NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Wu Ma

Wu Ma (Simplified Chinese: 午马; Traditional Chinese: 午馬; Pinyin: Wǔ Mǎ; real name: 冯宏源; 馮宏源; Féng Hóngyuán; born: August 18, 1942, in Tianjin, China) is a Chinese actor, director, assistant director, producer and writer. Wu Ma made his screen debut in 1963, and with over 180 appearances to his name (plus 38 directorial credits within a twenty-five year period), Wu Ma is one of the most familiar faces in the history of Hong Kong Cinema. He is best known as the Taoist ghosthunter in A Chinese Ghost Story. Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; Traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of printed contemporary Chinese written language, simplified from traditional Chinese by the Peoples Republic of China in an attempt to promote literacy. ... Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Tianjin (Chinese: 天津; pinyin: tiān jīn; Postal System Pinyin: Tientsin) is a harbour municipality in China on the Hai He River (from Beijing) and Bohai Gulf of the Yellow Sea (Pacific Ocean). ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... An assistant director (AD) is a person who helps the film director in the making of a movie. ... A film producer creates the conditions for making movies. ... A writer is anyone who creates a written work, although the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The history of Chinese-language cinema has three separate threads of development: the Hong Kong, the Mainland and Taiwan. ... For other uses of the words tao and dao, see Dao (disambiguation). ... A Chinese Ghost Story (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chien-nÃ¼ 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. ...

The early years

Wu was born Feng Hong Yuan in Tianjin. At 16 he moved to Guangzhou and became a machinist before migrating to Hong Kong in 1960. In 1962, Wu enrolled in the Shaw Brothers acting course. Graduating a year later, he became a contract player for the studio and made his first appearance in Lady General Hua Mu-Lan. He then appeared in such films as Temple Of The Red Lotus (1965), The Knight Of Knights (1966) and Trail Of The Broken Blade (1967). He took on the stage name 'Wu Ma' as it reflected the animal in the year of his birth (the horse), and believed it was short enough for audiences to remember. (Chinese: ; pinyin: TiÄnjÄ«n; Postal map spelling: Tientsin) is one of the four municipalities of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Guangzhou is the capital and the sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province in the southern part of the Peoples Republic of China. ... A machinist is a craftsman who uses machine tools to make parts or alter parts by cutting away excess material. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Shaw Studio (邵氏片場), owned by Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. ... Lady General Hua Mulan is a 1964 Hong Kong Huangmei opera musical film, directed by Yuek Feng, depicting the story of Hua Mulan. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ...

During an interview, Wu explained that he stumbled upon directing when he was offered an unexpected trip to Japan for a movie. The film's original assistant director was unable to clear his visa in time, and Wu was called upon to take his place. After the experience, Wu decided to become a director, and became famed director Chang Cheh's assistant in 1968. Wu assisted Chang in movies such as The Golden Swallow, and also continued to pursue acting. An assistant director (AD) is a person who helps the film director in the making of a movie. ... Chang Cheh (å¼µå¾¹; pinyin:ZhÄng ChÃ¨) (February 10, 1923 â€“ June 22, 2002) was Shaw Brothers Studios best known and most prolific film director, with such films as the Five Venoms, the Brave Archer (based on the works of Jin Yong), the One-Armed Swordsman, and other classics of wuxia... Golden Swallow can refer to: Golden Swallow (bird) Golden Swallow (film) Category: ...

The 1970s

In 1970, Wu became a director in his own right. His directorial debut, Wrath Of The Sword, was released the same year. In 1971, Wu released one of his seminial works, The Deaf And Mute Heroine. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ...

Wu mainly concentrated on directing in the 1970s, directing several movies - such as Young Tiger (1973) and Wits To Wits (1974). Wits To Wits has been noted as one of the precursors of the knockabout comedy Kung Fu genre that was later made famous by Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan. Another movie Wu directed, Manchu Boxer (1974), featured Sammo Hung, then a young choreographer and later one of the trend-setters of Hong Kong cinema. This marked the beginning of a strong working relationship between the two, which would become prominent towards the 1980s. He also co-directed with his former mentor Chang in several movies - The Water Margin (1972), The Pirate (1973), All Men Are Brothers (1975) and Naval Commando (1976). Sammo Hung (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Cantonese: Hung4 Gam1 Bou2) (born January 7, 1952) is a Chinese actor, producer and director known for his work in many Kung fu films and Hong Kong action cinema. ... Chan Kong-Sang (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), also known as Jackie Chan Sing Lung (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) or Jackie Chan SBS, (born on April 7, 1954) is a Chinese martial artist, action star, actor, director, screenwriter, film producer, singer and stunt performer. ... Water Margin or Outlaws of the Marsh (Traditional Chinese: 水滸傳; Simplified Chinese: 水浒传; pinyin: Shuǐhǔ Zhuàn), sometimes also translated as All Men Are Brothers, is one of the most famous works of classical Chinese literature. ... The Pirate is a slang term for a supposed sex move performed during oral sex. ... Water Margin or Outlaws of the Marsh (Traditional Chinese: æ°´æ»¸å‚³; Simplified Chinese: æ°´æµ’ä¼ ; pinyin: ShuÇhÇ” ZhuÃ n) is one of the Four Classical Novels of Chinese literature. ...

