One day in 1964, director Zhang Che was casting for a new film, and dozens of actors were applying for the show in front of him. Seeing that the election was about to end, a burly strange man suddenly sat in the last row.
Zhang Che couldn't help but look at him twice and asked him to also try out on stage. The man showed a few kung fu, and the range of movements was very large, and there was a kind of wild power. Zhang Che immediately realized that this was the person he was looking for.
So Chen Xing was selected into Zhang Che's crew from then on.
What Zhang Che admired was not Chen Xing's bloated muscles, but the wild temperament that emanated from him. The mainstream aesthetic of 1964 could not accept such a tough guy actor who was like a beast, but Zhang Che seemed to foresee the future development trend, and he needed such an actor with raw strength to write his characters.
As it turned out, Stallone's appearance ten years later really set off a muscle trend.
In 1977, a kung fu action film called "The Four Raptors" was released in Hong Kong, which was directed by South Korean director and star Casava. There is a jaw-dropping fight scene in the film, where Cassavar unleashed three consecutive kicks in mid-air with lightning speed, each of which was lightning fast and powerful, knocking out four or five opponents.
This stunt, called "Triple Kick", is both agile and domineering, and it really lives up to its name.
The news quickly spread in the industry, and they all asked Casava about this lawless leg technique. It was then that three other martial arts talents with good leg skills appeared and were crowned with the title of "King of the Four Great Thighs".
They are Tan Daoliang, Liu Zhongliang and Huang Zhengli, and each of them has a skill, which is on par with Kasava. "The King of Four Thighs" became a buzzword of the era, and countless filmmakers were competing to invite them to perform, and every appearance made the audience dizzy and amazed.
The whirlwind brought by Cassavar and others is enough to change the aesthetic orientation of an era.
If you talk about who is the evergreen tree in the Hong Kong film industry, the name Fan Meisheng will definitely be considered. From the 60s to the 90s of the last century, Fan Meisheng has participated in hundreds of movies, and it can be said that there is no role and shape that he has not tried, and it is a living dictionary in the film industry.
His hideous face and rugged body shape have made him an excellent villain in many action crime films. When the audience saw his face, they knew that there must be a good scene of swords and swords.
And in the mid-80s, Fan Meisheng's son Fan Shaohuang also entered the film and television industry, benefited from his father's care, and soon emerged. In 1994, Fan Shaohuang became famous by starring in the movie "King Li", and this classic action movie is still talked about today.
It can be seen that Fan Mei was born as Fan Shaohuang, and the story of the three generations of the film is emotional. Fan Shaohuang, who played on the set as a child, later far surpassed his father's achievements, which is a glorious portrayal of Hong Kong films.
Bruce Lee's development in Hollywood could have been more brilliant. We all know that he has gathered a group of Chinese kung fu players around him, the most famous of which are Lin Zhengying and Chen Huiyi.
They are all Bruce Lee's right-hand men and have participated in the filming of every one of his kung fu action movies. One of the most embarrassing is that Bruce Lee originally planned to take them to explore the Hollywood market together, but he died suddenly, and this beautiful blueprint was shattered.
Later, Lin Zhengying became popular for a while by acting in zombie movies, but his life was ultimately unsatisfactory. And Chen Huiyi has never done anything bigger, in fact, he has this strength and talent.
It can be seen that without a leader like Bruce Lee, they will not be able to reach their maximum potential. Looking back now, I can't help but feel sorry for what happened to them, and I have to imagine that if Bruce Lee was still alive, the three of them would definitely be able to create more brilliant sparks.
This is the best portrayal of the inability of Chinese kung fu to take root in mainstream circles.
Zhang Wulang is a typical story of the prodigal son. In the early 80s, he starred in several kung fu action movies, all of which were newcomers who were vigorously popularized by first-tier film companies.
It stands to reason that relying on his handsome appearance and excellent strength, Zhang Wulang can strike while the iron is hot and quickly advance to the ranks of first-line stars.
However, what everyone didn't expect was that such an opportunity did not make him popular but disappeared. It wasn't until a few years later that in a comedy action movie by Jackie Chan, Zhang Wulang suddenly appeared as a special guest! It turned out that after many attempts, he gave up flying solo and directing and acting, and instead joined the family class, and began to serve as a supporting role and stand-in in Jackie Chan's movies.
This turning point has achieved the peak of his acting career, and in many Jackie Chan masterpieces, Zhang Wulang's action shots are all eye-catching. Especially in masterpieces such as "Plan A" and "Police Story 2", his performance is unforgettable.
It can be seen that choosing a strong team like Jackie Chan is the most correct decision for Zhang Wulang.
When it comes to the unique skills of Hong Kong action movies, the first thing that comes to many people's minds is the triple kick perfectly performed by Lai Qiangquan in "Police Story 2". In fact, this was originally Jackie Chan's reward of 400,000 Hong Kong dollars to the martial arts personnel of the Chengjia class for the sake of the movie effect, hoping that someone could complete the skill of four consecutive kicks in the air.
In a situation where no one else could do it, Li Qiangquan volunteered to accept the challenge. As a taekwondo student, after 4 months of hard training, he was finally able to perfectly achieve this seemingly impossible move.
However, when the shooting scene arrived with real guns, the camera was unable to clearly capture the four-legged footage because the speed of Li Qiangquan's continuous kicks was too fast.
In the end, this highlight shot only captures the moment of the three kicks. Although he failed to get his wish, the three consecutive kicks alone were enough to shock the audience, and also won Li Qiangquan the reputation of "King of Dumb Legs".
This has also become one of the most classic fight scenes in the history of action movies.
When we admire the heroic fight scenes on the screen, few people think about the hardships and pains behind them. These difficult actions and performances not only rely on the strength of the star himself, but also require the help of a large number of martial arts stand-ins and dragon sets.
And in this ranks, there will always be people who will not hesitate to take risks in order to complete the task.
The most typical example is the classic shot of Jackie Chan falling from the height of the church at the beginning of "Plan A". In order to ensure the effect, the crew set up two large nets and inflatable beds on the top of the three floors, allowing the actors to jump from a height.
The first test was Zhou Runjian, a martial arts stand-in. When he fell from more than ten meters in the air, his body posture was not easy to control, and he eventually collided with the ground violently and was seriously injured.
It is the spirit of such an unknown dragon and tiger warrior, who does not hesitate to risk his life to complete the task, that has achieved the action movie masterpiece we see today. They followed suit, fought side by side with those superstars, and enriched the screen with blood and sweat, which is worth remembering.
Hong Kong films have gone all the way from the peak in the 80s of the last century, and have obviously gone downhill and gradually lost their former glory. When we discuss the reasons for this, in addition to the macro level such as the environment and the system, the more important issue is the cultivation and inheritance of talents.
The stars and directors of the previous generation have retired or gone north to develop, and no one in the new generation can take on such a heavy responsibility. Not only are family members like Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung difficult to be replaced, but even the mainstays of film and television production, such as dragon and tiger martial artists and action directors, are also facing faults.
Many of the older generations of professionals are no longer at their peak, and newcomers don't have enough opportunities to gain experience.
The fundamental reason for this is that there is a structural problem of replacing the old with the new in the entire film industry. Just like a tall building with a gorgeous appearance, if there is a problem with the quality of infrastructure such as cement and steel bars, then no matter how tall and large the building is, it will eventually face the danger of collapse.
The generation gap between Hong Kong film practitioners is also an important reason for the decline of the industry.