Watership Down (1978, UK). Directors: Martin Rosen and John Hubley.
Final attack scene.
https://youtu.be/65QJMgIjWxk
Jim
Favorite movie fight scenes
Re: Favorite movie fight scenes
Alexander Lo (brief bio)
(AKA, Alexander Lo Rei, or just Lo Rei)
*Video below*
The narrator got his birth year wrong. He says 1963; it was actually 1958.
One day, while I was training martial arts with a group of guys outside in a park in Taipei, Taiwan, two men came up to our small group of 5 and asked us if we would like to appear in a movie. They handed all of us their business cards. I thought it was suspicious and never followed up. But 3 of the guys did follow through, and the movie they ended up appearing in starred Alexander Lo Rei. That was in 1989, and the movie they were in was pretty bad (I think it was titled "Ninja" something), and they appeared as extras who got beaten up by Alexander Lo Rei. So if I had followed up with the 3 guys who did, I most likely would have also gotten my butt kicked onscreen by Alexander Lo Rei. But since the movie sucked, and the guys weren't paid much for their brief appearances, I never regretted my decision.
Alexander Lo Rei's best movies were his earlier, period Kung Fu films, like Shaolin vs Lama (1982), Secret Rivals 3 (1980), Incredible Kung Fu Mission (1979), etc. He began acting in films in 1979, which was near the tail end of the golden era of old-school Kung Fu period films. His later movies were mostly Ninja-related, were set in modern times, and were poorly-made.
Ironically, I've heard that in real life, Alexander Lo Rei hated Kung Fu movies. He acted in them to make a living, and credited them with having kept him away from engaging in criminal activity as a young man.
https://youtu.be/s6OHrxUSm6s
Jim
(AKA, Alexander Lo Rei, or just Lo Rei)
*Video below*
The narrator got his birth year wrong. He says 1963; it was actually 1958.
One day, while I was training martial arts with a group of guys outside in a park in Taipei, Taiwan, two men came up to our small group of 5 and asked us if we would like to appear in a movie. They handed all of us their business cards. I thought it was suspicious and never followed up. But 3 of the guys did follow through, and the movie they ended up appearing in starred Alexander Lo Rei. That was in 1989, and the movie they were in was pretty bad (I think it was titled "Ninja" something), and they appeared as extras who got beaten up by Alexander Lo Rei. So if I had followed up with the 3 guys who did, I most likely would have also gotten my butt kicked onscreen by Alexander Lo Rei. But since the movie sucked, and the guys weren't paid much for their brief appearances, I never regretted my decision.
Alexander Lo Rei's best movies were his earlier, period Kung Fu films, like Shaolin vs Lama (1982), Secret Rivals 3 (1980), Incredible Kung Fu Mission (1979), etc. He began acting in films in 1979, which was near the tail end of the golden era of old-school Kung Fu period films. His later movies were mostly Ninja-related, were set in modern times, and were poorly-made.
Ironically, I've heard that in real life, Alexander Lo Rei hated Kung Fu movies. He acted in them to make a living, and credited them with having kept him away from engaging in criminal activity as a young man.
https://youtu.be/s6OHrxUSm6s
Jim
Re: Favorite movie fight scenes
Jennifer Lawrence Exposed / Hollywood Cringe
Jennifer Lawrence is delusional. There have been MANY women who played lead roles in action movies, decades before she was even born. She obviously knows nothing about cinematic history. I'll go way better (and WAY earlier, and beyond Hollywood) than the maker of this video; check the two videos below this first one:
https://youtu.be/_VKgIkmm82I
Come Drink With Me (Hong Kong, 1966)
(Killcount)
Starring Cheng Pei-Pei. She's probably most familiar to Western audiences as the lead villain in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), but she was probably the first leading female movie action heroine who was considered a 'superstar'. Her career peaked and declined before 1970.
https://youtu.be/BXC21OLz3qc
Lady Snowblood (Japan, 1973)
Starring Meiko Kaji. There were other female leads in Asian action films before her, but Lady Snowblood was the main inspiration behind Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies.
https://youtu.be/oX3tTLGSu7M
Those are only two. I know of countless other examples of strong female leads in action movies that predate Jennifer Lawrence's existence on this planet, but I'll leave it at that.