While most of his output during this period was as a director, Wu continued to appear as an actor and appeared both in his own movies and in several others, although his roles were generally limited to small appearances.

During the mid-1970s, Wu joined a small exodus who were leaving Shaw Brothers due to corruption within the studio and became an independent director. Despite becoming an independent director, Wu was still able to work closely with some Shaw Brothers stars such as Ti Lung (The Massive (1978)). This article is on the Chinese dragon. ...

The 1980s

As the 1970s and the era of the martial arts film wound down, Wu Ma's output as a director also slowed. His acting output, however, increased as he became increasingly well-known as a character actor. Image File history File links Wu_ma_acgs. ... Image File history File links Wu_ma_acgs. ... Martial arts film is a film genre that originated in the Pacific Rim. ...

While Wu had made appearances in Hung's 1970s movies (such as Iron Fisted Monk), Wu's association with Sammo Hung began in earnest in the early 1980s. Wu appeared in Hung's groundbreaking Close Encounters Of The Spooky Kind (1980), a movie widely acknowledged as the precursor of the Hong Kong vampire genre, and directed and appeared in The Dead And The Deadly (1983), a noted classic in its genre which earned Wu a Hong Kong Film Award nomination for Best Director. Throughout the 1980s, Wu and Hung had a close working relationship, often with Wu as the director and Hung as the producer (such as My Cousin The Ghost (1986)). Philip Burne-Jones, The Vampire, 1897 Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings that subsist on human and/or animal lifeforce. ... Image:HKfilmawards award. ...

Wu also worked in Hung's production company Bo Ho as the production manager, and made appearances in almost every Hung-directed movie of the 1980s. Amongst the most notable movies were Millionaire's Express (1986) and Wheels On Meals (1984). Theatrical production management is a sub-division of stagecraft. ... Millionaires Express aka. ... Wheels on Meals (Kwai tsan tseh) is a 1984 Hong Kong action film starring Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao as Thomas and David, two men who run a fast food van in Barcelona. ...

Towards the mid-1980s, Wu became one of the most prolific character actors in Hong Kong, his now-rubbery face able to shift effortlessly across a spectrum of emotions. During the 1980s, he received three Hong Kong Film Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor - for Righting Wrongs (1986), where he played a policeman having to deal with his son's death; A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) as Yin Chek-Ha; and in The Last Eunuch In China (1988), as Lord Ting. Image File history File links Wu_ma_jackie_chan. ... Image File history File links Wu_ma_jackie_chan. ... Image:HKfilmawards award. ... Righting Wrongs (åŸ·æ³•å…ˆé‹’) is a 1986 action film starring Yuen Biao and Cynthia Rothrock and directed by Corey Yuen. ... A Chinese Ghost Story (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chien-nÃ¼ 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. ...

Wu also began a working relationship with Tsui Hark, and appeared in several of Hark's movies. Aside from A Chinese Ghost, Wu also appeared in the earlier Peking Opera Blues (1986). Tsui Hark (Chinese: å¾å…‹; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: HsÃ¼ Ko) (born Tsui Man-kong (å¾æ–‡å…‰) 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. ... Peking Opera Blues (TC: åˆ€é¦¬æ—¦, SC: åˆ€é©¬æ—¦, pinyin: DÄo MÇŽ DÃ n) is a 1986 movie directed by Tsui Hark. ...

After A Chinese Ghost Story, said by Wu to be amongst his favourite movies, Wu began to focus on the supernatural genre. Much of his directorial efforts after 1987 were within that genre, such as Portrait Of A Nymph (1988), Burning Sensation (1989) and Fox Legend (1991). A Chinese Ghost Story (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chien-nÃ¼ 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. ...

