EAST ASIAN CINEMA

Cinema of China Cinema of Hong Kong Cinema of Japan Cinema of Korea Cinema of Taiwan

Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action movie, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural appeal. In recent years, the flow has reversed somewhat, with American and European action films being heavily influenced by Hong Kong genre conventions. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... East Asian cinema (sometimes called Far Eastern cinema, Eastern cinema, Asian cinema or Oriental cinema) is a term used to refer to the film industry and films produced in, and/or by natives of, East Asia. ... The history of Chinese-language cinema has three separate threads of development: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. ... The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan. ... Japanese cinema (映画; Eiga) has a history in Japan that spans more than 100 years. ... Korean cinema encompasses the motion picture industries of North Korea and South Korea. ... The history of Chinese-language cinema has three separate threads of development: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China and Cinema of Taiwan. ... The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Much like American popular music, the cinema of the United States has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. ... A film genre is a rough categorization of films into genres, which describe the typical subject matter—what the film is about: Western films are about the American West, love stories are about love, and so on. ...

The first Hong Kong action films favoured the wuxia style, emphasizing mysticism and swordplay, but this trend was politically suppressed in the 1930s and replaced by styles in which films depicted more down-to-earth unarmed kung fu, often featuring folk hero Wong Fei Hung. Post-war cultural upheavals led to a second wave of wuxia films with highly acrobatic violence, followed by the emergence of the grittier kung fu films for which the Shaw Brothers studio became best known. The 1970s saw the rise and sudden death of international superstar Bruce Lee. He was succeeded in the 1980s by Jackie Chan—who popularised the use of comedy, dangerous stunts, and modern urban settings in action films—and Jet Li, whose authentic wushu skills appealed to both eastern and western audiences. The innovative work of directors and producers like Tsui Hark and John Woo introduced further variety (for example, gunplay, triads and the supernatural). An exodus by many leading figures to Hollywood in the 1990s coincided with a downturn in the industry. Poster from the American release of Zhang Yimous 2002 film Hero (英雄) WÇ”xiá (also Wu Xia) (Traditional Chinese: 武俠; Simplified Chinese: 武侠; Mandarin IPA: ; Cantonese: mów hàb), literally meaning martial arts chivalry or martial arts heroes, from Chinese, is a distinct genre in Chinese literature, television and cinema. ... Alternative meaning: Kung Fu (TV series) Kung fu or gongfu (功夫, Pinyin: gōngfu) is a well-known Chinese term used in the West to designate Chinese martial arts. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Shaw Studio (邵氏片場), owned by Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. ... In the 1970s, Hong Kong underwent many changes that were to shape the future of the city. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... The 1980s in Hong Kong is an important part of Hong Kong history as it underwent rapid economic development that led directly to its international recognition and economic leadership in Asia. ... Chan Kong-Sang known as Jackie Chan Sing Lung SBS (born on April 7, 1954 on Victoria Peak, Hong Kong, China) is a Chinese martial artist, actor, director, script writer, film producer, singer and former stunt performer. ... An under 16s motorbike display team perform a potentially dangerous stunt A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre or cinema. ... Jet Li (born Li Lianjie)is a Chinese martial artist, actor and action star. ... This article provides a general overview of Chinese martial arts. ... Tsui Hark (Chinese: 徐克; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsü Ko) (born Tsui Man-kong (徐文光) on February 15, 1950) is a New Wave film director in Hong Kong who is also a highly influential producer, often likened to Steven Spielberg for a similar galvanizing effect on his countrys cinematic scene. ... John Woo (Chinese: ; pinyin: Wú YÇ”sÄ“n) (born 1 May 1946) is a Chinese film director and producer known especially for his Heroic bloodshed movies, which often include balletic violence, he is very talented directing skills and has known sucess with such hits as A Better tomorrow movies and... Triad (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Sānhéhuì; literally Triad Society) or (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: HÄ“ishèhuì; literally Black Society, a general term for criminal organizations) is a collective term that describes many branches of an underground society and organizations based in Hong Kong and also... The 1990s in Hong Kong was defined by the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, a statement that paved the way for a series of changes that would facilitate the transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ...

Early martial arts films

The signature contribution to action cinema from the Chinese-speaking world is the martial arts film, the most famous of which were developed in Hong Kong. The genre emerged first in Chinese popular literature. The early 20th century saw an explosion of what were called wuxia (often translated as "martial chivalry") novels, generally published in serialized form in newspapers. These were tales of heroic, sword-wielding warriors, often featuring mystical or fantasy elements. This genre was quickly seized on by early Chinese films, particularly in the movie capital of the time, Shanghai. Starting in the 1920s, wuxia titles, often adapted from novels (for example, 1928's The Burning of the Red Lotus Monastery and its eighteen sequels) were hugely popular and the genre dominated Chinese film for several years.^[1] Martial arts film is a film genre that originated in the Pacific Rim. ... // [edit] Classical texts Main article: Chinese classic texts China has a wealth of classical literature, both poetry and prose, dating from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BCE) and including the Classics attributed to Confucius. ... Poster from the American release of Zhang Yimous 2002 film Hero (英雄) WÇ”xiá (also Wu Xia) (Traditional Chinese: 武俠; Simplified Chinese: 武侠; Mandarin IPA: ; Cantonese: mów hàb), literally meaning martial arts chivalry or martial arts heroes, from Chinese, is a distinct genre in Chinese literature, television and cinema. ... Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... The history of Chinese-language cinema has three separate threads of development: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. ... Shanghai (Chinese: ; pinyin:  ; Shanghainese: ), situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta in East China, is the largest city of the Peoples Republic of China and the eighth largest in the world. ...

The boom came to an end in the 1930s, caused by official opposition from cultural and political elites, especially the Kuomintang government, who saw it as promoting superstition and violent anarchy.^[2] Wuxia filmmaking was picked up in Hong Kong, at the time a British colony with a highly liberal economy and culture and a developing film industry. The first martial arts film in Cantonese, the dominant Chinese spoken language of Hong Kong, was The Adorned Pavilion (1938). The Chinese Nationalist Party (Traditional Chinese: 中國國民黨; Simplified Chinese: 中国国民党; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Tongyong Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chung-kuo Kuo-min-tang), commonly known as the Kuomintang (KMT), is a centre-right political party in the Republic of China on Taiwan, and is currently the largest political party in terms of sitting Legislative... Cantonese (Traditional Chinese: 粵語; Simplified Chinese: 粤语]], Cantonese: Yuet6yue5; Mandarin pinyin: Yuèyǔ, lit. ... Spoken Chinese The Chinese spoken language(s) comprise(s) many regional variants. ...

