While many have heralded that discovery of the grindhouse
film over the past decade the fact is that many of us were exposed to those
same movies not via small unsavory locations filled with hookers and junkies
but in areas as diverse as drive-ins and even television. For martial arts
movie fans across the country there were countless chop socky programs offered
on local and national channels that brought out the lowest priced films from
both the Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest studios. All seemed to be shot on the
same sets (many were) and made with more effort spent on wire work than on
story.
But those weren’t the only films being made in China at the
time. Others dealt more with story that was deep and involved history as well
as legends of old. The problem was that those films definitely lost much in
translation, sometimes literally and at other times due to the difference in
societies. How could European based countries relate to the struggles of
peasants over emperors and corrupt governments officials? And yet we tried to
absorb these stories and enjoy them. For most it was less about the story and
more about the whole phenomena of kung fu battles.
Which brings me around to the release of this double feature
from Shout Factory. Martial arts aficionados will no doubt recognize the star
of both KUNG FU GIRL and WHIPLASH, Pei-Pei Cheng. She was one of the shining
lights of the genre in China. So much so that when director Ang Lee made
CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON he chose her to play one of the lead roles. But
while her name may be synonymous with the genre in China my guess is that few
here know her. That can change thanks to DVDs being released, starting with
this disc.
The stories here differ from one another. GIRL takes place
in the Chinese Republic where a ruthless general decides to take over the
country and proclaim himself emperor. Student activists (though while watching
I just thought they were peasant bandits, an example of the lost in translation
I spoke of) strike out against him. Cheng stars as a young woman who
impersonates the long lost sister whose brother has been arrested in the hopes
of getting close to the new emperor’s chief of security. This one features a
much deeper plot than one usually expects from the typical martial arts flick
and will requires more attention than one would expect from the genre we grew
up with.
The second film, WHIPLASH, plays more for combination of
comedy and action. The movie opens with a group that heads to the mountains in
the hope of finding a long lost treasure, but they run into problems. Cut to
the home of Cheng which is set upon by a group of bandits. She takes on each
one with a combination of martial arts and her bullwhip. One of the bandits was
in possession of several of her father’s belongings and when questioned told
her he was wounded in a ravine. Eventually she serves them wine till they are
drunk, then ties them up and recruits them to assist her in finding her father,
the man who led the group seen at the film’s opening. Along the way there is
plenty of action, a little intrigue and lots of laughs from the various members
of the bandits, most notably their always referring back to getting drunk.
One thing you notice when looking back at films like these
is the speed, or lack thereof, on display during the action sequences. In a
time now where we see lightning speed used in movies that feature both hand to
hand combat as well as martial arts, these movies seem as if they are running
in slow motion. But the reality of it is that this was the norm in those days.
Accurate strikes, blows and responses were done protecting those involved in
making the films while at the same time looking like fast paced action for the
time. I think the only martial arts movies that seemed slower were any involving
David Carradine. But they were so well choreographed that no one paid
attention. All of that changed with the appearance of Bruce Lee.
But if you remember those films fondly, if you want to begin
a collection of martial arts films that covers the genre from start to finish,
then this wouldn’t be a bad place to start. It offers up one of the main stars
of those films in two movies for the price of one. Note that neither is dubbed
but die hards won’t care. For them it’s the love of the original films and not
the westernization of them.
Click here to order.
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