The Grandmaster - 一代宗師

The Grandmaster (一代宗師) is an 2013 film out of Hong Kong. The movie is directed and written by the acclaimed Wong Kar-Wai. The film stars Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi. The supporting cast include Chang Chen, Song Hye-kyo, Wang Qingxiang, Zhang Jin, and Zhao Benshan. Cung Le makes a brief cameo in a fight under the rain. There are three version of the film. I have seen the Hong Kong and US versions.



Ip Man is in Foshan in 1936. A northern master has come south to retire and handing the reigns to his disciple Ma San. However, Ma San goes overboard and hurts combatants. Ip Man is to represent the Southern masters in one last duel with the Northern master. The two come to a non-physical duel. The duel is of ideals for martial arts. Ip Man wins by his philosophical ideal of expanding martials arts beyond the border of northern and southern Zhong Guo. Gong Er is the daughter of the defeated Northern master. Gong Er and Ip Man duel to pretty much a stand still before a Ip Man breaks a step. The terms of the duel were that nothing would be broken by the winner. Gong Er and Ip Man are than separated and long to reunite for another duel. Do the emotions they have for each go beyond their reverence for martial arts? The Sino-Japanese war lands in Foshan and Ip Man is forced to live in poverty for much of the remainder of his life. 1950 is here and Ip Man relocates to Hong Kong and sets up shop to spread Wing Chun.



This movie was not an action film. It was a Wong Kar-wai film. If you paused the film, it would look like a photograph you might hang on a wall. It was a beautiful film. The way Wong gets his films to look the way they do is amazing. 6 years was way too long from his last film, My Blueberry Nights.



The Hong Kong and US versions of the film were like watching two different films. The Hong Kong version was clocked at 130 minutes and the US one at 108. Another international version shown at the Berlin film fest was 123 minutes. I think only the HK and US version will be available to the general masses.



I liked the Hong Kong version better. It was classic Wong. The scenes were filled with flashbacks to an earlier times in the beginning moments. The non liner presentation made me long to know what was next. All along, I was pressed into the current scene and the grand emotions there. The dialogue was also pretty amazing. The Hong Kong version I watched was completely in Mandarin, I didn't have subtitles to distract me. I was able to focus on the faces, the scenery, the movie! Zhang Ziyi is still a beauty. During the Golden Palace scenes, she was plain and seemed to be without make up. While the other women all around her were made up and had fancy clothes on. BUT Zhang Ziyi was still heads above more beautiful than the rest of them. A testament to her natural beauty. The teahouse scene in Hong Kong between Zhang Ziyi and Tony Leung still resonances. From their philosophical chat and to Zhang's utter look of being defeated by life.

The US version was more linear and tried to tell a story from start the finish. Leaving out whole sub plots and inserting some scenes not in the HK version. I also enjoyed it and I recommend it to my US based friends as well. It's more digestible for the folks on this side of the pond. Marketed as a film about Bruce Lee's master, it left out the two main fight scene from Chang Chen's baji style.

In both films, the way Chang Chen's story was only a little of adding how the martial arts world had moved to HK was a disappointment. Knowing that rumors of an original 4 hour cut was around, I would have been very happy if Wong split the films into two!

Ashes Of Time Redux - 東邪西毒

Ashes of Time Redux (東邪西毒) is a 2008 film out of Hong Kong. This film is the restored and slightly adjusted version from the original 1994 film, Ashes Of Time. Some of the film's main characters are very loosely based on characters that appear in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. This is also the only film directed by Wong Kar-wai that is adapted from material he didn't create.

The Cast
Leslie Cheung as Ouyang Feng
Brigitte Lin as daughter of Murong clan
Maggie Cheung as Ouyang Feng's sister-in-law
Jacky Cheung as Hong Qigong
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai as Blind Swordsman
Tony Leung Ka-fai as Huang Yaoshi
Li Bai as Hong Qigong's wife
Carina Lau as Blind Swordsman's wife
Charlie Yeung as Girl with mule

The Story
Ouyang Feng is a dealer for people looking for assassins. Feng has an outpost in the desert where people go to wheel and deal with him. Every year, Huang Yaoshi visits during springtime and they catch up. Along the way, various people roll through the outpost looking for action. Among them are all the others listed in the cast, with exception of Feng's sister-in-law and the blind swordsman's wife. One by one, an story of lost love and betrayal is presented. Everyone's running from something.

