoilerRoomBrawler on Dec 1, 2012 2:13:56 GMT -5
Speaking of "True Legends," I fully recommend the recent Yuen Wo Ping movie "True Legend." I'll definitely hunt it down and give it a watch...always looking for a good martial arts film to check out. Thanks for the heads up... Simply put... {Spoiler}When an armor-skinned poison zombie is not the final fight, you know you have a winner. That said, it's sillier out of context; it's not a "so bad it's good" movie; it's just good. This reminds me of something I love in martial arts movies such as Drunken Master: it's the kind of movie where particular emphasis is placed on techniques, specialties, stances, et cetera that martial arts begin to resemble a superpower. That is, knowing martial arts seems to put you on a different level of existence than everyone else. For that matter, a movie like Drunken Master, which is over thirty years old now, has such a talented lead and such inspired choreography that it can be telling that it is still leaps and bounds better than just about everything the United States has to offer in terms of martial arts action. Probably the most popular American martial arts movie of recent times is The Matrix. And guess who did the fight choreography for that movie? That's right; Yuen Wo Ping.  |
|
