Jet Li, the Chinese hero

"lethal Arm 4" has introduced it the great public, but it is "Hero" to consecrate it star world-wide. History of a champion of wushu that it becomes celebrity of the cinema.

of Roberto Bonomelli and Walter Gjergja

Jet Li is today between the most famous martial actors to the world, and gives beyond two decades is sure the main cinematographic exponent of the wushu. That that Jet has carried Them on the screen is a mix of wushu modern and traditional, technical with cables (to wire kung it was), and one marzialità often much emphasized fair and in every look, movement, and language of the body also in action scenes not. These characteristics have rendered Jet particularly adapted Them to heroic roles, often legacies to more or less real personages of the Chinese martial history; also nei contemporary roles very rarely Jet Them exit from one stereotype of composed, quiet, diminutivo and little loquacious personage, but if necessary ready on the credit side action in much dynamic one and stilizzato way, the contrary dell' esuberanza and large comicità of an other star Chinese one, Jackie Chan. The wushu modern clear constant in all the roles of Jet is however one Them; from the postura to the way to move in action and not, Jet must Them level all to its extraordinary formation in the Chinese martial limbs for many years and to the maximum. From the age of eight years inzia the practical one of the wushu near the elementary school Changquiao di Beijing.
To be a champion of China is difficult, but to maintain to the title it for four consecutive times is what that it has of the incredible one. Them Lian Jie, in Jet art Them, to the age of 11 years sbaraglia all its adversaries to its first national Championship of wushu, interpreting the disciplines demanded (to the age mix a complex of modern and traditional styles) with a skillful combination of changquan, tangquan, tongbeiquan, and other external styles, beyond to duilian (the coreografato combat). In the same event, as far as the crews, it gains also in the specialties jianshu (sword), quiangshu (nozzle), daoshu (sabre). Its fluidity, agilities and precision are considered immediately of great technical value and aesthetic sense, and they will concur it to remain imbattuto for great part of the own agonistica career.
Jet passes Them from the relative anonimità, to outside of China, of young champion of wushu, to the cinematographic first premises and then international reputation, in 1982 with the film ` Shaolin Temple'. Jet Them had been withdrawn from the competitions already to the age of 17 years, in forecast of a television or cinematographic career, and comes chosen in the role of the young person monaco protagonist thanks to the fact that manager of a house of production of Hong Kong had seen it years before on the contest squares remaining some struck by lightning. Shaolin Temple just becomes true and cult in all Asia with migliaia of young people that literally scappano from house in order to go to the tempio and to emulate their hero; part of the rebirth of Shaolin in years Eighty and Ninety, and the development of the great schools limitrofe to the tempio, has been inspired just from the film. In this Jet film Them, and a great number of other Chinese champions, is exhibited in a fantastic modern and traditional true variety of wushu, to hands knots and with traditional crews, without the aid of techniques with cables, it makes up cinematographic, special effects, or other artifices; just for this the film has become a must for all gets passionate you to it of Chinese martial limbs, and is nearly an historical document of the evolution and popolarizzazione of the wushu. As a result of happened of the this first film Jet young person comes put in order to produce Them under contract two sequel in the following years, Shaolin Temple 2: Kids from Shaolin (1984) and Shaolin Temple 3: North and South Shaolin (1986). Both follow the same formula and introduce the same not excessive "cinematografizzato" variety of true wushu, and in spite of history a po' banal they collect happened little inferior to the first film, and carry Jet Them to the studios of Hong Kong, to the age economically strongest in Asia. In the English former-colony Jet it passes Them films to contemporary, with the titles them Born to Defend (1986), Dragon Fighter (1988) and The Master (1992). All and three introduce wushu the much less pure one, a mix of cinematographic and technical techniques from combat with cables, and a Jet Them little leggendario and epico, more odierno and normal school. This mix does not seem appeals to to the public, and the films collect inferior happening to its previous historical roles. "The Master" is also the first film of turned Jet Them in the United States, than it sees it placed side by side from then disowned Stephen Chow ("Shaolin Soccer" and "Kung Fusion") and faced from the bad one of turn interpreted from Jerry Trimble. It is not not only born idillio between Jet Them and kickboxer the American, but the production has held this film in the drawer in order to let out it some years after. Various with the director Tsui Hark (Seven Swords) a collaboration is begun that the Golden Harvest has taken advantage of with happening in the series of historical films dedicated to the leggendario Wong Fei Hung, considered the father of hung gar (one of the main styles of the south of China) therefore like practical to the days ours. "Upon Ounces to Time in China" (1990) of the sort martial limbs were the first film to receive one particular attention from part of the cinematographic critic. 1991) and "Upon Ounces to Time in China 3" (1992 followed "Upon Ounces to Time in China 2" ().
