The desperate Hong Kong filmmakers in the original ＂Dragon Tiger Warrior＂ made our impetuous entertainment circle feel ashamed.

Recently, a documentary "Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts" featuring Hong Kong filmmakers was first shown in the cinema and then on the iQiyi platform.

Although, it is not as hot as a drama film, but all those who like Hong Kong movies will pay attention to it, and those who care about China movies will get such an inspiration from it:

Martial Master of Dragon and Tiger is a mirror of China mainland filmmakers and a good medicine to save the impetuous atmosphere in the entertainment circle.

Therefore, the birth of this documentary coincides with the right time, which will play a timely role in rectifying the chaos in the entertainment circle and improving the conscience and quality of filmmakers.

Dragon and Tiger Martial Master, a collection of Hong Kong filmmakers

1. Hong Kong filmmakers bring visual feasts to the audience with the spirit of hard work.

The documentary "Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Master" brings together action movie superstars such as Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, Yuan Heping, Cheng Xiaodong and Donnie Yen, famous martial arts directors such as Tsui Hark, Liu Weiqiang and Wu Siyuan, and invited martial arts masters such as Mars, Liu Yun, Hou Yaozong, Benny and Zhong Fa. They used their own personal experiences to recall the glorious era of Hong Kong movies from costume martial arts to fashion action, the golden age of Hong Kong movies and the diverse styles of dragon and tiger martial artists, which opened a screen history of "dragon and tiger martial artists" and the development history of Hong Kong kung fu movies for the audience.

Old photos of Hong Kong Drama School students

During the Anti-Japanese War, Beijing Opera and Cantonese Opera troupes fled to Hong Kong, where they set up drama schools to train doll students. Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Xu Zhongxin and Cheng Xiaodong, who are still active in the film industry, are among them.

After strict study and training, they have all the skills needed by Beijing opera martial arts students.

With the rise of action movies in Hong Kong, they come in handy, either as thugs or walk-ons, or as stand-ins for difficult scenes. Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and later Wu Jingdu did this kind of hard work without showing their faces.

This is the origin of the "Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts Master", a special type of work and its team in the film industry, and it has also made the embryonic form of Hong Kong Kung Fu films.

The movie "The Raptors Crossing the River" starring Bruce Lee.

In the early 1970s, the return of Bruce Lee, a martial arts superstar, made Hong Kong’s "Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts Master" move from the "empty trick" deduced from drama to the "actual combat" of China’s martial arts, and made costume martial arts films move towards modern action films. Bruce Lee’s films, such as Jingwumen, The Raptors Crossing the River and enter the dragon, have become the classics of Hong Kong Kung Fu films, and are also the first China films to enter Hollywood.

Naturally, it has also improved the concept and quality of the Hong Kong "Dragon and Tiger Martial Master" team.

Sammo Hung, the leader of Hongjiaban, reappeared his talent in Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts.

Regrettably, Bruce Lee’s untimely death caused a low tide of Hong Kong Kung Fu films. However, the "Dragon and Tiger Martial Master" team he influenced has become fashionable, and has formed the tenacious rise and competitive battle of the four major teams: Liujiaban, Hongjiaban, Chengjiaban and Yuanjiaban.

At that time, the film market in Hong Kong was really exciting. Liu Jiaban’s martial artist fell from the 7th floor to the swimming pool, Hong Jiaban’s actor was about to fall from the 9th floor to the sea of fire, and Cheng Jiaban’s staff simply fell from the top of the shopping mall to the skating rink without any protective measures.

Jackie Chan really dropped a small video in the movie "Plan A"

The documentary "Dragon Tiger Warrior" truly reproduces a thrilling scene, which makes us relive a familiar action movie.

In the movie "Plan A", Jackie Chan jumped down from the bell tower, broke through several sheds in succession and fell heavily to the ground.

In the movie "Flag Soldiers of the Province and Hong Kong", Hong Jiaban’s "Death Squad" fell from a tall building, fell back down to a hard skating rink, and fell unconscious on the spot.

In the movie "Heart of the Dragon", eight martial artists jumped from the seventh floor at the same time, accompanied by a real explosion. After a scene was finished, the director shouted "save lives" instead of "call it a day".

In the warehouse bamboo ladder battle in Huang Feihong, Jet Li, Xiong Xinxin, Ku Huen Chiu and other martial artists filmed 16 hours a day and fought for 31 days in a row.

