Hollywood calls China

of Roberto Bonomelli

From some year to this part in the mecca of the cinema they are looked at to work directors, actors, coreografi of Chinese scenes of combat and stuntman. What has happened? The "invasione" trades them of China sdoganato also the artistic production? Finally it has been redeemed the role of the Asian man on the market of the cinema American? The answer is a single one, and is the only one listened from the major of Hollywood: the public has always reason. By now names like Jackie Chan, Jet Them, Sammo Hung and, even if the last one arrived, Stephen Chow are are famous also outside from the circles of get passionate you of Asian cinema. When is begun the "yellow fever" that seems to have been involved million fan all over the world? Sure "Matrix" (The matrix, 1999), with its three episodes, has launch a tendency that has been then travelled over again from nearly all the productions that they included. The protagonists Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne have been forced to train itself for four months with masters of kung were under the direction of Yuen Woo Ping. This by now leggendario coreografo of Hong Kong, beyond having direct Jackie Chan to its debut in "the snake in the shadow of the Aquila" (Snake in the eagle' s shadow, 1978) and Jet Them in the series Ounces upon to Time in China (years Ninety) is also the craftsman of the scenes of combat of an other film that has given a large contribution to the rebirth of the cinema of the martial limbs, "Kill Bill".
Quentin Tarantino in its "Kill Bill", volume 1 (2003) and 2 (2004), beyond to the kung was of the years Seventy ago continuous citations cinefile also to the kinds samurai, yakuza and spaghetti western. In order to only stop us to those of our field, the more immediate citation is the worn yellow coveralls with strisce black from Uma Thurman in the first volume in homage to Bruce Lee in "the last combat of Chen" (Game of death, 1973). Between by now the typical recoveries of star of the past made from the director American there are some icone of the imaginary one of the martial limbs. Gordon Liu (Liu Chia Hui), true expert of kung was, that it became famous in years Seventy for film like Masterk killer, Executioners of death, finds again it in the double role of head of the "band of the 88 crowds" and the bad Pairs Mei, the master of the interpreted thirsty spouse of vendetta from Uma Thurman. David Carradine, famous in our world like monaco shaolin the Kwai Chang Caine, interprets instead the role of the hated Bill (imperdibile citation: Carradine sound the flauto just like in "Messages from disowned forces", that is Silent champagne glass, film realized on a subject written from Bruce Lee).
Memory still with sympathy a youth friend that it did not want to believe that the protagonist of the series "Kung" (had gone in wave in the United States between 1972 and 1975 would be due to be interpreted nientemeno that from Bruce Lee) were not a true expert of the Chinese art. In truth David Carradine it practiced kung was for script requirements (its master is Kam Yuen of the styles of the mantide religious and shaolin of the north) and it became some a estimatore to the point to publish dvd and books on its way to interpret the art of the combat. In spite of the abundant employment of kata of in these two films of Japanese there is alone the cult of the sword and actor Sonny Chiba in the cameo role of master spadaio (other star of the past in a begun Japanese film series in years Seventy with "The streetfighter"), while the action is all of Chinese school. "Made in Hong Kong" is also the action of the two amusing "Charlie' s Angels", remake of the television series of the end of years Seventy. E' in fact work of Yuen Cheung Yan, brother of the most famous Woo Ping, the obtained result thanks to a daily training of 7-8 hours with Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore, for three months, and with Lucy Liu (already practicing of martial limbs: kali-escrima-silat, like filler its curriculum) for two months. In times still not suspiciones the director John Woo, prototype of "nouvelle vague" of the cinema of Hong Kong thanks to film cult of the sort gangster like "The killer" (1989), "To better tomorrow" (1986) and "Hard boiled" (1992), has influenced the cinematography strongly American. One of the innovations from he brought on the great screen is to have replaced in the action scenes the crews from fire to those traditional ones of the kung was maintaining of it but the virtuosismi athletic.
The result is that today to hard work a "action movie" can be seen that in a scene of conflict to fire does not trace its style carrying the action to the hyperbola of which the director of Honk Kong he is master. The great cinematographic houses of Hollywood have opened wide it the doors with turn out to you that they are for all visible in films like "Face/off - two faces of an assassin" (1997), "impossible Mission 2" (2000). The happened one has before arrived in Asia thanks also to the perfect alchemy between John Woo and Chow Yun Fat, a considered actor perfect in order to interpret the threatened cavalleresco ideal of extinction that is to the base of its poetica vein. Although Chow Yun Fat is identified like the king of the sort gangster is with a wuxiapian, that is "film of erranti knights", that he will become popular all over the world. We are speaking about "the tiger and dragone" (the