Postwar martial arts cinema

Scene from the wuxia film Buddha's Palm (1964). The magic qi rays are created using crude hand-drawn animation.

By the late 1940s, upheavals in mainland China—the Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese Civil War and the victory of the Communists—had shifted the centre of Chinese-language filmmaking to Hong Kong. The industry continued the wuxia tradition in Cantonese B movies and serials, although the more prestigious Mandarin-language cinema generally ignored the genre. Animation and special effects drawn directly on the film by hand were used to simulate the flying abilities and other preternatural powers of characters; later titles in the cycle included The Six-Fingered Lord of the Lute (1965) and Sacred Fire, Heroic Wind (1966).^[2] Image File history File linksMetadata WuxiaQi. ... Image File history File linksMetadata WuxiaQi. ... Poster from the American release of Zhang Yimous 2002 film Hero (英雄) WÇ”xiá (also Wu Xia) (Traditional Chinese: 武俠; Simplified Chinese: 武侠; Mandarin IPA: ; Cantonese: mów hàb), literally meaning martial arts chivalry or martial arts heroes, from Chinese, is a distinct genre in Chinese literature, television and cinema. ... QI, standing for Quite Interesting, is a comedy panel game television show hosted by Stephen Fry and shown on BBC Two and BBC Four. ... The highlighted area in the map is what is commonly known as mainland China. Mainland China (Simplified Chinese: 中国大陆; Traditional Chinese: 中國大陸; pinyin: Zhōnggúo Dàlù; literally The Chinese Massive Landmass or Continental China) is an informal (disputed — see talk page) geographical term which is usually synonymous with the area... Combatants Republic of China Empire of Japan Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Tse-Tung, Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, Zhu De, He Yingqin Hideki Tojo, Matsui Iwane, Jiro Minami, Kesago Nakajima, Toshizo Nishio, Yasuji Okamura. ... Combatants Chinese Nationalists Chinese Communists Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Mao Zedong Strength 4,300,000 (July 1946) 3,650,000 (June 1948) 1,490,000 (June 1949) 1,200,000 (July 1946) 2,800,000 (June 1948) 4,000,000 (June 1949) The Chinese Civil War (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (official name, though almost universally known in English as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)) (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Zhōngguó GòngchÇŽndÇŽng) is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China, a position guaranteed by the countrys... The King of the Bs, Roger Corman, produced and directed The Raven (1963) for American International Pictures. ... Mandarin, or Beifanghua (Chinese: 北方話; Pinyin: BÄ›ifānghuà; literally Northern Dialect(s)), or Guanhua (Traditional Chinese: 官話; Simplified Chinese: 官话; Pinyin: Guānhuà; literally official speech) is a category of related Chinese dialects spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. ... The preternatural or praeternatural are phenomenon which appear outside (Latin praeter) the realm of nature as currently explained by science. ...

A countertradition to the wuxia films emerged in the kung fu movies that were also produced at this time. These movies emphasized more "authentic", down-to-earth and unarmed combat over the swordplay and mysticism of wuxia. The most famous exemplar was real-life martial artist Kwan Tak Hing; he became an avuncular hero figure to at least a couple of generations of Hong Kongers by playing historical folk hero Wong Fei Hung in a series of roughly one hundred movies, from The True Story of Wong Fei Hung (1949) through Wong Fei Hung Bravely Crushing the Fire Formation (1970).^[3] A number of enduring elements were introduced or solidified by these films: the still-popular character of "Master Wong"; the influence of Chinese opera with its stylized martial arts and acrobatics; and the concept of martial arts heroes as exponents of Confucian ethics. Alternative meaning: Kung Fu (TV series) Kung fu or gongfu (功夫, Pinyin: gōngfu) is a well-known Chinese term used in the West to designate Chinese martial arts. ... Kwan Tak Hing (born 1905 in Guandong, China, died 28 June 1996 in Hong Kong) was an actor who played the role of martial artist Wong Fei Hong in over 70 films between the 1940s and the 1980s. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 19th century Chinese opera Chinese opera costumes Chinese opera is a popular form of drama in China. ... High wire act Acrobatics (from Greek Akros, high and bat, walking) is one of the performing arts, and is also practiced as a sport. ... Confucian temple in Jiading district, Shanghai. ...

"New School" wuxia

In the second half of the 1960s, the era's biggest studio, Shaw Brothers, inaugurated a new generation of wuxia films, starting with Xu Zenghong's Temple of the Red Lotus (1965), a remake of the 1928 classic. These Mandarin productions were more lavish and in colour; their style was less fantastical and more intense, with stronger and more acrobatic violence. They were influenced by imported samurai movies from Japan and by the wave of "New School" wuxia novels by authors like Jin Yong and Liang Yusheng that started in the 1950s.^[4] The trend may also have been encouraged by a need to win back local audiences from the newly popularised medium of television. The Shaw Studio (邵氏片場), owned by Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. ... Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ... Poster from the American release of Zhang Yimous 2002 film Hero (英雄) Wǔxiá (also Wu Xia) (Traditional Chinese: 武俠; Simplified Chinese: 武侠; Mandarin IPA: ; Cantonese: mów hàb), literally meaning martial arts chivalry or martial arts heroes, from Chinese, is a distinct genre in Chinese literature, television and cinema. ... Louis Cha, (born June 6, 1924), known to most by his penname Jinyong or Kam-yung, is one of the most influential Chinese-language novelists. ... Liang Yusheng (Chinese: ; pinyin: LiángYǔShēng) (born 5 April 1926) is the penname of Chen Wentong (Chinese: ), a famous wuxia novelist born in Guangxi, China. ...

