Many of the far east movies have an incredible visual and emotional ambience. But we know China because of Kung fu movies especially Jackie Chan and Jet Li’s.The main facts that we love these films are the well-acting characters and the discipline and education that they have experienced one of the acrobatic branches of wu shu.
The stars who took place in several films for years(Jackie Chan and Jet Li) are finally getting together in Hollywood at the end of their careers.
I comment this situation as a reflection of “Jackie Chan’s getting old”. Age is an important factor even a “high conditioned man” and every movie means being injured, getting put in a plaster cast and filming some scenes again and again for these stars who they don’t use dubbers.
I think this movie is a high class movie that we didn’t watch for years. You know that “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” showed the world how a martial art movie can be represented with a fantastic coreography. Maybe some people who is familiar with performing arts could sniff at it. But the moviegoers witnessed the effort of stage designers, history and costume advisers, traditional china martial art masters than the actors and actresses’ efforts.
The scenes like dream, the incredible strong and fast actions that come true in a second, the cleverly game plans, team plays and the legendary characters who take place to all…
JET LI
I am in a big expectation for this time too. We know Jet Li from “Hero” which represented China as a huge empire with a traditional situation.I guess you remember the 3 layered scenario and the represantation style of “Forbidden City”. You saw especially how the emperor holds the power and how he is in big position in China history.
Jet Li started his carrer with movies which included nationalist themes where they filmed in China. Only some fans of these films know “Once upon a time in China” series; the confliction of Wong Fei Hung against Americans which tells the time looking through the China perspective.
But it shouldn’t be understanded false; when he came to America Jet Li changed his fearless, agile, devil may care portrait with his long knitted hair in his early times. Hair was cutted, the black suits were worn.
I should certainly make mention of the movie “One” which was a science-fiction masterpiece, in my opinion. It is fantastic to come into with an action like this to the parallel universes. If you haven’t watched it yet , you should buy it as a DVD and watch.
Likewise “Romeo must die” is an extraordinary movie too.
The first scene of Jet Li’s appearence in Hollywood is a Chinese man profile who broke the pieces of Mel Gibson’s baretta in a second in Lethal Weapon 4.
He came out as a silent, dangerous and direful character to Western moviegoers.
I think “Danny the dog” is the most emotional film of Jet Li, he turns up trumps with his acting rather than his fighting.
In here, it is impossible to tell his all fimography because he has a lot of movies from Hong Kong cinema.
Jackie Chan
Let’s come to Jackie Chan. When i said his name you smiled, didn’t you? Funny. This is the first definition. He is the Jimm Carry of far east with his comic nose and waddling date from his youth movies. Wheras Jackie is not only a successful martial fighter also is a consuming actor. His acrobatic style, maybe knowing of a lot of Kung Fu animal style, moreover his talent of making simple objects, which we use in life (for example a shopping car, library), for his defense in the instant make viewers happy and it decreases the direful power of martial arts.
Jackie’s “Police Story” series are quite different.Also we should make mention of Armour of God II: Operation Condor: He escapes with two women from some dangerous men in a desert to find golds in a secret Nazi headquarter. This movie can not be told, it is lived.
Jackie’s first film in Hollywood is “Rumble in the Bronx” which included very dangereous scenes. After that “Rush Hour” series came which we laugh it very much. He showed us how to follow with making harms more than guilties with Chris Tucker.
Note: A very unkown thing about Jackie Chan is, he was a bit player to be beaten by Bruce Lee at early one of his first movies.
The Forbidden Kingdom
After all these reminders let’s see the movie. A young American(Michael Angarano) wants to learn Chinese martial arts lunatic. When he came across mysterious fight staff(club) at Chine Town in Boston he finds himself in archaic China.He joins two martial art master who is on a dangereous journey to carry a lost escrow to Monkey King.
The Production of Film
Film’s first works started in Gobi Desert/China at 2007 May. Costume and scenario studies were done with the actor and actresses before the film’s act of drawing.
The dialogs were tried often, revised for characters because of not speaking English with accent as a result of being Chinese. The first days Jackie Chan acted very comfortable,only there were drama and walking. Of course two master was curious about how it will happen working together. But Jackie mentions about his role-mate with praise and traditional Chinese considerateness: “For last 10 years if we consider about the actions, cycles, rhythms and natural reflexes i have never worked so comfortable with nobody. I have performed a lot of fighting scenes and usually you have to repeat everything for 10 times.
Forgetting the action ,undesirable reflexes of person are loss of time.But when i fought with Jet Li, botht of ours actions were so fast. If we tried these actions with normal actors we couldn’t do it at least 20 times.”
Yuen-Woo-ping who is the choreograph of the fighting scenes is a dabhand and work with Jackie for 15 years. He also worked in “Twin Dragons”.
There is an official page in youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/forbiddenkingdom
www.forbiddenkingdommovie.com
Wikipedia
Jackie Chan Official Web Site
Jet li Official Web Site