Ip Man/叶问 / 葉問 (2008) - Excellent Yen in nationalistic Hong Kong/Chinese actioner

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Star Donnie Yen stands tall and carries a huge stick in the midst of devastation on this grim poster for Wilson Yip's Ip Man

Ip Man is a grandmaster of the Wing Chun style of martial arts in Foshan, China in the end of the 1930s, as the Japanese occupy the country. Man and his family lose their wealth, and he is forced into a battle with the Japanese.

Ip Man is written by Tai-Lee Chan (Mak dau sin sang (2004)) and Edmond Wong (Bounty Hunters/Shang jin lie ren (2016)) and directed by Wilson Yip (Yeh boon 1 dim chung (1995)). It is based loosely on the life of the actual Ip Man (1873-1972).

Historically this is full of falsities, but as a (Chinese) nationalistic action-drama Ip Man is highly effective, nearly registering as propaganda.

Donnie Yen (John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)) is excellent with an internal force and calm about him in the title lead, and the fight scenes are phenomenal, (Sammo Hung (Firestorm/Fung bou (2013)) was among the film's fight coordinators). The dialog is at times trite, and the plot is simplistic, but the film is otherwise well-made, and the story is highly compelling.

 

Related posts:

Wilson Yip: 2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Dragon Tiger Gate/Lóng Hǔ Mén/龍虎門/龙虎门/Lung4 Fu2 Mun4 (2006) or, The Fighting Hairdos! 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 11.7 mil. $

Box office: 22.1 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.88 times its cost)

[Ip Man was released 12 December (China) and runs 108 minutes. Shooting took place from March - August 2008 in China, including in Shanghai. The title was changed to Ip Man prior to release, deleting 'the great master' from the title due to a dispute with Wong Kar-Wai, who was preparing his own Ip Man movie at the time, eventually released as The Grandmaster (2013). The film spent 4 weeks at #2 in China, where it grossed 13.7 mil. $ (62 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Hong Kong with 3.3 mil. $ (14.9 %) and Singapore with 2 mil. $ (9 %). It was not released in North America and most European markets. The film spun a franchise with 3 sequels, all by Yip and starring Yen, the first being Ip Man 2 (2010). Yip returned with Ip Man 2. Yen first returned in a cameo in Ga yau hei si 2009 (2009) and in a real part in The Founding of a Republic/Jian guo da ye (2009). Ip Man is fresh at 86 % with a 6.70/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ip Man?

House of Flying Daggers/十面埋伏/Shí Miàn Mái Fú/Sap6 Min6 Maai4 Fuk6 (2004) - Visuals and score improve Zhang's cold wuxia solemnity

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A plethora of colors adorn the three characters on this poster for Yimou Zhang's House of Flying Daggers

859 AD, during the decline of the Chinese Tang dynasty, a police captain breaks a beautiful, blind rebel out of prison with unforeseen consequences.

House of Flying Daggers is written by Feng Li (Hero/Ying xiong (2002)), Bin Wang (Beauty Remains/Mei ren yi jiu (2005)) and co-writer/co-producer/director Yimou Zhang (Red Sorghum/Hong gao liang (1988)).

I don't much care for the specifically Asian style of filmmaking, where very long films consist of many scenes of cold and overly serious dialog, - sometimes about what seems trivial matters, - and House of Flying Daggers is exactly such an Asian film, which makes me give up and zone out. It takes solemnity to nauseating heights, is bereft of humor, taking place in a dream-like, unrealistic version of ancient China that feels so distant that at least audiences such as myself lose interest.

It does nevertheless have natural scenes of great beauty, ingenious action and a score by Shigeru Umebayashi (Like the Wind/Come il Vento (2013)), which is also beautiful.

 

Related post:

 

Yimou Zhang: The Great Wall/长城/Cháng Chéng (2016) - Damon appears foolish in unexciting, major US-Chinese monster turkey

Watch a 4-minute dance scene from the film here

Cost: 12 mil. $

Box office: 92.8 mil. $

= Huge hit (returned 7.73 times its cost)

