Speaking of "kung fu comedy", Jackie Chan, Hong Jinbao, Yuan Heping, I believe it will be the first impression in the minds of many fans.
In 1978, "Drunken Fist", directed by Yuan Heping and starring Jackie Chan, can be described as the opening work of the "kung fu comedy era". After the film, the market wave of "kung fu comedy" once spread from Hong Kong films to all of Asia.
After "Drunken Fist", Jackie Chan became the box office leader above the kung fu comedy market. And Yuan Heping also became a popular director behind the scenes of kung fu comedy after "Drunken Fist".
Also in 1978, Hong Jinbao also stabilized his position in the "kung fu comedy" market by directing and acting in works such as "Fat Dragon Across the River" and "Mr. Zan and Finding Qianhua". Then works such as "Fighting For Life Singles And Death Guns", "Tiger Field Chickens", and "Involuntary", have made Hong Jinbao's film career reach a higher peak.
In fact, in addition to Hong Jinbao, Jackie Chan, Yuan Heping, Yuan Biao in the early years also had a brilliant period of light and shadow on the big screen of kung fu comedy.
In 1979, Yuan Biao rose rapidly in the kung fu comedy market because of "Miscellaneous Family Boy". Later, in "Lin Shirong" and "Master and Disciple Out of the Horse", although Yuan Biao matched hong jinbao and Jackie Chan, two brothers and sisters, the wonderful performance still made him win the favor of a large number of audiences.
In 1981, Yuan Biao, under the support of "Jiahe", served as the male protagonist of the kung fu comedy "Brave and Invincible". This classic work not only achieved a turning point in Yuan Biao's career, but also was parodied and ridiculed by Zhou Xingchi in the 90s. In this issue, we will talk about Yuan Biao's kung fu comedy classic - "Brave Without Fear".
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="11" > kung fu comedy created by Yuan Heping and Wang Jing </h1>
At the end of the 1970s, Jackie Chan and Hong Jinbao became the hegemons of the Box Office market of Hong Kong films with the theme of "Kung Fu Comedy". And "Jiahe" also signed Jackie Chan and Hong Jinbao, firmly grasping the box office dividend of the kung fu comedy market.
In 1980, "Jiahe" hoped that Jackie Chan would go international and become the "second Bruce Lee", so he sent him to Hollywood, and successively cooperated with Warner Pictures in the kung fu film "Killer Trench" and "Twentieth Century Fox" in "Cannonball Flying Car".
After Jackie Chan went to the United States, there was a certain market gap in the local market of kung fu comedy. Unwilling to give up the market dividend, "Jiahe" tried to win another star and control the kung fu comedy box office in Hong Kong together with Hong Kong.
At this time, Yuan Biao became the best candidate in the eyes of "Jiahe". This "Brave Without Fear" also came into being.
In order to ensure the quality of "Brave and Fearless", "Jiahe" found Yuan Heping to serve as a director for the film. In the early years, Wang Jing also participated in the story creation of the film as a screenwriter.
Perhaps many viewers do not know that Wang Jing in the late 70s and early 80s was also a "gold medal screenwriter" behind the scenes of kung fu comedy.
In 1976, Wang Jing, under the recommendation of her father Wang Tianlin, entered TVB and became a screenwriter. In 1979, Wang Jing, who saw the growing film market, chose to leave the TV station and go to the big screen. This year, Wang Jing unexpectedly met Yuan Heping, and the "Lin Shirong" co-created by the two of them achieved good box office results in the Hong Kong film market.
After "Lin Shirong", Wang Jing began to enter the peak of her screenwriting career. Yuan Heping's "Buddha Palm Luohan Fist", Zhang Qi's "Worship the Wrong Master and Prostrate the Wrong Head", Liu Jialiang's "Dragon and Tiger Young Master", Hong Jinbao's "Loser Son", the story script is all written by Wang Jing.
In Yuan Biao's "Brave without Fear", Wang Jing, Yuan Heping, the two choreographers and directors worked together again to present an alternative kung fu comedy story for the audience.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="25" > Yuanbiao's alternative kung fu comedy </h1>
At the beginning of the movie, the bandit "White-fronted Tiger Couple" was rounded up by the seven provinces to catch fast, and the white-fronted tiger escaped by chance, but his wife died under the knife of the seven provinces.
It is worth mentioning that yuan qiu, the "charter wife" when he was young, played the role of "white-fronted tiger wife" in this "Brave and Fearless".
Bai-fronted Tiger (played by Yuan Xinyi) fled all the way to Foshan. Zheng Tang, the lord of foshan's "Lion Roar Hall", is an old friend of the white-fronted tiger. Hindered by the affection, Lord Zheng Tang disguised the white-fronted tiger as a miscellaneous servant and hid it in the "Victory Drama Class" to temporarily avoid the limelight.