The New School wuxia wave marked the move of male-oriented action films to the centre of Hong Kong cinema, which had long been dominated by female stars and genres aimed at female audiences, such as romances and musicals. Even so, during the 1960s female action stars like Cheng Pei Pei and Connie Chan Po-chu were prominent alongside male stars, such as former swimming champion Jimmy Wang Yu, and they continued an old tradition of woman warriors in wuxia storytelling. The signature directors of the period were Chang Cheh with One-Armed Swordsman (1967) and Golden Swallow (1968) and King Hu with Come Drink with Me (1966). Hu soon left Shaw Brothers to pursue his own vision of wuxia with independent productions in Taiwan, such as the enormously successful Dragon Inn (1967, aka Dragon Gate Inn). Chang stayed on and remained the Shaws' prolific star director into the early 1980s. The romance film has as its central plot the beginning, obstruction and eventual, though often tragic, fruition of a romance. ... The musical film is a film genre in which several songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative. ... Cheng Pei-pei (鄭佩佩) (born 4 December 1946 in Shanghai, China) is an actress best known for her performance in the seminal 1966 King Hu wuxia film Come Drink with Me. ... Connie Chan Po-chu (Chinese: ; pinyin: Chén BÇŽozhÅ«) was born in 1947 in Guangdong, China. ... Jimmy Wang Yu (王羽 born March 28, 1943, also known as Wong Yu-lung and Wang Yue) is a Chinese actor, director, producer, and scriptwriter. ... Chang Cheh (張徹; pinyin:Zhāng Chè) (February 10, 1923 – 22 June 2002) was Shaw Brothers Studios best known and most prolific film director, with such films as the Five Deadly Venoms, the Brave Archer (based on the works of Jin Yong), the One-Armed Swordsman, and other classics of... One-Armed Swordsman (獨臂刀, pinyin: Dubi Dao) is a 1967 film produced by Shaw Brothers Studio in Hong Kong. ... King Hu (胡金銓, pinyin: Hú Jīnquán, April 29, 1931 - January 14, 1997) was a Hong Kong and Taiwan-based Chinese film director whose wuxia films brought Chinese cinema to new technical and artistic heights. ... Come Drink with Me (Chinese: 大醉俠, Mandarin: Da Zui Xia, literally Big Drunkened Hero) is a 1966 film. ... Dragon Gate Inn (TC: 龍門客棧, SC: 龙门客栈, pinyin: Lóng mén kè zhàn), also known as Dragon Inn, is a 1966 film directed by King Hu starring Shang Kuan, Chun Shih, Ying Bo, Jian Tsao and Han Xue. ...

The 1970s kung fu wave

The early 1970s saw wuxia giving way to a new, grittier and more graphic (and Mandarin-speaking) iteration of the kung fu movie, which came to dominate through the decade and into the early 1980s. Seriously trained martial artists such as Ti Lung and Gordon Liu became some of the top stars as increasing proportions of running times were devoted to combat setpieces. Chinese Boxer (1970), starring and directed by Jimmy Wang Yu, is widely credited with launching the kung fu boom. But remaining at the vanguard, at least initially, were Shaw Brothers and director Chang Cheh. Chang's Vengeance (1970) was another of the first trendsetters and his dozens of contributions included The Boxer from Shantung (1972), Five Deadly Venoms (1978) and Crippled Avengers (1979). Kung fu cinema was particularly influenced by Chang's concern with his vision of masculine values and male friendship;^[5] the female warrior figures who had been prominent in late 1960s wuxia work were sidelined, with prominent exceptions such as the popular Angela Mao. Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... This article is on the Chinese dragon. ... Gordon Liu Gordon Liu (Lau Ka-Fai; Liu Chia Hui) (born 1955) is a Chinese martial arts actor. ... The Five Venoms Five Deadly Venoms is a popular 1978 Hong Kong cult martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh. ... Angela Mao (born 20 September 1950 in Taiwan) is a martial arts film actress best known for the string of kung fu films in which she starred during the 1970s. ...

Chang's only competitor as the genre’s most influential filmmaker was his long-time action choreographer, Lau Kar Leung (aka Liu Chia Liang in Mandarin). Lau began directing his own movies for Shaws in 1975 with The Spiritual Boxer, a progenitor of the kung fu comedy. In subsequent titles like Executioners from Shaolin (1977), The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978), and Legendary Weapons of China (1982), Lau emphasized the traditions and philosophy of the martial arts and strove to give onscreen fighting greater authenticity and ever greater speed and intricacy.^[3] Stage Combat is a specialized method of physical theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat for theatrical productions (or any form of dramatic production, including film and television). ... Lau Kar-leung (Mandarin: Liu Chia-liang) is a famous Chinese martial arts director and actor. ... The 36th Chamber of Shaolin or Shao Lin san shi liu fang is a martial arts film from Hong Kong, directed by Lau Kar-leung, and first screened in 1978. ... Directed by Lau Kar-Leung, this historical piece taking place during the Boxer Rebellion, revolves around Lei Kung, one of the leaders of the rebellion. ...

The kung fu boom was partly fueled by enormous international popularity, and not just in East Asia. In the West, kung fu imports, dubbed and often recut and retitled, shown as "B" films in urban theaters and on television, made Hong Kong film widely noticed, although not widely respected, for the first time. African-Americans and other racial minorities particularly embraced the genre (as exemplified by the popular hip-hop group, the Wu-Tang Clan) perhaps as an almost unprecedented source of adventure stories with non-white heroes, who furthermore often displayed a strong streak of racial and/or nationalistic pride.^[6] In filmmaking, dubbing or looping is the process of recording or replacing voices for a motion picture. ... Hip-Hop music is a style of popular music. ... Wu-Tang redirects here. ...

Bruce Lee

Way of the Dragon (1972) film poster. It was the first Hong Kong film to be shot on location in a Western continent.