Jim
Jennifer Lawrence is delusional. There have been MANY women who played lead roles in action movies, decades before she was even born. She obviously knows nothing about cinematic history. I'll go way better (and WAY earlier, and beyond Hollywood) than the maker of this video; check the two videos below this first one:
https://youtu.be/_VKgIkmm82I
Come Drink With Me (Hong Kong, 1966)
(Killcount)
Starring Cheng Pei-Pei. She's probably most familiar to Western audiences as the lead villain in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), but she was probably the first leading female movie action heroine who was considered a 'superstar'. Her career peaked and declined before 1970.
https://youtu.be/BXC21OLz3qc
Lady Snowblood (Japan, 1973)
Starring Meiko Kaji. There were other female leads in Asian action films before her, but Lady Snowblood was the main inspiration behind Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies.
https://youtu.be/oX3tTLGSu7M
Those are only two. I know of countless other examples of strong female leads in action movies that predate Jennifer Lawrence's existence on this planet, but I'll leave it at that.
Jim
Re: Favorite movie fight scenes
A History of Violence (2005) Director: David Cronenberg.
I already posted at least one of the fights from earlier in this film quite awhile back. I don't remember if that post also included this final fight scene or not. If it did, oh well, here it is again. I've loved this movie since the first time I watched it when it was released.
Note: This scene contains some colorful language. For some odd reason, whoever uploaded this on to YouTube felt the need to add subtitles. The reason I chose to post the scene from this source is because it had the best sound quality out of the other vids of this scene that were posted on YouTube.
Final fight: Viggo Mortensen vs William Hurt & henchmen:
https://youtu.be/ldJMxhXH16Q
Jim
I already posted at least one of the fights from earlier in this film quite awhile back. I don't remember if that post also included this final fight scene or not. If it did, oh well, here it is again. I've loved this movie since the first time I watched it when it was released.
Note: This scene contains some colorful language. For some odd reason, whoever uploaded this on to YouTube felt the need to add subtitles. The reason I chose to post the scene from this source is because it had the best sound quality out of the other vids of this scene that were posted on YouTube.
Final fight: Viggo Mortensen vs William Hurt & henchmen:
https://youtu.be/ldJMxhXH16Q
Jim
Re: Favorite movie fight scenes
Is the Martial Arts Superstar a Thing of the Past?
(Video below. WAY below, if anyone can stand to read my long post)
Some comments on the video:
First off, Chow Yun Fat was never a martial arts star. Chow Yun Fat was never even a martial arts practitioner. He was always a dramatic actor. Sure, he co-starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but his scene where he performed a sword form was stunt doubled. And the moves he actually did onscreen were very easy to do, and enhanced by wire work and CGI.
Secondly, the martial arts film genre, particularly the Hong Kong martial arts and action genre, began in the 1940s, continued in the 1950s, picked up steam in the 1960s, increased in popularity throughout Asia in the 1970s, peaked in the '80s, and continued partly into the '90s. When Jackie Chan made the jump to Hollywood to make Rush Hour in the late '90s, his peak years had already passed, and his popularity throughout Asia had been on the decline since the early '90s.
Thirdly, martial arts practice is not as popular in certain Asian countries as it once was. Sure, there are MMA athletes from these countries, but far fewer people who aren't professional athletes participate in martial arts as a pastime anymore. So while many enjoy watching MMA fighting, relatively few are interested in watching martial arts in movies.
Fourth: Audiences the world over are blasé about what they see onscreen. Especially since everything now is done using CGI. In other words, people take things for granted and aren't impressed anymore.
Fifth: Why don't the Italians make spaghetti western movies anymore? At one time they were a big thing, and hundreds were made. Simple: Lack of interest. The genre dried up. Just like the martial arts movie genre.
For many (most?) of the younger generations in Asia, martial arts movies are something their dads or granddads used to watch. They're more interested in young idols who have had lots of cosmetic surgery; effeminate-looking boys and anime-looking girls who look like they came off of an assembly line.
Tony Jaa (Thailand) and Iko Uwais (Indonesia) both started off with a big bang, but their careers fizzled out. Neither Tony Jaa nor Iko Uwais had the decades of experience, nor the huge bodies of work built up like Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, or Donnie Yen, and they never will. When Tony and Iko were at their peaks in popularity and physical abilities, instead of capitalizing on it and riding the wave of momentum, they each took a lot of time off, and split from the teams that made them successful in their home countries, in order to make it big in Hollywood, only to get bit parts here and there. Then to be forgotten. Now Tony and Iko are well into middle age; at that same age, Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen were already past their primes in terms of popularity and creative output. Sadly, neither Tony Jaa nor Iko Uwais will ever achieve the level of stardom they might have. Especially unfortunate for Iko Uwais, who is a better actor and overall performer than Tony Jaa.