Ichijing boy "Little Timid" (played by Yuan Biao), who helps at his sister's laundromat. The big one of the "Victory Drama Class" washes clothes at the laundry of the little bold sister, but often pays on credit. Timid went to the door to collect debts, and Dazhiguang not only did not repay the money, but also injured the small bold.
Timid by nature, he did not dare to go home to see his sister after being injured, for fear of being scolded. In order to get back the laundry money, Xiao Timid asked his good buddy "Brother Kuan" for help. This "Brother Kuan" is no one else, it is Huang Feihong (played by Guan Dexing), the proud disciple "Liang Kuan" (played by Liang Jiaren).
Xiao Xiao came to look for Liang Kuan, only to find liang Kuan and Huang Feihong wearing "lion armor" and fighting with a group of people. Originally, the Henan Guild Hall opened and invited Huang Feihong to go to the lion dance to collect greens and ask for a good lottery. However, Zheng Tang, the owner of the "Lion Roar Hall", believes that Huang Feihong, a person who opened a medical center, came to grab the business of the martial arts hall and did not conform to the rules of the jianghu.
So on the day of the qingqing, Lord Zheng Tang also brought a lion team to "fight lions" with Huang Feihong, which led to the scene of Huang Feihong, Liang Kuan and everyone fighting.
After a fight, the lion of the "Lion Roar Hall" was defeated, and the left side of Zheng Tang's face was also burned. Between Huang Feihong and Zheng Tang, there was also a grudge.
After the lion dance, Xiao Bian found Liang Kuan and explained the past. Liang Kuan came to the "Victory Drama Class", taught Da only a lesson in fists and feet, and helped his brother get back the laundry money.
After being beaten, Dazhi Guang encountered the "miscellaneous servant" White-fronted Tiger in the drama class, so he sprinkled a stomach full of resentment on the white-fronted tiger.
Da Zhiguang did not know that this little servant who was doing miscellaneous work in the drama class was actually a Jiangyang thief. Dissatisfied with the scolding, the white-fronted tiger saw that there was no one around, so he killed the big one and vented his anger, and then escaped from the drama class.
As soon as he left the drama class, the white-fronted tiger met the cowardice. Xiao Dare saw the white-fronted tiger coming from the drama class, thinking that he was a friend of Dazhi guang, to avenge Dazhiguang, so he was frightened and did not possess his body.
The white-fronted tiger saw the cowardly look frightened, thinking that the boy had seen his own "crime", so he planned to kill the coward.
In this way, under mutual misunderstanding, the white-fronted tiger and the small boldness wrestled together. Although Xiao Qiu is not good at punching and kicking, it is good to run fast. After some pestering, Xiao Bold got rid of the white-fronted tiger and saved his life.
After Ōtsuki was killed, the head of the drama class reported to the officials. The "Chief Catcher of the Seven Provinces" (played by Fan Meisheng) tracks down the white-fronted tiger all the way to Foshan. When he learned that the "Victory Drama Class" had been murdered, the chief catcher decided to stay a few more days to see if the case was related to the white-fronted tiger.
After leaving the Qinglou, Xiao Bian told Liang Kuan that he wanted to worship Huang Feihong as his teacher. Liang Kuan also followed the trend and brought Xiao Bile to "BaoZhilin" and introduced him to Huang Feihong.
The timid front foot came to worship the teacher, and the "seven provinces chief catcher" came to the "Baozhilin" on the back foot to take people. As a result, Liang Kuan, the cowards, made trouble in the Qinglou and teased the chief head catcher, which was learned by Huang Feihong.
In order to make reparations, Huang Feihong set up a banquet and apologized to the chief catcher. And Xiao Bile was also driven out of the "Baozhilin" by Master Huang.
That night, Xiao Timid witnessed the white-fronted tiger fighting with the two patrols on the street, so he went to find Master Huang and the chief catcher for help. When Master Huang and the chief catcher arrived, the two patrols had already been killed, and the white-fronted tiger did not know where to go.
According to the clues, Liang Kuan found the location of the white-fronted tiger, but unfortunately was destroyed by the white-fronted tiger. The chief catcher learned that the white-fronted tiger was hiding in Foshan, so he dispatched his men and horses to search the whole city.
The white-fronted tiger, who had nowhere to hide, came to the "Lion Roar Hall" again to seek help. Lord Zheng Tang has a grudge against Huang Feihong, so he makes a deal with the White Front tiger - as long as the white front tiger kills Huang Feihong, the lord of Zheng Tang will help the white front tiger escape to Nanyang.