No single figure was more responsible for this international profile than Bruce Lee, an American-born, Hong Kong-raised martial artist and actor. Lee completed just four movies before his death at the age of 32: The Big Boss (1971), Fist of Fury and Way of the Dragon (both 1972) and Enter the Dragon (1973). But in this very brief career he became cinema's first global Chinese superstar. Eastern film historian Patrick Macias ascribes his success to "(bringing) the warrior spirit of old into the present day... developing his own fighting style... and posssessing superhuman charisma".^[7] His first three movies broke local box office records and were successful in much of the world. The English-language Enter the Dragon, the first-ever US-Hong Kong co-production, grossed about US$90 million worldwide, making it the most internationally successful film from that region up to then. Furthermore, his decision at the outset to work for young, upstart studio Golden Harvest, rather than accept the Shaws' notoriously tightfisted standard contract, was a factor in Golden Harvest's meteoric rise and Shaw's eventual decline.^[3][8] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (436x618, 82 KB) Summary The following is the movie poster from the film Way of the Dragon, starring Bruce Lee. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (436x618, 82 KB) Summary The following is the movie poster from the film Way of the Dragon, starring Bruce Lee. ... Way of the Dragon (《猛龍過江》 released as Return of the Dragon in the U.S.) was the third major film of Martial Arts Legend Bruce Lee. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... The Big Boss (1971, 唐山大兄, also known as Fists of Fury in the U.S., not to be confused with Fist of Fury) was Bruce Lees first major film. ... Fist of Fury (Simplified Chinese: 精武门; Traditional Chinese: 精武門; Pinyin: Jīng wǔ mén; known as The Chinese Connection in the U.S., not to be confused with Fists of Fury) was a 1972 film directed by Lo Wei. ... Way of the Dragon (《猛龍過江》 released as Return of the Dragon in the U.S.) was the third major film of Martial Arts Legend Bruce Lee. ... Enter the Dragon (《龍爭虎鬥》 aka. ... Golden Harvest (Chinese: ) SEHK: 1132 is a film production, distribution and exhibition company based in Hong Kong. ...

Following Lee's untimely death, a cottage industry of faux Lee movies emerged, featuring either performers who adopted similar screen names (Bruce Li, Bruce Lai, etc.), or outtake footage of Lee, or some combination of both. The fad did little to engender mainstream respect in the West for the relatively new phenomenon of martial arts cinema. But despite such posthumous treatment, Lee continues to cast a long shadow over Hong Kong film. Bruceploitation is a cultural phenomenon mostly seen in the 1970s after the untimely death of martial artist and actor Bruce Lee in 1973. ...

Jackie Chan and the kung fu comedy

The only Chinese performer who has ever rivalled Lee's global fame is Jackie Chan. Like many kung fu performers of the day, Chan came out of training in Peking opera and started in film as a stuntman, notably in some of Lee's vehicles. He was groomed for a while by The Big Boss and Fist of Fury director Lo Wei as another Lee clone, in several movies including New Fist of Fury (1976), with little success. But in 1978, Chan teamed up with action choreographer Yuen Woo Ping on Yuen's directorial debut, Snake in the Eagle's Shadow. The resulting blend of physical comedy and kung fu action provided Chan with his first hit and the rudiments of what would become his signature style. Chan's follow-up movie with Yuen, Drunken Master (also 1978), and his directorial debut, Fearless Hyena (1979), were also giant hits and cemented his popularity.^[3] Chan Kong-Sang known as Jackie Chan Sing Lung SBS (born on April 7, 1954 on Victoria Peak, Hong Kong, China) is a Chinese martial artist, actor, director, script writer, film producer, singer and former stunt performer. ... In Beijing, September 2002 Beijing opera or Peking opera (京剧, pinyin: Jīngjù) is a kind of Chinese opera which arose in the mid-19th century and was extremely popular in the Qing dynasty court. ... A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television (such as jumping out of a building, jumping from vehicle to vehicle, or other similar actions), and for other sophisticated stunts (especially fight scenes). ... Lo Wei (1918-1996) was a famous Hong Kong film director best known for The Big Boss and Fist of Fury- both of which starred Bruce Lee. ... Yuen Woo-ping (Chinese: 袁和平; Pinyin: ; born 1945 in Guangzhou, China) is a martial arts choreographer and film director, renowned as one of the most successful and influential figures in the world of Hong Kong action cinema. ... Snake in the Eagles Shadow is a martial arts film made in Hong Kong in 1978. ... UK DVD cover Drunken Master (醉拳, Zui quan--literally Drunken Boxing) is a movie directed by Yuen Wo Ping, starring Jackie Chan and Hwang Jang-Lee, first released in 1978. ... This movie is an autobiography about Jackie Chan. ...

Sammo Hung as a wise master in Tsui Hark's Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983). The white eyebrows speak of extraordinary power on the part of the character.

Although these films were not the first kung fu comedies, they launched a vogue that helped reinvigorate the waning kung fu genre. Especially notable in this regard were two of Chan's childhood Peking Opera Academy classmates, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, who also made careers of this specialty, sometimes co-starring with Chan. Hung, noted for the seeming paradox of his overweight physique and physical agility, also made a name for himself as a director and action choreographer from early on, with titles like Enter the Fat Dragon (1978). Image File history File linksMetadata Sammo_Hung_white_eyebrows. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Sammo_Hung_white_eyebrows. ... Sammo Hung (Chinese: 洪金寶; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Cantonese: Hung4 Gam1 Bou2) (born in Hong Kong on January 7, 1952) is a Kung Fu movies actor, producer and director. ... Tsui Hark (Chinese: 徐克; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsü Ko) (born Tsui Man-kong (徐文光) on February 15, 1950) is a New Wave film director in Hong Kong who is also a highly influential producer, often likened to Steven Spielberg for a similar galvanizing effect on his countrys cinematic scene. ... Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain is a 1983 Hong Kong film. ... The Peking Opera School was located in Hong Kong. ... Sammo Hung (Chinese: 洪金寶; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Cantonese: Hung4 Gam1 Bou2) (born in Hong Kong on January 7, 1952) is a Kung Fu movies actor, producer and director. ... Yuen Biao (元彪) (born 26 July 1957) is a Chinese actor from Hong Kong. ...

Reinventing action cinema

Chan's clowning may have helped extend the life of the kung fu wave for several years. Nevertheless, he had become a star towards the end of the boom, and would soon help move the colony towards a new type of action. In the 1980s, he and many colleagues would forge a slicker, more spectacular Hong Kong pop cinema that would successfully compete with the post-Star Wars summer blockbusters from America. Opening logo to the Star Wars films Star Wars is a science fantasy saga and fictional galaxy created by writer / producer / director George Lucas during the 1970s. ...