"Dragon and Tiger Martial Masters" really dropped a small video.

There are tai chi zhang sanfeng, Drunken Boxing, Hong Fan District, Ip Man and other films that give the audience a shocking perspective, all of which are made by the "Dragon and Tiger Martial Masters" in the flesh. It is a real fall, a real hit, a real jump, a real injury, a bone-breaking and scarred injury, and it pays blood, tears and even life.

Poster of Dragon and Tiger Martial Master

Documentary specifically uses a set of data to truly show the desperate spirit of Hong Kong filmmakers:

Yuan Wu broke his neck while filming The Five Lucky Stars.

Qian Jiale injured his coccyx while filming "The Fast Food Car".

Ching-Ying Lam fell into a concussion while filming Mr. Zombie.

Jackie Chan’s skull was broken while filming Brother Dragon and Brother Tiger.

When Sammo Hung filmed "Best Lucky Star", his hand bone was broken.

When Qian Jiale filmed eastern condors, all the skin on his arm was burned.

Hu Huizhong and Li Saifeng were burned all over when they filmed "Hunting for the Devil".

Xu Baohua broke his legs while filming Tiger Watch 2.

Xiong Xinxin was seriously injured and in a coma for two days while filming "Knife".

When Yang Ziqiong filmed "Ah Kin", he was injured in the cervical spine and almost completely paralyzed.

The famous director Tsui Hark was interviewed in Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts.

Visiting foreign directors saw bloody scenes and said to them:

Do you dare to do it? Whoever does this action will die!

The documentary gave a resounding answer to this question in the words of director Tsui Hark:

Because they proved one thing, what we can do is something that other countries and cultures can’t do, even Hollywood should pay tribute to us!

It is from the legend of "Dragon and Tiger Martial Master" that we can see that there are still such a group of people in this world who work hard to make movies.

Donnie Yen is at the filming scene.

It is also flesh and blood. In the era without special effects, relying on the desperate performance of "indigenous method", it brought a visual feast to the audience, created the peak period of Hong Kong movies, and made a number of movie superstars and famous directors. In the later days, they made special contributions to the prosperity of China films.

Hong Kong director Li Hanxiang told the actor who starred in "Burning Yuanmingyuan"

2. The special contribution of Hong Kong filmmakers to the development of mainland films.

In the early days of reform and fashion, China mainland films were in the ascendant, and there was a shortage of talents. The already fashionable Hong Kong films were just a supplement. They not only bring new ideas to China mainland films that need to be updated urgently, but also transport a large number of talents.

In 1983, the films "Burning Yuanmingyuan" and "Listening to the Politics from the Curtain" were the first films jointly produced by the mainland and Hong Kong. They were directed by Li Hanxiang, a famous director in Hong Kong, and most of the producers were from Hong Kong film companies.

Its wonderful plot and novel production have brought great surprises to the mainland audience and achieved a grand occasion of hard-to-find tickets.

Stills of the movie Hero

Since then, the mainland and Hong Kong have started extensive cooperation, or both sides produced products or hired Hong Kong directors and producers. Their "desperate spirit" and "actual combat experience" have greatly influenced mainland films and filmmakers, especially in the aspects of China films going to the market, being close to the audience and having commercial value.

In 2001, Zhang Yimou directed China’s first commercial film Hero. Its funds mainly come from Hong Kong, and the main actors come from Hong Kong. The action director who plays an important role in the artistic effect of the film is Cheng Xiaodong, the backbone of the Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts Division.

Cheng Xiaodong gave full play to his many years of experience, which made the martial arts scene in Hero full of "elegant" feeling, greatly improved the artistic taste and commercial characteristics of the film, and made it achieve the highest box office of mainland films at that time.

Poster of the movie house of flying daggers

Zhang Yimou’s commercial films, such as House of Flying Daggers and Golden Flower in the City, were directed by Cheng Xiaodong. He added a lot of color to these films, and also made mainland commercial films more fashionable.

Tsui Hark’s film "Outwit Tiger Mountain"

Hong Kong filmmakers are still playing a decisive role when the mainland theme films seek breakthroughs and innovations.

Bodyguards and assassins, directed by Hong Kong directors Chen Kexin and Chen Desen, made the first breakthrough in the theme film, and was called a "good-looking, sentimental and high-quality Chinese blockbuster" by Netizen Daily.

