Text | Ling Hu Boguang
A few days ago, there was a big news in the Chinese film circle, Wu Jing at the Asian International Film Festival. His Ascending International and Chinese Pictures officially announced that they will cooperate in the development of the martial arts action series "Swords, Guns, Swords and Sticks Chang Nantai" and the female crime action film "Angels of Hell".
The former will first shoot the first martial arts film "Dao", but the first yo, according to "swords, guns, swords and sticks Chang Nantai" and the first one is called "Dao", maybe seven martial arts films may be filmed, and the second part has no more news except for the announcement of the story introduction.
Since these two works are only announced to the public that their company has a project plan, now even the official project cannot be discussed, as the saying goes, the eight characters have not been brushed off. In addition to causing some star fans to tear each other (such as Liu Yifei fans and Li Xian fans), other aspects can only be said to think too much.
As we all know, kung fu action movies have always been one of the most important genres of Chinese films. Up to now, the world's most famous Chinese stars Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan are action actors. Even Wu Jing relies on action movies, and then relies on modern military action movies and sci-fi blockbusters to rise.
But Chinese-language action movies have been in decline for a long time, which is a cliché topic with the decline of martial arts films. The audience was very sorry, but looking at this environment except a long sigh, there was no way to save it.
With the "Wolf Warrior" series, the "Changjin Lake" series, and the "Wandering Earth" series, Wu Jing is already the absolute brother of the current Chinese actor, and can even be said to be the superstar of the current Chinese movies. Wu Jing is also an action actor, so whether he can revive Chinese action movies is the wish of many audiences.
Now Wu Jing finally has official actions, this time announcing seven martial arts films and one female-themed action film at a time, which has shocked many audiences. So the question is, can Wu Jing revive Chinese action movies this time?
Wu Jing wants to revive action movies and push movies to the world again? How difficult it is
Now Wu Jing is a superstar of Chinese films, and the capital, connections and resources behind him, as well as the film and television industry of Guo Fan's team, are already the top configuration of Chinese films, surpassing the Hong Kong film industry. But the top configuration, it must be able to revive martial arts films, and action movies?
This answer is very difficult, the decline of martial arts films and action movies has both technical problems and era factors.
What does that mean? Martial arts films, kung fu movies, action movies, including police and bandit movies, gangster movies, gunfight movies, etc., as well as less influential gambling films, zombie movies, erotic films, etc.
These themes are deeply bound to Hong Kong films, and ultimately to the Hong Kong social environment of different eras.
For example, Hong Kong kung fu movies and action movies, the reason is that Shanghai cultural people went to Hong Kong during the Republic of China. At the same time, a large number of martial arts halls, opera classes and jianghumen sects also left Hong Kong and Taiwan. Like the Hong Kong motion design team, they are all apprentices and grandchildren of Yu Zhanyuan, Pink Chrysanthemum, Liu Zhan and Yuen Xiaotian.
Yu Zhanyuan is the most famous, a Peking Opera teacher, who founded the Chinese Theater Academy, and his apprentices are Seven Xiaofu Hong Jinbao, Yuan Hua, Jackie Chan, Yuan Biao, Yuan Kui, Yuan Bin, and Yuan De. Daughter Yu Suqiu and Wu Lizhu, Ren Jing are collectively known as the "Three Women of Hong Kong Martial Arts Movies". Son-in-law Han Yingjie is Hu Jinquan's imperial martial arts instructor and invented the trampoline technique.
Pink Chrysanthemum was born in Peking Opera Wudan, and her students include Xiao Fangfang, Lin Zhengying, Zunlong, Dong Wei, Yang Panpan, Chen Baozhu, Luo Jiaying, Phoenix Girl, Meng Hai, Zhong Fa and so on.
Yuan Xiaotian was a martial artist of the Northern School, the first generation of martial arts instructors in China, and his eldest disciple Tang Jia was the imperial martial arts instructor of Chu Yuan. Yuan Xiaotian had seven children, one of whom was named Yuan Heping, who in turn passed on to Donnie Yen and so on.
