Hong Kong/Chop Socky and the 80’s

Hong Kong/Chop Socky and the 80’s

Kevin CanlasPhillip LeeJason Fujii

Bhavin ShahPeriod 1

1980 The era was characterized by the

introduction of high concept films with cinematic plots

Films in the 80’s were less experimental and original, but more into bringing out new special effects

1980 Colorization of the classics Color imaged films began to be

broadcasted on TV in 1985 Trend of films directed at the youth

began in the late 70’s and continued into the 80’s

Tredn of making sequels

1980 Parenthood comedies (Mr. Mom) Animation comedies (Who Framed

Roger Rabbit) Films were more traditional and

conservative than radical and innovative

Many films were highly emotional, appealed to females, revolved around terminal illnesses (Terms of Endearment)

1980 The rise of independent and non-

Hollywood films Uncompromising, low-budget, original

visions of reality PG-13 was created due to intense

violence of war and towards women

1980 Revival of Film Noir through the growth

of Neo-noir films The return of dark, shadowy scenes,

deadly females and menacing circumstances

Genre History The chop socky genre originated in

Shanghai, China in the 1920s Censorship and a new interest in social

issues caused a decline during the 1930s The film industry moved from Shanghai to

Hong Kong in 1949, and was revived The One Armed Swordsman (1967) During the 1970s, Bruce Lee appeared in

The Big Boss and Enter the Dragon, but the genre dropped in popularity after his death

Genre History 1980s brought Jackie Chan, who mixed

martial arts with comedy and was loved by American audiences, i.e. Legend of the Drunken Master, Rush Hour series

As well as Jet Li with his authentic wushu technique

Directors such as John Woo and Tsui Hark brought innovation

1990s, the industry moved to Hollywood and caused another decline in the industry

Conventions Chop socky films derived their stories from

myths, legends, and historic institutions Depict conflict resolution that is brutal yet

still elegant The hero of a chop socky film is a hard

“body” capable of defeating any enemy The hero is a personification of desired

skills and represents what a man can and should look like

Conventions An escapist genre, a fantasy that still

maintains a close tie to the cultural tradition of China

Characteristics of chop socky films are rugged individualism, conflict resolution through violence, and skepticism of class in society

The characters demonstrate a mastery over their movements, control over every situation, and detailed precision

Conventions A popular story line would be an

individual or a group that is competing for secrets or valuable objects

Many chop socky films show a quest, where the hero has flaws, then must undergo a form of training and discovery of strengths, to return and triumph

Good versus bad, virtue over corruption, villains die and heroes live

Conventions Many times, the hero must make long

journeys through the country Creates a relationship between the

character and nature All part of the quest mold of chop socky

movies, where the hero must undergo a change before he is ready to fight the final enemy

Conventions Wuxia pian – “tales of mortal chivalry” The code of the hero as shown in chop

socky films is to defend honor at all costs

This explains the popular plots of revenge and redemption for the hero

Conventions Many times in chop socky films, when

there is about to be a fight between two big characters there is a stare-down

They choose a form, they circle each other, ready to attack

The camera zooms into each fighter’s face, showing intense facial expressions

Iconography The costumes that are used throughout

many chop socky films are traditional Chinese martial arts clothes

Simple and flowing, allows for easy movement, and goes back to the cultural tradition

Weapons are also traditional, choosing to use things such as swords, spears, staffs, and good ol’ fists

Iconography Also found in most Hong Kong films are

high flying acrobatic maneuvers Most characters, especially the hero

demonstrate their own fighting style Fight scenes are numerous, with the

characters yelling out in emphasis and holding their form

Many times the hero is outnumbered against a large number of men, yet he prevails

Iconography The temple is a setting that is found in

many chop socky movies It ties into cultural tradition and is

usually a place where the hero finds refuge or discovers himself

Also found in chop socky movies is usually an old wise man who is legendary in his skill and the hero must gain his help

Iconography Found in many chop socky films are

objects that are symbolic of Chinese tradition

Throughout the settings, there are ancient tapestries and porcelain, adorned with traditional images such as dragons, ancestors, old sayings.

Kill Bill Kill Bill is a western movie that paid a

homage to Hong Kong martial arts, Japanese Samurai films and also Spaghetti western.

The movie glorifies more intense, acrobatic violence and the new school wuxia which was introduced in the 1960s

Kill Bill The fight choreography was

choreographed by Yuen Woo-Ping, who also choreographed Matrix, and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5kJ6nJe1oc



Kill Bill The plot of the movie is based on

revenge of the bride swears to kill those on her list

The women such as Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu are glorified because most of the martial arts film uses male dominant characters as heroes.

Kill Bill The plot is divided into 5 chapters,

using several flashbacks in order for us to understand how the story originated and chronologically the bride goes through her kill list. The resolution of the movie is the bride sending a message to her main antagonist, which depicts that a sequel will follow this movie.

Kill Bill Costumes are casual modern clothes which

departs from old martial arts film costumes. There are scenes where western costumes are worn in Texas setting, and kimono by Lucy Liu. Her squad wears school uniforms.

Imagery contains lot of blood and gore, which again glorifies the new wuxia swordplay and violence.

The biggest symbol for the movie is the sword, which defines power and strength, as the hero uses the strongest Hattori Hanzo sword to defeat her antagonists.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger goes back to many of the traditional elements of the chop socky genre

The plot is based on the quest to recover the valuable Green Destiny, one side trying to steal it, clashing with the side trying to return it


The characters are skilled swordsmen and exceptional in martial arts, with women taking on the task as main characters (Shu-lien and Jen)

The setting of the movie takes place in the 1700s in China, going into historic tradition


Their costumes are traditional clothing of the time, tying into the cultural traditions of the genre

Weaponry is characteristic of swords and other weapons used by the practitioners of martial arts

There is a focus through the movie on the high flying acrobatics and technique of the characters


Many fight scenes take place in historic buildings, such as temples or fight schools

One clash between Jen and Shu-lien takes place on a small “stage” where they compete skill vs. superior weaponry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I4Moi3-g14



Kung Pow: Enter the Fist A parody of the chop socky genre,

directed by Steve Oederkerk, who also starred in it

The plot of the film follows the Chosen One, who is seeking revenge on Master Pain, the one who killed his parents

Kung Pow: Enter the Fist Used the close up shots found in many

martial arts films, as well as the whip pan technique from Bruce Lee movies

Spoofed the dubbing, showing a character’s mouth move, but the words come later, the translation is short, or the voice is different than expected

Kung Pow: Enter the Fist Although the film is a parody, it

identified the hero as the character seeking revenge, a popular plot of chop socky films

But still, the hero was shown to be weak and fragile instead of brave and strong

Many characteristics of the genre were shown through the high flying fights, close ups, and storyline

Kung Pow: Enter the Fist One fight scene, where the Chosen One

fights a cow, expressed many conventions of the genre, such as the use of slow motion, quick paced choreographed fighting, and a spoof of the Matrix

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtkuNV_1Ots



Hong Kong/Chop Socky and the 80’s

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