Crouching tiger, hidden dragon, 2000), 10 candidate to Oscar and winner of four, between which that one of "better foreign film", directed from the director of Taiwan, Ang Lee. This sword and film "cappa" have marked the interest outbreak towards films of Chinese martial limbs and also the popolarità in the West for already famous Chinese actors in Asia like Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh (the great public already knew it for "007 - tomorrow it does not die never", 1997) and Zhang Ziyi (last the its job is "Memories of one geisha" produced from Steven Spielberg). Perhaps are ended the times in which, practicing of included martial limbs, they fell in the trap of polemizzare on the flights of the protagonists from a roof to the other, on the swords launch to incredible distances, in films of martial limbs in custom? For the Chinese their heroes, masters of kung were comprised, are able of better gesta not common or sovrumane; therefore nobody will never place the question if that that they see is realistic or not. It would be like asking itself if the actions of Zorro, Batman and James Bond are rationally acceptable. The same one could be said by now also of the acrobatics with crews from fire, that they come launch in air from a hand to the other, and of the improbable positions of shooting adopted from all in the style John Woo.
The fact that in the cavalleresco kind comes employed of ropes for the actors, in order to realize the aerial scenes, is something that all know and accept; the term quite exists "to wire kung was". The western public seems however more mature than a time because able to watch beyond he knows you fantasiosi picking the originality of history, the poetry of the inquadrature and unknown the aesthetic taste to we. On the wake of the happened one obtained from "the tiger and the dragone" some films of the same kind are escapes on our screen. "the forest of the flying daggers" (House of flying daggers, 2004) of Zhang Yimou (winning of a Bear of gold to Berlin for "I rise red", 1987) has demonstrated as the taste and the Chinese aesthetic sensibility of the combat scenes are indeed only. More rough darkness and is instead "Seven Swords" (has opened the last extension of cinema of Venice) that type "the seven samurai" rendering it more epica thanks to the mixture of history and legend is developed on a history as knows to make Tsui Hark, other great name of the school of direction of Hong Kong (its "Zu: warriors from the magic mountains ", 1982, are the premonitory one of the fantasy Asian). If today the Asian cinema is having happening does not have to be forgotten Bruce Lee, premonitory of all the Chinese actors who have tried the road of Hollywood, than thanks to its films it would have would have intentional to change the image of the Chinese man in the West and to diffuse the culture of China. As the Small can be forgotten how much dredges has had to fight in order to emerge in "showbiz". E' be quite forced to return in its natia Hong Kong in order to produce its films, to sbancare botteghini thanks to fan all over the world, and finally to return to be newly of interesting for studios the Americans. With "the three of the Operation I dredge" (Enter the Dragon, exited posthumous in the 1973) Bruce Lee finally obtained one coproduction American for a its film. Unfortunately, with its dead women premature, we will not never know how many and which films could have turned with the aid of the major. Sure the cases of who with four films are rarest and means have become a planetary myth; only James Dean and Marylin Monroe have obtained the same result. After Bruce Lee, even if for various qualities and kind, Jackie Chan it is the superstar Asian that greater popolarità in the West has obtained. But we do not forget that, although Jackie Chan was true idolo in all Asia with a filmografia from record, solo with "Earthquake in the Bronx" (Rumble in the Bronx, 1997) is successful to assert itself in the USA and has arrived the planetary reputation. In this file found an interview made from ours correspondent to Hong Kong that will reveal you many aspects of its personality and its job. To follow, after Jackie, we find a champion of wushu become by now a world-wide celebrity, Jet Them By now it works for productions Americans, European and returns with succeeding also to turn with its compatriots, as we have seen with "Hero", when the plan is interesting. In the second part of this file "Holywood: the mecca of the martial limbs ": the emerged Asian others star: Stephen Chow, Sammo Hung, Donnie Yen and other anchor. Which are the last productions of the celebrities Americans whom until some time it makes depopulated: Steven Seagal, Jean Claude Van Damme, Chunck Norris, Chyntia Rothrock;

Roberto Bonomelli is journalist specialized in martial limbs, our collaborator from 1986, and writes also for reviews of the field Americans (Inside Kung-Fu) and English (Martial Arts Illustrated) let alone author of books ("Kali-Arnis-Escrima: the art of the combat with and without crews "," Course of personal defense") translate also in French and Spanish. Roberto is the first given a degree to Italian instructor in the jun-fan gung-fu/jeet-kune-gives and the martial limbs of the Asian South-east from master Dan Inosanto (Los Angeles, USA), let alone production manager national Akea, and standard jkd, kali and silat near its Bono Academy of Sixth Saint Giovanni (ME): www.bonoacademy.it