1990s

Wu continued his working relationship with Hark, and appeared in Once Upon A Time In China (1991) and Swordsman (1991). The early 1990s were an especially prolific period in Wu's career - with Wu appearing in over 14 movies during one year. Once Upon a Time in China Region 4 DVD cover Once Upon a Time in China (æ¦ç‹€å…ƒé»ƒé£›é´») is Hong Kong auteur Tsui Hark (å¾å…‹)s series of six movies about the famous kung fu master and Chinese hero Wong Fei Hung or (Huang Fei Hong) (é»ƒé£›é´») (played by Jet Li (æŽé€£æ°) in parts 1... A swordsman is one skilled in the use of swords. ...

As the Hong Kong film industry began to slump, Wu's career also slowed considerably. After appearing in High Risk (1995), many of his appearances were either in low-budget movies or in television series. High Risk was a program aired by the CBS television network as part of its 1988 fall lineup. ...

2000s

Wu has become an active player in television, and has made several series mainly made for mainland Chinese audiences. Wu stated that working in television is quite a contrast to working in film, as the former takes up far more time. Wu has also appeared in the recent movie House Of Fury (2005).

See also

Chang Cheh (å¼µå¾¹; pinyin:ZhÄng ChÃ¨) (February 10, 1923 â€“ June 22, 2002) was Shaw Brothers Studios best known and most prolific film director, with such films as the Five Venoms, the Brave Archer (based on the works of Jin Yong), the One-Armed Swordsman, and other classics of wuxia... Sammo Hung (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Cantonese: Hung4 Gam1 Bou2) (born January 7, 1952) is a Chinese actor, producer and director known for his work in many Kung fu films and Hong Kong action cinema. ... Lam Ching-Ying (real name: Lam Gun-Bo)(born: December 27, 1952 in Shanghai; died November 8th, 1997 in Hong Kong) was a Chinese actor, action director and director. ...

Select Filmography

High Risk was a program aired by the CBS television network as part of its 1988 fall lineup. ... A swordsman is one skilled in the use of swords. ... Once Upon a Time in China Region 4 DVD cover Once Upon a Time in China (æ¦ç‹€å…ƒé»ƒé£›é´») is Hong Kong auteur Tsui Hark (å¾å…‹)s series of six movies about the famous kung fu master and Chinese hero Wong Fei Hung or (Huang Fei Hong) (é»ƒé£›é´») (played by Jet Li (æŽé€£æ°) in parts 1... A Chinese Ghost Story Part II (å€©å¥³å¹½é‚ IIï¼šäººé–“é“) is a 1990 Hong Kong movie directed by Ching Siu-tung. ... UK DVD Cover of Miracles Miracles (Traditional Chinese:å¥‘æ©Ÿ pinyin: qÃ jÄ«) is a 1989 Hong Kong action film starring, directed by and written by Jackie Chan. ... A Chinese Ghost Story (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chien-nÃ¼ 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. ... Peking Opera Blues (TC: åˆ€é¦¬æ—¦, SC: åˆ€é©¬æ—¦, pinyin: DÄo MÇŽ DÃ n) is a 1986 movie directed by Tsui Hark. ... Righting Wrongs (åŸ·æ³•å…ˆé‹’) is a 1986 action film starring Yuen Biao and Cynthia Rothrock and directed by Corey Yuen. ... Millionaires Express aka. ... Remake of My Lucky Stars in which Jackie is a supporting actor. ... Mr Vampire, aka Geungsi Sinsang (Chinese: æ®å±å…ˆç”Ÿ JiÄngshÄ« XiÄnsheng) is Ricky Laus 1985 highly acclaimed film in Hong Kong action cinema. ... Jackie Chans Project A (aka. ... The Prodigal Son UK DVD cover. ... The Massive and its accompanying Irken armada The Massive is a fictional spaceship on the Nickelodeon animated series Invader Zim, created by Jhonen Vasquez. ... Showdown At The Cotton Mill (Orig. ... Water Margin or Outlaws of the Marsh (Traditional Chinese: 水滸傳; Simplified Chinese: 水浒传; pinyin: Shuǐhǔ Zhuàn), sometimes also translated as All Men Are Brothers, is one of the most famous works of classical Chinese literature. ... The One-armed Swordsman (Dubei Dao) Released in 1967, The One-armed Swordsman was the first of the new style of wuxia films emphasising male anti-heroes, violent swordplay and heavy bloodletting. ...

External links and references

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Cinema of Hong Kong

Films A-Z • Films by year: 1909–1929 • 1930s • 1940s • 1950s • 1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s
Actors • Directors • Cinematographers • Festivals • Producers • Screenwriters • Shaw Brothers Studio The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... Bey Logan (born 1963) is a respected expert on Asian cinema, particularly Hong Kong action cinema. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... 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. ... Shaw Brothers Studio The Shaw Studio (é‚µæ°ç‰‡å ´), owned by Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. ...

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