Jackie Chan and the modern kung fu film

By 1983, Chan branched out into action films which, though they still used martial arts, were less limited in scope, setting and plot. His first film in this vein, Project A, saw the official formation of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team and added elaborate, dangerous stunts to the fights and typical slapstick humor (at one point, Chan falls from the top of a clock tower through a series of fabric canopies). The new formula grossed over HK$19 million.^[9] Jackie Chans Project A (aka. ... The Jackie Chan Stunt Team (Sing Ga Ban), also known as Jackie Chans Stuntmen Association is a group of stuntmen and martial artists who work alongside Jackie Chan. ...

Chan continued to take the approach - and the budgets - to new heights in hits like Police Story (1986). Here was Chan dangling from a speeding bus, sliding down a pole covered with exploding light bulbs, and destroying large parts of a shopping centre and a hillside shantytown. The 1988 sequel called for explosions on a scale similar to many Hollywood movies and seriously injured leading lady Maggie Cheung - an occupational risk Chan had already grown used to. Thus Jackie Chan created the template for the contemporary urban action-comedy of the 1980s, combining cops, kung fu and all the bodybreaking potential of the modern city with its glass, metal and speeding vehicles.^[10] Police Story is a 1985 Hong Kong action comedy film directed by and starring Jackie Chan. ... Maggie Cheung in Clean Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (張曼玉; pinyin: Zhāng Mànyù; Cantonese: dzoeng1 maan6 juk9/juk2) (born September 20, 1964) is a multi award-winning actress from Hong Kong. ...

Tsui Hark and Cinema City

Chan's move towards larger-scale action films was parallelled by work coming out of Cinema City, the production company established in 1980 by comedians Raymond Wong, Karl Maka and Dean Shek. With movies like the spy spoof Aces Go Places (1982) and its sequels, Cinema City helped make modern special effects, James Bond-type gadgets and big vehicular stunts part of the industry vernacular.^[11] Director/producer Tsui Hark had a hand in shaping the Cinema City style while employed there from 1981-1983^[8] but went on to make an even bigger impact after leaving. In such movies as Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983) and A Chinese Ghost Story (1987, directed by Ching Siu-tung), he kept pushing back the boundaries of Hong Kong special effects. He led the way in replacing the rough and ready camera style of 1970s kung fu with glossier and more sophisticated visuals and ever more furious editing. The James Bond 007 gun logo James Bond 007 is a fictional British agent [1] created by writer Ian Fleming in 1952. ... Tsui Hark (Chinese: 徐克; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsü Ko) (born Tsui Man-kong (徐文光) on February 15, 1950) is a New Wave film director in Hong Kong who is also a highly influential producer, often likened to Steven Spielberg for a similar galvanizing effect on his countrys cinematic scene. ... Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain is a 1983 Hong Kong film. ... A Chinese Ghost story (Chinese: 倩女幽魂; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chien-nü Yu-hun, literal meaning: The Spirit of a Beauty) is a 1987 Hong Kong movie starring Leslie Cheung, Joey Wong and Wu Ma, directed by Ching Siu-tung and produced by Tsui Hark. ... Ching Siu-tung (a. ...

John Woo and the triad films

Chow Yun Fat in a scene from A Better Tomorrow (1986), a gun in each hand. This style became known as gun fu.

As a producer, Tsui Hark facilitated the creation of John Woo's epoch-making heroic bloodshed movie A Better Tomorrow (1986). Woo's saga of cops and the triads (Chinese gangsters) combined fancifully choreographed (and extremely violent) gunplay with heightened emotional melodrama, sometimes resembling a modern-dress version of 1970s kung fu films by Woo's mentor Chang Cheh. The formula broke another all-time box office record. It also jump-started the faltering career of co-star Chow Yun-Fat, who overnight became one of the colony's most popular idols and Woo's favorite leading man.^[3] A Better Tomorrow This is a screenshot of a copyrighted movie or television program. ... A Better Tomorrow This is a screenshot of a copyrighted movie or television program. ... Chow Yun-Fat (周潤發, Jau1 Yeun6 Faat3, Pinyin: Zhōu Rùnfā) (born May 18, 1955 on Lamma Island, Hong Kong) is among a handful of internationally recognized screen actors that Hong Kong has ever produced, along with Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. ... A Better Tomorrow (英雄本色; pinyin: yÄ«ngxióng bÄ›nsè, Cantonese: ying1 hung4 bun2 sik1; literally True Colors of a Hero) is a 1986 Hong Kong action movie which had a profound influence on the Hong Kong movie-making industry, and later on an international scale. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... John Woo (Chinese: ; pinyin: Wú YÇ”sÄ“n) (born 1 May 1946) is a Chinese film director and producer known especially for his Heroic bloodshed movies, which often include balletic violence, he is very talented directing skills and has known sucess with such hits as A Better tomorrow movies and... Heroic Bloodshed, or Hong Kong Blood Opera (HKBO), refers to a genre of action film originating from Hong Kong revolving around stylised action sequences and common themes such as brotherhood, honour, and violence. ... A Better Tomorrow (英雄本色; pinyin: yÄ«ngxióng bÄ›nsè, Cantonese: ying1 hung4 bun2 sik1; literally True Colors of a Hero) is a 1986 Hong Kong action movie which had a profound influence on the Hong Kong movie-making industry, and later on an international scale. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Chang Cheh (張徹; pinyin:Zhāng Chè) (February 10, 1923 – 22 June 2002) was Shaw Brothers Studios best known and most prolific film director, with such films as the Five Deadly Venoms, the Brave Archer (based on the works of Jin Yong), the One-Armed Swordsman, and other classics of... Chow Yun-Fat (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: , pinyin: Zhōu Rùnfā) (born May 18, 1955 on Lamma Island, Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong actor. ...