This saga acclimatized in 1800 ripropone wushu purer (designers of hun gar does not have to expect to see the techniques traditional of their school), seppur coadiuvato from many techniques with cables, and projects Jet Them in a role and historical context where it can maximize its scenica presence and quiet marzialità. The third episode is also last because of the conflict between production, direction and actor protagonist. In Italian it has been only doubled "was once in China and America" (Upon Ounces to Time in China and America, 1997) a successive film, this time directed from Sammo Hung, that it meant to resume the happened one of the heroic personage. These films were all smash hit Asian us, therefore like the successive films dedicated to the founder of taijiquan from the title it The Tai-who Master (1993) and to that one of the hung-gar, Hung Hei Goon, The New Legend of Shaolin (1994). The apex of this period of consents must to the film Fist of Legend (1994), from many considered the best film than Jet Them, than except some short excesses of I use cables, and some small novellistic gaps, introduces one fascinating history (a rifacimento of "From China with Fury", Fist of Fury), optimal a charismatic personage, and one mix of wushu of the South and the North of China in multiple combats. In the second half of the years Ninety Jet ripropone Them in contemporary key. The several films, The Bodyguard from Beijing (1994, rifacimento of "Guadia of the body" with Kevin Costner), High Risk (1995), Hitman (1998), "the vendetta of the black mask" (Black Mask, 1996) newly do not collect the happened one of the productions in historical contexts and with defined traditional and martial values more, but they are a luminosity callback to the conventional films of action produced to Hollywood, and carry in the participation of Jet Them, for before the time in a bad one role, in the lethal film "Arm 4" (Lethal Weapon 4,1998) last the amusing adventure of brace of policemen interpreted from Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. The happened one is immediate, They open wide themselves to Jet the doors of Hollywood and little wushu exhibited in the film he is however sufficient to create migliaia of new fan in the West. All Americans follow therefore to short interval some productions: "Romeo must die" (Romeo Must Die, 2000) and "Friends x the dead women" (Serious Cradle 2 the, 2001), in both to the star of the wushu comes placed side by side the star of music rap Dmx, then the fantascientifico "The one" (2001) with an interesting crash "Jet vs Jet" where the bond employs bagua (the style of the palm the eight trigrammi) and bad one xinyi (the style of the fist-mind). Although western developments one new and more wide base than fan, in these films comes snaturato is the wushu of Jet, ruining Them it with excesses of special and technical effects with cables, is its personage, than often it comes integrated in little interesting contexts and appreciates to you from its estimative ones of the past. A first improvement is had with the films of French coproduction: "Kiss of the Dragon" (2001), produced from Luc Besson ("Nikita" and "Léon"), and the recent "Danny the Dog" (Unleashed, 2005), next to actors of great levatura like Morgan Freeman and Bob Hoskins, that they propose wushu a a lot diluted and adapted to the contexts of the history, but at least not rendered excessive surrealistic from special effects and cables. The taken direction of the productions European Americans and has pushed Jet to return Them also to the productions Chinese, a lot evolute and applauded from the world-wide critic in the last years. The happened one has been immediate, with the fantastic film of cappa and sword (wu xia)"Hero", directed from Zhang Yi Mou ("Red Spiders", "the forest of the flying daggers") the most appreciated Chinese director from the world-wide critic, in a stoic and heroic role, and wushu a classic in its stilizzazione of the movements, seppur constantly coadiuvato from cables in order to integrate the movements in the fantastic context that characterizes films of the "erranti knights". The popolarità of the Chinese actor has carried the Sony to the realization of a game for PlayStation 2 from the title it Rise to Honor that protagonist sees to it; while it seems that there is in plan the cinematographic version of an other famous game, Tekken, where Jet will be placed side by side from the attrice Vicky Zhao ("Shaolin Soccer") the last hard work to Them of Jet Them is new epico Chinese martial film that is in order to arrive in ours knows them. "Fearless" narrates the true history of Hou Yuanjia, the founder della famous school Jingwu di Shangai that nel 1910 gained an international torneo, where it faced also lottatori western, bringing back allo splendor of a time the Chinese martial limbs. The expectation is of a modern and traditional true rich film of wushu, little special and technical effects with cables, and for many backs of a return to the cinematographic origins of Jet Them, the great classic of Chinese martial limbs Shaolin Temple. In order to obtain information modernized on its films www.jetli.com;

Walter Gjergja has 33 years and studies the wushu traditional and modern from the age of 13 years. After to have begun in 1985, in Italy, Walter has then travelled from 1989 to 2001, continuing the studies in Asia (with long stays to Shaolin) and Oceania, and obtaining multiple international successes competitive and demonstrated to you to you, let alone collaborations with film productions and documentary. In the 2001 Walter it is returned in Europe, where hour resides and standard to Milan, near its school Shaolin Wushu Guan Italy: www.shaolin-wushu.it;