Liu Zhan is a martial artist, Huang Feihong's apprentice is called Lin Shirong, Lin Shirong's apprentice is Liu Zhan, Liu Zhan's eldest son is Liu Jialiang, the second son is Liu Jiarong, the righteous son Liu Jiahui, and the apprentices are Huang Ha, Shenxian, Chen Quan and so on.
Liu Jialiang also has a disciple named Zhao Jiao, and his son Zhao Zhiling is the tailor of Stephen Chow's movie "Kung Fu". The "Zhao Zhiling Hongquan International Federation" founded by Zhao Zhiling in foreign countries has 200,000 disciples worldwide.
Similarly, there is Ip Man, a boxer of the Southern School, and Ip Man's apprentice is Bruce Lee. There is also a Tang Di, who is inferior to others, but he has an apprentice named Cheng Xiaodong——
All in all, the Hong Kong action design team goes back to the late Qing Dynasty, Republic of China martial artists, jianghu sects and opera classes. At that time, China was invaded by colonialists, the mountains and rivers were broken, and the nation was humiliated; Hong Kong is also a British colony, although the economy has developed rapidly, but it has been chaotic for a long time, with a large number of gangsters, quacks and all kinds of mixed people.
Jin Guliangwen's martial arts literature was also born in this social environment, if you look up the history of Hong Kong film, you will find that it is basically a cultural director sent by Shanghai Ocean to integrate and converge with this group of martial artists, and finally establish the history of various film themes.
Bruce Lee from the southern school boxer revolutionized kung fu films, Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Kui and others laid the foundation for Hong Kong modern action films.
Hu Jinquan and Han Yingjie combined to lay the foundation of ethereal flow martial arts films, Zhang Che laid down masculine aesthetic martial arts films, and John Woo was Zhang Che's disciple to lay the foundation for Hong Kong shootout films to go to the world; Tsui Hark and Yuan peacefully cooperated to upgrade the flowing martial arts films, and eventually went to the world.
Wu Jing wants to revive Chinese action movies? Does he deserve it
Hong Kong action films and martial arts films are so brilliant that they have their own special historical environment, and the mainland action design team does not have the system of Hong Kong's "passing on the gang". So, does Wu Jing have such an action team?
In recent years, Wu Jing has announced to the society that a "shadow martial arts hall" has long been established. Moreover, some time ago, he also chose to combine with Liu Tianchi's performance training class, which is roughly divided into two aspects.
On the one hand, it is to cultivate martial arts guidance, which has begun to take shape, and there is also the output of works, dividing martial arts guidance into several categories such as military actions, martial arts actions, police and bandit actions, and sci-fi actions, and then specialized in training different actions in categories.
On the other hand, it is to train action actors with Liu Tianchi performance training class, which is free to join for the first time to help you become a qualified action actor. In addition to the action can play beautifully, the literary drama can also pass the level.
I'm sure someone must ask if this is Jackie Chan's Chengjia class, Sammo Hung's Hong family's class, Donnie Yen's Zhenjia class? Now Wu Jing has a Wu family class? My answer is: it's really different.
Wu Jing rose by relying on the "Wolf Warrior" series, and then relied on the "Wandering Earth" series to establish China's superstar status, even if the box office record "Changjin Lake" is also a heavy industry special effects blockbuster. Not to mention that Wu Jing's "Wolf Warrior" series is also a heavy industry blockbuster, he and Guo Fan's team are bound.
Even the co-production "Megalodon 2", which has nothing to do with Guo Fan, Guo Fan ran to help publicize it.
Guo Fan's team and Wu Jing's team use modern technology, if you ask Wu Jing to make a film, he will first use animation to simulate the action scenes in the film, and then submit it to the film party for review, if the film party passes the review then the deal is reached, if only look forward to the next cooperation. What's the most important thing?
This process is the same as the shooting method of "The Wandering Earth 2", that is, the combination of modern industrialization and traditional action design.
I remember seeing in the documentary "Dragon and Tiger Martial Master" that Hong Kong also used this method very early, but unfortunately the regional limitations are too large, and Hong Kong films are in serious decline. As a result, the income of the local industry in Hong Kong is unstable, and in the end, it is only a small trouble, and no industrial system has been formed.
Some people will ask if this is not the kind of Hong Kong action movie, martial arts movie, of course the nonsense is different.