For the remainder of the 1980s and into the early 1990s, a deluge of films by Woo and others explored similar territory, often with a similar visual style and thematic bent. They were usually marked by an emphasis on the fraternal bonds of duty and affection among the criminal protagonists. The most notable other auteur of these themes was Ringo Lam, who offered a less romanticized take in such films as City on Fire, Prison on Fire (both 1987), and Full Contact (1992), all starring Chow Yun-Fat. The genre and its creators were accused in some quarters of cravenly glorifying real-life triads, whose involvement in the film business was notorious.^[12] The term auteur (French for author) is used to describe film directors (or, more rarely, producers or writers) who are considered to have a distinctive, recognizable vision, because they (a) repeatedly return to the same subject matter, (b) habitually address a particular psychological or moral theme, (c) employ a recurring... Ringo Lam (林嶺東; pinyin: Lin Lingdong; Cantonese: Lam Leng-tung) (born 1955) is a film director known for stylish action thrillers. ... City on Fire (Simplified Chinese: 龙虎风云, Pinyin: Lóng hÇ” fÄ“ng yún) is a gritty and stylish 1987 Hong Kong action film directed by Ringo Lam, and starring Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee and Sun Yueh. ...

The wire fu wave

As the triad films petered out in the early 1990s, period martial arts returned as the favored action genre. But this was a new martial arts cinema that took full advantage of technical strides as well the higher budgets that came with Hong Kong's dominance of the region's screens. These lavish productions were often adapted from the more fantastical wuxia novels, which featured flying warriors in mid-air combat. Performers were trussed up on ultrathin wires to allow them to conduct gravity-defying action sequences, a technique known by Western fans, sometimes disparagingly, as wire fu.^[7] Poster from the American release of Zhang Yimous 2002 film Hero (英雄) Wǔxiá (also Wu Xia) (Traditional Chinese: 武俠; Simplified Chinese: 武侠; Mandarin IPA: ; Cantonese: mów hàb), literally meaning martial arts chivalry or martial arts heroes, from Chinese, is a distinct genre in Chinese literature, television and cinema. ... Wire fu is an action film genre in which the actors use wire-work to perform amazing stunts of qing gong. ...

As so often, Tsui Hark led the way. He produced Swordsman (1990), which reestablished the wuxia novels of Jin Yong as favorite big-screen sources (television adaptations had long been ubiquitous). He directed Once Upon a Time in China (1991), which resurrected oft-filmed folk hero Wong Fei Hung. Both films were followed by sequels and a raft of imitations, often starring Mainland wushu champion Jet Li, who had become the biggest new superstar with his portrayal of Wong. He went on to receive a special award for a mainland China person at the 1995 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. The other signature star of the subgenre was Taiwanese-born actress Brigitte Lin. She made an unlikely specialty of androgynous woman-warrior types, such as the villainous, sex-changing eunuch in The Swordsman 2 (1992), epitomizing martial arts fantasy's often-noted fascination with gender instability.^[13] The Swordsman (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: Xiào Ào Jiāng Hú; Cantonese Yale: Siu3 Ngou6 Gong1 Wu4) is a 1990 Hong Kong wuxia film. ... Louis Cha, (born June 6, 1924), known to most by his penname Jinyong or Kam-yung, is one of the most influential Chinese-language novelists. ... Once Upon a Time in China Region 4 DVD cover Once Upon a Time in China (武狀元黃飛鴻) is Hong Kong auteur Tsui Hark (徐克)s series of six movies about the famous kung fu master and Chinese hero Wong Fei Hung or (Huang Fei Hong) (黃飛鴻) (played by Jet Li (李連杰) in parts 1... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Wushu may refer to: Chinese martial arts, or fighting systems from China. ... Jet Li (born Li Lianjie)is a Chinese martial artist, actor and action star. ... The highlighted area in the map is what is commonly known as mainland China. Mainland China (Simplified Chinese: 中国大陆; Traditional Chinese: 中國大陸; pinyin: Zhōnggúo Dàlù; literally The Chinese Massive Landmass or Continental China) is an informal (disputed — see talk page) geographical term which is usually synonymous with the area... This article needs cleanup. ... Brigitte Lin (Chinese: 林青霞; Pinyin: ) or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia (born November 3, 1954) is a Taiwanese actress. ... A eunuch is a castrated man; the term usually refers to those castrated in order to perform a specific social function, as was common in many societies of the past. ...

Influence in the West

All of these developments not only made Hong Kong the dominant cinema in East Asia, but reawakened Western interest. Building on the reduced but enduring kung fu movie subculture, Jackie Chan and films like Tsui Hark's Peking Opera Blues (1986) were already building a cult following when Woo's The Killer (1989) had a limited but successful release in the U.S. and opened the floodgates. In the '90s, Westerners with an eye on "alternative" culture became common sights in Chinatown video shops and theaters, and gradually the films became more available in the mainstream video market and even occasionally in mainstream theaters. Western critics and film scholars also began to take Hong Kong action cinema seriously and make many key figures and films part of their canon of world cinema. East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ... Peking Opera Blues (TC: 刀馬旦, SC: 刀马旦, pinyin: Dāo Mǎ Dàn) is a 1986 movie directed by Tsui Hark. ... The Killer (Simplified Chinese: 喋血双雄; Traditional Chinese: 喋血雙雄; pinyin: ; literally: Bloodshed of Two Heroes) is a 1989 Hong Kong thriller starring Chow Yun-Fat as the hitman Jeffrey, Danny Lee as the cop Little Eagle and Sally Yeh as the singer Jennie. ... The gate to Montreals Chinatown which has Chinese, Japanese and Korean restaurants inside the complex. ...