[House of Flying Daggers premiered 19 May (Cannes Film Festival, out of competition) and runs 119 minutes. Shooting took place from September - December 2003 in Ukraine and China, including Beijing. The film opened #19 to a 397k $ first weekend in 15 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #15 and in 1,189 theaters, grossing 11 mil. $ (11.9 %). North America was the 2nd biggest market; biggest was Japan with 24.4 mil. $ (26.3 %); and 3rd biggest was China with a recorded, somewhat suspiciously low 10 mil. $ (10.8 %). The film was nominated for an Oscar: Best Cinematography (Xiaoding Zhao (Little Big Soldier/Da bing xiao jiang (2010)), lost to Robert Richardson for The Aviator. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe, 9 BAFTAs, a European Film award and won a National Board of Review award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to 4 notches over this one. Unsupported claims say that the film was an even bigger hit on home video in North America than theatrically. Zhang returned with Riding Along for Thousands of Miles/Qian li zou dan qi (2005); Ziyi Zhang (The Banquet/Ye yan (2006)) returned in 2046 (2004); Takeshi Kaneshiro (Turn Left, Turn Right/Heung joh chow heung yau chow (2003)) in Perhaps Love/Ru guo · Ai (2005); and Andy Lau (Blind Detective/Maang taam (2013)) in Triad Underworld/Gong woo (2004)). House of Flying Daggers is certified fresh at 87 % with a 7.80/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of House of Flying Daggers?

Farewell My Concubine/霸王別姬/Bàwáng Bié Jī (1993) - Kaige's sweeping epic of Chinese history and intimate relations

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+ Best Movie of the Year

+ Best Historical Drama of the Year + Best Hong Kong Movie of the Year + Best Period Movie of the Year 

Rave critical notices headline this white poster with one colorful central image for Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine

Beijing in the1930s: In an extremely rough boys' school, two boys develop a lasting friendship, which is carried on as they stage a famous opera in the following decades.

Farewell My Concubine is written by Wei Lu (Red Cherry/Hong ying tao (1995)) and Pik Wah Lee (as Lilian Lee) (Dumplings/Jiao zi (2004)), on whose same-titled 1985 novel the film is based, and directed by Chinese master filmmaker Chen Kaige (Life on a String/Bian zou bian chang (1991)), whose 5th film it is. The original title translates to, 'The Hegemon-King Bids Farewell to His Concubine'.
This epic historical romance-drama is in many ways a bold national portrait of China thats ripe with pain, and which doesn't beat around the bush in regards to the vast country's 20th century historical milestones: The period of emperors was unfathomably tough; the nationalists were uneducated thugs; and the Maoists were even worse. Their despicable Cultural Revolution is presented as a dark chapter of betrayal and destruction.
At the same time, Farewell My Concubine is a portrayal of a homosexual dancer, the titular 'concubine', who is played by Mingwei Ma as a child, Zhi Yin (Forever Enthralled/Mei Lanfang (2008)) as a teenager and Leslie Cheung (The Chinese Feast/Jin yu man tang (1995)) as a grown man, with performances that are as eminent as they are moving. Although the character transports men of every epoch with his elegant, beautiful self, his own love is tragic and unresolved. The effects of severe punishments on the human mind are also evocatively rendered.
The aesthetic adoration of the male and homosexuals here are very interesting. Farewell My Concubine is also a film with splendid costumes (by Changmin Chen (Temptress Moon/Feng yue (1996))) and an intoxicating unfamiliarity or foreignness to it, (for myself and I am sure many non-Chinese audiences at least.) It is a grand and unusual masterpiece to be sure.

 

Related posts:

 

1993 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Top 10: Best gay-themed titles

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 4 mil. $
Box office: 5.2 mil. $ - North America only
= Uncertain (returned in excess of 1.3 times its cost)
[Farewell My Concubine premiered on 1 January (Hong Kong) and runs 171 minutes (the US theatrical release was only 157 minutes, and the long version is the one to watch.) The film was shown for 2 weeks in Shanghai in July 1993 before it was retracted by state censorship. Following international outcry, the film was allowed to screen again in September after cuts to the film's portrayal of the Cultural Revolution, homosexuality and suicide were committed upon the film. Miramax's North America, release was also cut (by 14 minutes), yet it still had an impressive 5.2 mil. $ run in the continent. Without the gross numbers for any other markets, it isn't possible to ascertain whether the film did well theatrically overall or not. It was nominated for 2 Oscars: Best Cinematography (Changwei Gu (Hurlyburly (1998))), lost to Janusz Kaminsky for Schindler's List, and Best Foreign Film (Hong Kong), lost to Belle Epoque (Spain). The film won the Palme d'Or in Cannes (tied with Jane Campion's The Piano) as well as the FIPRESCI critics' prize, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, was nominated for a César award, won 2 National Board of Review awards and other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 star review, equal to its rating here. Chen returned with Temptress Moon/Feng yue (1996). Cheung returned in All's Well, Ends Well Too/Hua tian xi shi (1993). Farewell My Concubine is fresh at 86 % with a 7.5/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Farewell My Concubine?