Martial Arts Master Of Dragon And Tiger: Making A Movie With Flesh And Blood

Wen / Liu Ying

In Hong Kong, the movie action double has a majestic name "dragon and tiger master". They are martial arts masters who left home when they were young and left home. They have been practicing kung fu bit by bit. They have all kinds of skills. They can act, they can carry and throw, and make dazzling martial arts moves in front of the camera. They are also unsung heroes who hold up the glory of the industry. In the eighties and nineties of the last century, it was the dedication of countless martial arts practitioners with their flesh and sweat that brought about the prosperity of Hong Kong's action films and had a place in the world film history. In this sense, the documentary "dragon and tiger master" by Wei junzi, a senior media man and Hong Kong Film researcher, is the most affectionate look back and coronation of these filmmakers.

The form of "dragon and tiger master" is quite easy to understand. It is a combination of current interviews and old movie clips. Zeng Zhiwei, Yuan Heping and other familiar action movie actors all appeared to tell us about this interesting and dangerous film work. After a brief review of the origins of martial arts, Peking Opera, Kung Fu and other traditions, the film will spend more on exploring the relationship between martial arts people, the working concept of "fighting for excellence with life", and the future prospect of this industry. Here, the film is not rigidly carried out according to the time sequence, trying to deconstruct the past and present life of martial arts from the perspective of Hong Kong film history. Instead, it highlights and emphasizes the important time points and characters through editing from the oral statements of many characters. At the same time, due to the particularity of martial arts rules, most practitioners worship under different "sects", just like following big brother, they are close to the leaders of their own family. Jackie Chan, Yuan Heping and their team members all appear in the film to tell about their cooperation, which is quite objective.

Of course, the development of Hong Kong film itself is a thick and complex history, and a 90 minute film can not cover all aspects. The biggest regret of this film is that it fails to show the style of Shao's action films, and fails to let Jackie Chan, the number one sign of kung fu movies, to be interviewed in person. But the absence of superstars, on the contrary, makes the audience pay more attention to those who also support the industry, but are not paid attention because they have never been popular. They are the unsung heroes on the set, because they are doubles. They don't have a camera to give any close-up when they are fighting desperately. The final merit and fame are still placed on the stars. They are not "behind the scenes", but they often appear in the crowd and will not be stopped by fans to enjoy the spotlight. "Dragon and tiger master" captures the essence of martial arts doubles - they understand the dangers of work. The scenes in the film, such as falling from a building high above a building, racing at a high speed, boxing to meat, are all shot with real bullets. But at the same time, they appreciate the rewards of the job: perhaps it was the relatively favorable economic conditions at that time, the passion of following the big brother of the star, or the lack of pride even as an anonymous participant when the film was born. At the same time, they often brush past the God of death in their work, and at the same time enjoy the thrilling interest. They have the persistence of craftsmen.

This insistence is probably the most touching part of the film. It is not only about nostalgia for the past glory of Cantonese kung fu movies, but also an attempt to outline the future of Hong Kong films with martial arts images. Hong Kong and the mainland's film industry have been able to interact with each other, and the picture of development opportunities has been gradually unfolded. In fact, judging from the generally good Putonghua level of the interviewees, we can see that Hong Kong martial arts directors have already had in-depth exchanges with the mainland film industry, and some have even gone northward to shift their focus of work to the mainland. Just as Bruce Lee, who came back from the United States at that time, upgraded kung fu movies with his own efforts, it seems that the film cooperation between Hong Kong and other places now indicates the hope of action movies and martial arts in the future. Before we set off again, "dragon and tiger master" undoubtedly provides us with enough touching, blood and reflection.