From here, Hong Kong came to define a new vocabulary for worldwide action cinema, with the aid of a new generation of North American filmmakers. Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992) drew inspiration from City on Fire and his two-part Kill Bill (2003-04) was in large part a martial arts homage, borrowing Yuen Woo-Ping as fight choreographer and actor. Robert Rodriguez's Desperado (1995) and its 2003 sequel Once Upon a Time in Mexico aped Woo's visual mannerisms. The Wachowski brothers' The Matrix trilogy (1999-2003) of science-fiction-action blockbusters borrowed from Woo and wire fu movies and also employed Yuen behind the scenes. Quentin Tarantino in Reservoir Dogs Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, actor, and Oscar-winning screenwriter. ... Reservoir Dogs is the 1992 debut feature film of director Quentin Tarantino. ... City on Fire (Simplified Chinese: 龙虎风云, Pinyin: Lóng hǔ fēng yún) is a gritty and stylish 1987 Hong Kong action film directed by Ringo Lam, and starring Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee and Sun Yueh. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Robert Rodriguez (born June 20, 1968) is a Mexican-American film director. ... Desperado (desperate in Spanish — this an old usage of the word, today desesperado is far more common) means a violent and reckless person who performs some spectacular feats. ... Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) is an action film by Robert Rodriguez and the final film in the Mariachi Trilogy, which includes El Mariachi and Desperado. ... Laurence Larry Wachowski (born June 21, 1965) and Andrew Andy Wachowski (born December 29, 1967) are American film directors and writers most famous for the Matrix series. ... The Matrix is a science fiction/action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving. ...

Exit of many leading figures

Due to the new-found international awareness of Hong Kong films during the 1980s and early 1990s and a downturn in the industry as the 1990s progressed, many of the leading lights of Hong Kong cinema left for Hollywood, which offered budgets and pay which could not be equalled by Hong Kong production companies. ...

John Woo left for Hollywood after his 1992 film Hard Boiled. His 1997 film Face/Off was the breakthrough that established his unique style in Hollywood. This effort was immensely popular with both critics and public alike (it grossed over US$240 million worldwide). Mission Impossible II (2000) grossed over US$560 million worldwide but was critically maligned. Since these two films, Woo has struggled to revisit his successes of the 1980s and early 1990s.^[14] John Woo (Chinese: ; pinyin: Wú Yǔsēn) (born 1 May 1946) is a Chinese film director and producer known especially for his Heroic bloodshed movies, which often include balletic violence, he is very talented directing skills and has known sucess with such hits as A Better tomorrow movies and... Hardboiled crime fiction is a uniquely American style pioneered by Dashiell Hammett, refined by Raymond Chandler, and endlessly imitated since by writers such as Mickey Spillane. ... Face/Off is a movie from 1997 directed by John Woo and starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. ... Mission: Impossible II, or M:I-2 as it is also known, is the 2000 John Woo-directed sequel to Brian De Palmas 1996 Mission: Impossible motion picture, based on the TV series of the same name. ...

After over fifteen years of success in Hong Kong cinema and a couple of attempts to crack the U.S. market, Jackie Chan's 1995 film Rumble in the Bronx finally brought him recognition in the U.S. Since then, he has made several highly successful films for U.S. studios including Rush Hour (1998), Shanghai Noon (2000), and their respective sequels. Between his films for U.S. studios, he still makes films for Hong Kong studios, sometimes in English (Mr. Nice Guy and Who Am I?), often set in western countries like Australia or the Netherlands, and sometimes in Cantonese (2004's New Police Story and 2005's The Myth). Because of his enormous U.S. popularity, these films are usually released in the U.S., a rarity for Hong Kong films, and generally attract respectable audience numbers. Chan Kong-Sang known as Jackie Chan Sing Lung SBS (born on April 7, 1954 on Victoria Peak, Hong Kong, China) is a Chinese martial artist, actor, director, script writer, film producer, singer and former stunt performer. ... Rumble in the Bronx (紅番區; Hong faan kui in Cantonese) is an action-comedy movie starring Jackie Chan and Anita Mui. ... Rush Hour DVD cover Rush Hour is a 1998 martial arts/buddy cop film starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. ... Shanghai Noon is a 2000 movie starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson as Chans western sidekick. ... Mr Nice Guy poster Mr Nice Guy (Yatgo ho yan) was a film made in Melbourne in 1997 starring Jackie Chan and directed by Sammo Hung who also makes a cameo as an unfortunate biker, released in 1998 in the United States. ... UK DVD cover Who Am I? (我是谁?; pinyin: Wo3 Shi4 Shei2; Cantonese: Ngo Si Sui) is a Hong Kong film directed by and starring Jackie Chan, released by Golden Harvest in 1998. ... New Police Story Chinese DVD cover New Police Story (Chinese: 新警察故事) is a 2004 action film, directed by Benny Chan. ... The Myth (Chinese: ; pinyin: Shenhua) is a 2005 film directed by Stanley Tong. ...

Jet Li has reduced his Hong Kong output since 1998's Hitman concentrating on Hollywood instead. After a minor role in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), he has gone on to star in several Hollywood films which have performed respectably and made a name for him with American audiences. So far, he has returned to Chinese cinema for only two films: Hero (2002) and Fearless (2006). He claimed Fearless would be his last traditional kung fu film. Chow Yun-Fat has also moved to Hollywood. After his 1995 film Peace Hotel, he has made a handful of films in Hollywood which have not seen as much success as Jet Li's: these include The Replacement Killers (1998), The Corruptor (1999), Anna and the King (1999) and Bulletproof Monk (2003). He returned to China for 1999's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Jet Li (born Li Lianjie)is a Chinese martial artist, actor and action star. ... Lethal Weapon 4 is a 1998 film starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock and Jet Li. ... Hero (Chinese: 英雄; Pinyin: Yīng Xióng) is a Chinese martial arts and drama film, directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Jet Li. ... Fearless, known in Chinese as Huo Yuanjia (Chinese: ; pinyin: Huò Yuánjiǎ) is a 2006 film directed by Ronny Yu and starring Jet Li. ... Chow Yun-Fat (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: , pinyin: Zhōu Rùnfā) (born May 18, 1955 on Lamma Island, Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong actor. ... The Replacement Killers is a 1998 film, directed by Antoine Fuqua. ... The Corruptor (1999) is a police film starring Chow Yun-Fat and Mark Wahlberg. ... Anna and the King is a 1999 motion picture loosely based on the true story of Anna Leonowens, who was an English schoolteacher in Siam, now Thailand, in the 19th_century. ... Bulletproof Monk is a 2003 motion picture starring Chow Yun-Fat, Seann William Scott, Jaime King, directed by Paul Hunter. ... Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Traditional Chinese: 臥虎藏龍; Simplified Chinese: 卧虎藏龙; Pinyin: Wò Hǔ Cáng Lóng) is a wuxia (martial arts and chivalry) film released in 2000. ...