My Thoughts
If you read my first post on the original version, you'll see that I didn't enjoy the 1994 version of Ashes Of Time much. However, I had fond enough memories of the film to include it in my Top 20 movies of the 1990s. And this version was also in Cantonese. The only Mandarin is from Brigitte Lin and Li Bai (and when Jacky speaks to Li Bai). So, I wasn't getting the language patterns other than from the subtitles. Which is disappointing. Mandarin dubs still try to stay within the emotional realm of the native tongue.

So, how was it this time around, 15 years after its release? Was this condensed version that included title headings to break up story arcs and "what they become" abstracts on the 3 of the five greats good? Much better! Even though I don't like watching canto dubs, this one was ok since it was such a beautifully shot film. The wide angle shots really presented the mode and the way things flowed made it seem like a dream. And all the stars were 15 years younger! Maggie Cheung was stunning! The rest of the cast just made things easy on the eyes while the environment was gritty and dusty.

The music was also re-scored with Yo Yo Ma on cello. I have the original soundtrack from the 1994 film and use it as finals study music for years. Unfortunately, I can't find the CD now, but the music was vastly different this time around. But it still entranced me in the moment and mood of the scenes.

Is there an coherent story, not really. Yet, it was the search for something on the horizon that made the story arcs move. I also think the Wong assumes you actually knew the story behind Feng, Huang, and Hong, which adds to how you think they are, but they break that character mode.

In the end, I believe this was a well deserved re-mastered version and one that should not be missed. Even at 17 years old now (really 18 in terms of filming), this film not only holds up well, its a testament to how good the HK movies were in the pre-turnover era.

Ashes of Time and Redux - 東邪西毒

Originally posted on xanga.



Back in the 90s, I had rented the bootleg of "Ashes of Time" from a local chinese video store. At the time, I wasn't all that familiar with who directors were and mainly followed stars.

Ashes of Time had a lot of stars. It's actually based on the Greats of the Condor Heroes book by Jin Yong. But the story is simi based in reality. They're not so invincible like they are in the book. And they're physical limitation are explored and exploited.

So, having been a fan of all things Jin Yong (at least from the drama stand point, I haven't read his books), I was super confused at the story and was quite disappointed in the fighting.

After my first watch, I thought the movie was well made, but the topics explored were no relevent to me and the fighting kinda sucked.

I ended up picking it up again on VHS again in the late 90s. Man was I disappointed, it was in Cantonese. I didn't finish it. I liked chinese movies dubbed into Mandarin.

So, I haven't had a good experience with Ashes yet.

Redux is newly remastered and restored. I hear its also tweaked a little. I've seen the trailer and its in Cantonese. I'll have to wait for the Taiwan or China version to see it again.

I hear its one of Wong Kar-wai's better films. If it's anything like Chungking Express or In the Mood for Love, I will like. I just can't really remember it much.

It's playing at a handful of theathres here in greater LA area. In Irvine and on Sunset.

I have the soundtrack from the original movie and had it on quite often when I had to study for finals or mid terms.

My Blueberry Nights - 我的藍莓夜

Originally posted on xanga. Updated 1/21/2009.

I recently watched Wong Kar-wai's My Blueberry Nights starring Norah Jones. Made in 2006 and released in 2007, it finally made it to DVD in 2008.

I didn't want to write a blog about it right after I watched it, because I wanted to give it a little time to rest and for a couple weeks to go by. I must say that I thought the film to be average. Kind of how I felt after 2046.

Chungking Express is in my top 20 films all time and In The Mood For Love is my my top 100. So, I have great expectations when a new Wong Kar-wai film comes out. I try not to let the hype get me, but its rather hard since his films take forever to get released.

I am glad I watched it because it was very stylist and revolves around love in isolation, the theme I find in all Wong Kar-wai films.

I also have seen way too many films with Jude Law. That guy needs to chill and stop being in everyones artsy fartsy movie. Because he's been in over 25 movies since 1999. I must have seen 20 of those and not because of him, but because of the films. The guy knows the good scripts!

If you're expecting Wong Kar-wai flair, this movie will give it to you.