After the deal was reached, Lord Zheng Tang and The White-fronted Tiger set a trap. As a result, the chief catcher was arrested and Huang Feihong was injured. At the moment of crisis, the timid, who has always been timid, took the initiative to stand up and face the white-fronted tiger. Under the guidance of Master Huang, Xiao Bian defeated the white-fronted tiger. The story of "Brave and Fearless" also ended at this time.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="60" > was spoofed by Stephen Chow and challenged by Liu Jialiang</h1>
In the 1970s, kung fu comedies were unusually popular. And these kung fu comedies all follow an inherent creative model, that is, the male protagonist's "family and friends" were killed, the male protagonist wanted to take revenge, but could not beat the villain, and finally learned the art and successfully took revenge.
Whether it is Jackie Chan's "Drunken Fist" and "Laughing Fist Strange Moves", or Hong Jinbao's "Mr. Zan and Finding Qianhua" and "Lin Shirong", all of them follow this creative routine.
However, in this "Brave and Fearless", screenwriter Wang Jing designed an "anti-routine" story. The "family and friends" were not killed by the male protagonist, but the villain of the story.
The male protagonist defeats the villain, relying on not a diligent and hard-practiced "unique martial art", but some "opportunistic" small means.
This "Brave and Fearless" not only "anti-routine" in the story structure, but also breaks through the tradition and is innovative in the design of the fight scene.
The core of the kung fu film is that there is "real kung fu" in the film, even if it is a kung fu comedy, the actors' moves and styles are also very solid.
But in this "Brave And Fearless", director Yuan Heping tried to replace the traditional fighting with a large number of stunt shots. The "Burning Man" stunt shots during the lion dance, the villain White-fronted Tiger's "Flying Sleeves" and "Shape-Shifting Phantoms" all stimulate the attention of a large number of viewers with a very impactful visual effect.
It is worth mentioning that in "Brave and Fearless", the "shape-shifting phantom" of the villain White-fronted Tiger has brought creative inspiration to many Hong Kong film producers.
In 1996, Zhou Xingchi spoofed this trick "Shape-shifting Phantom" in "The Great Inner Secret Agent Zero Zero Hair". Interestingly, the actor who played the role of "The Son of the Emperor of Wuxiang" in "The Great Inner Secret Agent Zero Zero Hair" is the actor of the "White-fronted Tiger" - Yuan Xinyi.
In addition to spoofing this trick "shape-shifting phantom" in "Great Inner Secret Agent Zero Zero Hair", in 1993's "Tang Bohu Dian Qiu Xiang", Zhou Xingchi also spoofed the bridge section of "Huang Feihong Kung Fu Diagnosis Pulse" in "Brave And Fearless".
By the way, Liang Jiaren, who played "Liang Kuan" in "The Brave And Fearless", was also pulled by Zhou Xingchi into "Tang Bohu Dian Qiu Xiang" and became "Wu Zhuangyuan".
On the big screen of Hong Kong films in the 90s, "Brave and Fearless" won the favor of Stephen Chow, and many of the bridges in the film were spoofed and ridiculed. On top of the Hong Kong film market in the 80s, after the release of this "Brave and Fearless", it triggered the dissatisfaction of Liu Jialiang, the director of kung fu films.
As an orthodox descendant of Huang Feihong, Liu Jialiang has always adhered to the traditional kung fu film style of one move and one style, hard bridge and hard horse. The whimsical action scenes in "Brave and Fearless" made Liu Jialiang very disgusted. So in 1981, Liu Jialiang also directed a kung fu comedy "Wuguan", challenging Yuan Heping's "Brave without Fear".
The story structure of this "Wuguan" is almost exactly the same as that of "Brave and Fearless", both of which are contradictory because of the "lion dance", and a "wanted criminal" comes to the town and joins one of the martial arts. The owner of this martial arts museum wants to borrow the hand of the "wanted criminal" to kill the opponent.
Although the story structure is similar to that of "Brave and Fearless", in the design of the action scene, "Wuguan" follows the tradition, not only explaining the rules of the "lion dance" clearly and clearly, but also presenting the short punch characteristics of The Southern Fist.
The same story, different action design style, the provocative meaning of this, can not be described as not thick.
In 1981, "The Brave Is Fearless" and "Wuguan" were released successively. "Brave and Fearless" has gained a box office lead with its whimsical scene design.
And "Wuguan" has won a word-of-mouth victory because of the meticulous details and the realism of the fight scenes.
1981 was the last market peak of kung fu comedy. After entering 1982, with the emergence of "urban action comedies" such as "Best Partner" and "Beware of Small Hands", the market share of kung fu comedies was rapidly seized.
After entering 1983, Hong Jinbao filmed "Five Lucky Stars of Strange Schemes" and Jackie Chan filmed "Plan A". At this time, Yuan Biao also resolutely gave up the "kung fu comedy" and followed the two brothers into the big screen of "action comedy".
An era of Hong Kong films belonging to the "action iron triangle" also quietly kicked off at this time.
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