Recent trends

The Twins Effect (2003) film poster. This vampire-action film featured the Twins pop duo and plentiful CGI effects.

The Hong Kong film industry has been in a severe slump since the mid-1990s. The number of local films produced, and their box office takings, are dramatically reduced; American imports now dominate in a way they had not for decades, or perhaps ever. This crisis and increased contact with Western cinema have probably been the biggest recent influences on Hong Kong action cinema.^[15] Image File history File links TwinsEffect_Poster. ... Image File history File links TwinsEffect_Poster. ... The Twins Effect (千機變) is a Hong Kong movie that was released in Hong Kong on June 23, 2003. ... For the usual meaning of twins, see Twin. ... The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan. ...

Luring local and regional youth audiences away from Hollywood is a constant concern. Action movies are now generally headlined by babyfaced Cantonese pop music idols, such as Ekin Cheng and Nicholas Tse, enhanced with wires and digital effects - a trend also driven by the waning of a previous generation of martial arts-trained stars. The late 1990s witnessed a fad for Cantopop stars in high-tech, more American-styled action pictures such as Downtown Torpedoes (1997), Gen-X Cops and Purple Storm (both 1999). This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Ekin Cheng Yee-Kin (鄭伊健, pinyin: Zhèng Yījiàn) (born October 4, 1967) is a Hong Kong actor and Cantopop singer. ... Nicholas Tse (Xie Tingfeng) Nicolas Tse Ting Fung (Traditional Chinese: ; born 29 August 1980) is a Hong Kong based singer and actor. ...

Andrew Lau's wuxia comic-book adaptation The Storm Riders (1998) earned a record-breaking gross and ushered in an era of computer-generated imagery, previously little used in Hong Kong film . Tsui Hark's lavish CGI-enhanced efforts Time and Tide (2000) and The Legend of Zu (2001), however, were surprisingly unsuccessful. Comedy megastar and director Stephen Chow used digital effects to push his typical affectionate parody of martial arts conventions to cartoonish levels in Shaolin Soccer (2001) and Kung Fu Hustle (2004), each of which also set a new box office record. Andrew Lau Wai Keung (born April 4, 1960) is a Hong Kong film director and cinematographer. ... The Storm Riders is a 1998 Hong Kong film directed by Andrew Lau. ... Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the application of the field of computer graphics (or more specifically, 3D computer graphics) to special effects. ... Tsui Hark (Chinese: 徐克; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsü Ko) (born Tsui Man-kong (徐文光) on February 15, 1950) is a New Wave film director in Hong Kong who is also a highly influential producer, often likened to Steven Spielberg for a similar galvanizing effect on his countrys cinematic scene. ... The Legend of Zu (known as Zu Warriors in the US) is a 2001 martial arts/fantasy film starring Ekin Cheng and Sammo Hung. ... Image:Stephen chow sing chi011. ... Shaolin Soccer (Chinese: ; pinyin: Shàolín Zúqiú) is a 2001 Hong Kong comedy film directed by acclaimed Hongkonger comedian, actor and director, Stephen Chow. ... Kung Fu Hustle (Chinese: ; pinyin: Gōngfu) is a martial arts film first released in Hong Kong in December 2004. ...

Striking a different note were a series of crime films more restrained and actor-driven than the earlier, John Woo-inspired examples. The Milkyway Image production company was at the vanguard with examples like Patrick Yau's Expect the Unexpected (1998), Johnnie To's The Mission (1999) and Running Out of Time (2000). Andrew Lau and Alan Mak's blockbuster Infernal Affairs trilogy (2002-2003) has set off a mini-trend of brooding police thrillers. Milkyway Image or Milkyway is a feature film production company of Hong Kong. ... Johnnie To Kei-fung (杜琪峰) (born April 22, 1955) is a Hong Kong film director and producer. ... Infernal Affairs (Chinese: 無間道; Jyutping: mou4 gaan3 dou6, pinyin: Wú Jiàn Dào) is a 2002 Hong Kong crime thriller. ...

Collaboration with other industries, particularly that of Mainland China, is another increasingly common survival and recovery strategy. Hong Kong stars and other personnel have been involved in international wuxia successes like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Taiwan, 2000) and Hero (China, 2002). The history of Chinese-language cinema has three separate threads of development: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. ... Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Traditional Chinese: 臥虎藏龍; Simplified Chinese: 卧虎藏龙; Pinyin: Wò Hǔ Cáng Lóng) is a wuxia (martial arts and chivalry) film released in 2000. ... Hero (Chinese: 英雄; Pinyin: Yīng Xióng) is a Chinese martial arts and drama film, directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Jet Li. ...

Notes

April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Bordwell, David. Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-674-00214-8
• Chan, Jackie, with Jeff Yang. I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action. New York: Ballantine, 1998. ISBN 0-345-41503-5
• Chute, David, and Cheng-Sim Lim, eds. Heroic Grace: The Chinese Martial Arts Film. Los Angeles: UCLA Film and Television Archive, 2003. (Film series catalog; no ISBN.)
• Dannen, Fredric, and Barry Long. Hong Kong Babylon: The Insider's Guide to the Hollywood of the East. New York: Miramax, 1997. ISBN 0-7868-6267-X
• Logan, Bey. Hong Kong Action Cinema. Woodstock, NY: The Overlook Press, 1995. ISBN 0-87951-663-1
• Teo, Stephen. Hong Kong Cinema: The Extra Dimensions. London: British Film Institute, 1997. ISBN 0-85170-514-6
• Teo, Stephen. Shaw's Wuxia Films in Ain-Ling, W. (2003) The Shaw Screen, Hong Kong Film Archive
• Yang, Jeff. Once Upon a Time in China: A Guide to Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and Mainland Chinese Cinema. New York: Atria, 2003. ISBN 0-7434-4817-0

David Bordwell is a film scholar. ... Bey Logan (born 1963) is a respected expert on Asian cinema, particularly Hong Kong action cinema. ...

External links

• HKcinema.net - Hong Kong cinema news
• Another Hong Kong Movie Page - Collection of popular Hong Kong action related links
• The Rise and Fall of the House of Shaw - Essay charting the history of Shaw Brothers Studios.