Hong Kong director Tsui Hark’s 3D film "Taking the Tiger Mountain by Outwit" puts on a coat of modern production for an old story familiar to Chinese people. The bursting of the scene, the violent action, the vivid characters and the compact atmosphere feast the eyes of the audience, and the young audience’s mood is almost fanatical.

Hong Kong directors Chen Kexin and Liu Weiqiang are at the shooting scene.

There are Liu Weiqiang’s The Great Cause of Building the Army, Lin Chaoxian’s operation mekong, Operation Red Sea and so on, all of which have become the classics of the main theme films, achieving a win-win situation for both social and economic benefits.

The film The Captain directed by Liu Weiqiang.

The film dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China is an opportunity for Hong Kong filmmakers to show their talents. Among them, The Captain was directed by Liu Weiqiang, and The Climbers was directed by Li Rengang, and their word-of-mouth and box office were both bumper.

Among the top 10 Chinese box office films, Hong Kong directors have contributed four films. If two Hollywood films are excluded, the strength of Hong Kong directors is just equal to that of mainland directors. Jason Wu, the director of the box office number one Wolf Warriors 2, also grew up as a "Dragon and Tiger Martial Master" in Hong Kong, and had the hard experience of fighting body double.

Three directors in The Battle at Lake Changjin: Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark and Lin Chaoxian.

In recent years, the cooperation between mainland and Hong Kong filmmakers has become more frequent.

Leap is directed by Hong Kong director Chen Kexin, Chinese Doctors is directed by Liu Weiqiang, and two of the three directors are Hong Kong directors in the upcoming blockbuster The Battle at Lake Changjin.

While bringing new atmosphere to China films, their spirit of "Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts" and practical work style have also influenced China mainland filmmakers.

Shooting scene

What mainland filmmakers lack is the spirit of "Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts".

Compared with the Hong Kong filmmakers shown in Master Dragon and Tiger, mainland filmmakers live in a "comfort zone".

A new generation of mainland filmmakers, lacking life practice and hardship, rarely have the opportunity to contact the bottom of society. There are many people who understand the hardships of life and hone their will in hard work, but most filmmakers create by books and imagination.

Nowadays, few screenwriters polish the script for a film in a few years; Few directors can settle down and study scripts, and most of them finish a play or a film in a short time.

Chen Daoming

Young actors can’t eat too much, and they have no patience to ponder the role. If they feel a little wronged, they will complain bitterly. When talking about this phenomenon, Chen Daoming once pointedly said:

A young actor’s hand in the crew was worn out, and he immediately shouted, making the whole crew turn around him and the filming was forced to stop. What a big deal this is, what’s worth yelling about. Some actors are very wronged for getting up early. Do you have a cleaner to get up early? How many times do you earn as a cleaner? What’s the grievance?

online celebrity with a huge fan base

Especially those traffic stars, who take on several dramas at the same time, are like catching up with the scene. Just shoot your own close-up, and the distant view and fighting scenes are all finished by body double.

At an early age, he has a lot of style, with more than 10 bodyguards and several nannies, and is almost used to being an imbecile with extremely poor hands-on ability.

The income is surprisingly high, and it is normal for a drama to be tens of millions or even hundreds of millions. The artistic morality is directly proportional to the income, almost to the point of losing conscience. Wu Yifan is a typical representative.

Shooting scene

In recent years, Hong Kong actors are willing to develop in the Mainland. Apart from the prosperity of film and television dramas in the Mainland, it is easy to live and earn money in the Mainland. Actor Wong Cho Lam in an interview with Venus, unequivocally said:

We earn n times as much money in the Mainland as in Hong Kong, and the labor intensity is many times easier than in Hong Kong.

From this constant and bitter irony, we can see how comfortable and chaotic our entertainment circle is.

So "comfortable" and so "chaotic", how can we not make bad movies flood and bad dramas prevail?

Yuan Heping, the famous Hong Kong action director.

Then, the desperate spirit and pragmatic style of Hong Kong filmmakers are a mirror of mainland filmmakers and a good medicine to save the chaos in the entertainment industry.

It is necessary for a conscientious filmmaker to look at himself in this mirror, reflect on himself, find out the gap and catch up.

Young actors need to take this medicine, adjust their body and mind, make up for life practice and suffering to sharpen this course.

Only in this way can we live up to the kindness of our parents, be worthy of our profession, and do practical things and produce practical works like our predecessors in Hong Kong movies.

I think this is the good intention of the director who spent two years filming this work.

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