7 martial arts films, one female action movie? Can Wu Jing revive Chinese action movies
Now Wu Jing wants to revive action films, in addition to the difficulty of action design, there is also a different social environment, which has led to different pop culture and different needs of the audience.
For example, martial arts has not declined for a long time, except for the martial arts novel Jin Guliang Wen wrote to its peak.
At the end of the 90s, the rapid economic development of the mainland gave birth to the outbreak of popular literature, but there was only "mainland new martial arts" in martial arts, followed by the outbreak of online literature, but from fairy tales, Xiu Zhen, Xiu Xian, Hong Huang, Xuanxiang, etc., there was no martial arts stream.
Popular literature published at the same time includes Liu Cixin's science fiction with the rise of industry in a big country, costume novels such as February River's "Emperor Trilogy", and then Sun Haohui's "Great Qin Empire" series, Ma Boyong's costume type novels with small views, and others include "Qingming Shanghe Tu Code" and so on.
There is no place for martial arts in mainland popular literature in the new era, and kung fu movies and action movies are the same.
I don't know if you have found one thing, like the expression of "colonial foreigners and lackeys" in the "Ip Man" series, has always been the cornerstone of Hong Kong kung fu films. In addition to chasing Hong Kong and Taiwan's kung fu film and television dramas, mainland audiences later filmed them themselves, firstly, they could not shoot the essence, and secondly, the audience did not like it.
This kind of colonial attack on the national sentiment of foreigners cannot be obtained by inland audiences, and as time goes by, young audiences are becoming less and less accessible, because we rely on the national strength of "resisting US aggression and aiding Korea" to defeat the United Nations army.
That's why "Changjin Lake" broke records at the box office, Wu Jing's "Wolf Warrior" series is modern Chinese power, and "The Wandering Earth" series is the future Chinese field power.
So much, martial arts films in Hong Kong filmed to the extreme, "Sword See Stick Chang Nantai" look at the introduction, I feel quite like Gu Long's "Seven Weapons", very traditional. It is a masculine aesthetic martial arts film mode, a western martial arts film mode, or a flowing flow martial arts film mode, and it is really not visible now.
But no matter which kind of old-style martial arts film, it will eventually face the problem of surpassing similar Hong Kong martial arts films.
Wuxia films are genre films, and whether declining genre films can break through the confinement and attract a large number of audiences. It is by no means something that the film and television industry with a large scene and good special effects can solve. Otherwise, Tsui Hark's costume fantasy film, "The Sword of the Third Young Master" and so on, will not be impossible.
Over the years, the only one who broke through the old-school martial arts film genre was Xu Haofeng. He relied on the old-school jianghu rule narrative + his profound Buddhist and Taoist Confucian traditional culture skills + half-examined, half-real and half-learned action design of Japanese sword and halberd films, and finally established his own martial arts film style.
In contrast, Lu Yang's "Embroidered Spring Dao" series is not particularly successful, and everything is the same.
Wu Jing's "Sword, Gun, Sword and Stick Chang Nantai" Judging from the information disclosed so far, it feels quite difficult for the breakthrough of martial arts films.
On the contrary, that "Hell's Angel" is easier to operate in genre films, after all, looking at the introduction is like the female version of "Kill the Wolf 2", etc., and Hong Kong movies have also made benchmarks. The only thing worth paying attention to is whether Chen Xin can be launched in action and make a breakthrough in similar Chinese genre films.
In addition, the quality of the film must be very important, Tsui Hark's martial arts films and fantasy films are really bad.
Finally, the difficulties of the revival of Chinese action films have the opportunity to write a separate analysis. Whether Wu Jing can revive martial arts films this time, action movies still have to be seen. At the very least, it depends on the further situation of these two projects, and now it is not clear whether even Wu Jing's self-directed and self-starred theatrical commercial blockbuster or the "net university" used to train Yingwu Tang, let alone rejuvenate?
In any case, Wu Jing is opening Chinese modern war action blockbusters with "Wolf Warrior", breaking box office records with the war film "Changjin Lake" series, and then promoting Chinese science fiction blockbusters with the "Wandering Earth" series, and he can also contribute to Chinese martial arts films and Chinese women's action films.
Wu Jing, as the first person in the current Chinese film, deserves it!