tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post2036756606076470780..comments2024-02-18T08:45:16.295-08:00Comments on The Film Connoisseur: Kant Miss Kung Fu Klassics: Five Element Ninjas (1982)Franco Macabrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-50601168027095371472010-10-02T15:50:51.897-07:002010-10-02T15:50:51.897-07:00Thanks for the info Bri, I think according to what...Thanks for the info Bri, I think according to what you've said that I've seen some Wuxia movies then! I saw LAST HURRAH FOR CHIVALRY, the one directed by John Woo! Actually, I was surprised to discover that Woo was a director of martial arts films, I quite enjoyed that one. <br /><br />I also saw The Magic Blade, but I didn't really focus on that one and disconnected from it for some reason. <br /><br />Thanks for clearing up this difference between whats WUXIA and whats KUNG FU!Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-73499167845509917242010-10-01T12:36:24.904-07:002010-10-01T12:36:24.904-07:00Some fans occasionally refer to all of them as ...Some fans occasionally refer to all of them as 'kung fu movies', even though there's a difference. I like to refer to them as 'Romantic Swordsman' movies, especially many of the works of Chu Yuan. There's always some doomed, tragic, or hidden love story tucked away in their somewhere.<br /><br />Still, it's not as jarring as referring to Japanese martial arts films as 'kung fu films'. That's like calling Football basketball. Both are entirely different animals. <br /><br />Shaw's jump started a new kind of Wuxia actioner in the late 60's that was more realistic, putting less emphasis on the fantastic aspects and giving these often times spectacularly gruesome movies a Japanese flavor even down to importing Japanese directors and cinematographers.<br /><br />These swordplay films (shot mostly outdoors) were far easier to follow along and things didn't get really extravagant till Chu Yuan reinvigorated the genre with the huge hit, KILLER CLANS in 1976. All of these were pretty much studio bound movies with the gorgeous sets giving the films a fairy tale quality. From there, it was an onslaught of similar movies trying to copy the "Shaw style" with all the meticulous sets.<br /><br />Some of the best of these are<br /><br />THE MAGIC BLADE<br />THE WEB OF DEATH (batshit crazy this one with a lot of wild effects)<br />SWORDSMAN & ENCHANTRESS<br />THE JADE TIGER<br />THE SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN<br />THE LEGEND OF THE BAT<br /><br />In the early 80's the superpowers of the old, old Wuxia movies came back in vogue and can be seen in movies like <br /><br />DESCENDANT OF THE SUN<br />HOLY FLAME OF THE MARTIAL WORLD<br />HIDDEN POWER OF THE DRAGON SABRE<br />THE BASTARD SWORDSMAN<br />RETURN OF THE BASTARD SWORDSMANvenoms5https://www.blogger.com/profile/13655919099947763891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-69548233087784316872010-10-01T12:19:47.888-07:002010-10-01T12:19:47.888-07:00It's a genre of popular literature that became...It's a genre of popular literature that became a genre of wildly popular movies. The term refers to "Chivalrous Swordsmen", although there are swordswomen, too. The stories usually are incredibly voluminous in there expansiveness. The films usually are terribly condensed obviously and often are difficult to follow along if you're not already familiar with the source material.<br /><br />Generally, any movie that deals with the martial world, battling clans, flying swordsmen, the search for mystical weapons, etc, is part of the Wuxia genre. Recent examples include CROUCHING TIGER, HERO, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and other similar movies.venoms5https://www.blogger.com/profile/13655919099947763891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-58702727811384498852010-10-01T05:19:57.391-07:002010-10-01T05:19:57.391-07:00I got a question Venom: what the hell does the wor...I got a question Venom: what the hell does the word Wuxia mean? I've heard the term before referring to certain types of martial arts films, but have always wondered what it means and what it stands for.Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-38056382464000836702010-09-30T16:25:26.407-07:002010-09-30T16:25:26.407-07:00This is my fave Martial arts film of all time, Fra...This is my fave Martial arts film of all time, Fran! I've seen it over two dozen times. Great stuff.<br /><br />Prior to CC exploding onto the scene in 1967 with ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN, women were the main stars and even performed roles tailored for men. He changed all that and that became one of his signatures. If women weren't evil, they often played helpless characters there only to be rescued. Sometimes, he did have a strong female role, though. I've written a lot about the man in a multipart article, Fran. It's not done yet, but there's five parts so far.<br /><br />Interestingly, white is the color of death in China and I like how the opening of the movie, the main fighters of the Alliance are made up to be impressive warriors, yet next to the ninjas, they die pretty easily save for Lung Tien Sheng and Chao Kuo.<br /><br />This one has long been called a kung fu movie, but technically, it's a hybrid of the Wuxia swordplay genre and the kung fu films. You may eventually want to check out some of those Wuxia movies, many of them based on novels. The storylines are often convoluted. They always deal with the Martial World with various clans battling for control, or the search for an all powerful weapon. Generally these movies have dozens of characters, are full of subterfuge and often times have fighters with superhuman powers, abilities and so forth.<br /><br />Hey, if you wanna see a funny shot, freeze frame the last scene in 5EN when the warriors smash the Earth emblem. You'll notice Wang Li smashing Yu Tai Ping square in the back of the head. For years I wondered why he fell down so oddly.venoms5https://www.blogger.com/profile/13655919099947763891noreply@blogger.com