Sixth: As mentioned in the video, nobody wants another star crossing over from the martial arts movie genre. Although Scott Adkins (who is now approaching 50) is an excellent martial arts movie star, his acting is limited, and he will never have the recognition from mainstream audiences. They want Marvel or DC superhero movies with familiar Hollywood stars. They want established Hollywood stars in their action films, like Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, and Keanu Reeves. BTW, cheers to Keanu Reeves, who is probably the most down-to-earth Hollywood star.
https://youtu.be/hI02NuWS0Z4
Jim
(Video below. WAY below, if anyone can stand to read my long post)
Some comments on the video:
First off, Chow Yun Fat was never a martial arts star. Chow Yun Fat was never even a martial arts practitioner. He was always a dramatic actor. Sure, he co-starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but his scene where he performed a sword form was stunt doubled. And the moves he actually did onscreen were very easy to do, and enhanced by wire work and CGI.
Secondly, the martial arts film genre, particularly the Hong Kong martial arts and action genre, began in the 1940s, continued in the 1950s, picked up steam in the 1960s, increased in popularity throughout Asia in the 1970s, peaked in the '80s, and continued partly into the '90s. When Jackie Chan made the jump to Hollywood to make Rush Hour in the late '90s, his peak years had already passed, and his popularity throughout Asia had been on the decline since the early '90s.
Thirdly, martial arts practice is not as popular in certain Asian countries as it once was. Sure, there are MMA athletes from these countries, but far fewer people who aren't professional athletes participate in martial arts as a pastime anymore. So while many enjoy watching MMA fighting, relatively few are interested in watching martial arts in movies.
Fourth: Audiences the world over are blasé about what they see onscreen. Especially since everything now is done using CGI. In other words, people take things for granted and aren't impressed anymore.
Fifth: Why don't the Italians make spaghetti western movies anymore? At one time they were a big thing, and hundreds were made. Simple: Lack of interest. The genre dried up. Just like the martial arts movie genre.
For many (most?) of the younger generations in Asia, martial arts movies are something their dads or granddads used to watch. They're more interested in young idols who have had lots of cosmetic surgery; effeminate-looking boys and anime-looking girls who look like they came off of an assembly line.
Tony Jaa (Thailand) and Iko Uwais (Indonesia) both started off with a big bang, but their careers fizzled out. Neither Tony Jaa nor Iko Uwais had the decades of experience, nor the huge bodies of work built up like Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, or Donnie Yen, and they never will. When Tony and Iko were at their peaks in popularity and physical abilities, instead of capitalizing on it and riding the wave of momentum, they each took a lot of time off, and split from the teams that made them successful in their home countries, in order to make it big in Hollywood, only to get bit parts here and there. Then to be forgotten. Now Tony and Iko are well into middle age; at that same age, Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen were already past their primes in terms of popularity and creative output. Sadly, neither Tony Jaa nor Iko Uwais will ever achieve the level of stardom they might have. Especially unfortunate for Iko Uwais, who is a better actor and overall performer than Tony Jaa.
Sixth: As mentioned in the video, nobody wants another star crossing over from the martial arts movie genre. Although Scott Adkins (who is now approaching 50) is an excellent martial arts movie star, his acting is limited, and he will never have the recognition from mainstream audiences. They want Marvel or DC superhero movies with familiar Hollywood stars. They want established Hollywood stars in their action films, like Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, and Keanu Reeves. BTW, cheers to Keanu Reeves, who is probably the most down-to-earth Hollywood star.
https://youtu.be/hI02NuWS0Z4
Jim
Re: Favorite movie fight scenes
Shaolin Martial Arts (1974)
Director: Chang Cheh. Martial arts directors: Tong Kai & Lau Kar-Leung. Film studio: Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong).
*Full movie below* English-dubbed version.
I was surprised to find this full movie, in high quality, on YouTube. The sound on the video is a little low, but the movie also contains several quiet scenes as well. For decades, this has been my all-time favorite old-school Kung Fu movie.
This movie had an ensemble cast led by Alexander Fu Sheng and Chi Kuan-Chun as the main leading men. Gordon Liu (most familiar to Western audiences for his roles in Kill Bill volumes 1&2, as well as playing the lead in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, 1978) appears in his first movie role as a classmate of the leading men.
The two main fighting villains were portrayed by Wang Lung-Wei as the Qigong (Chi Kung; breath work) expert, who can "bounce" the force of his opponents' strikes back into them; and Leung Kar-Yan as the master of Tie Bu Shan (literally, "Iron Shirt"), a type of internal and external training that makes one immune to most blows. Both villains are presented as *nearly* invulnerable.
Note: This English-dubbed version translates the two main fighting villains’ “style” as “Virgin Kung Fu.” The actual name for it is Tongzigong (Tong Zi Gong, or “Children’s Kung Fu”). IRL, Tongzigong was a set of training methods that were intended to be taught from childhood, such as certain types of Qigong (Chi Kung; breath/energy work); extreme flexibility exercises, methods of body hardening and toughening (such as Tie Bu Shan/“Iron Shirt,” and Jin Zhong Zhao/“Golden Bell Cover”); Qinggong (“body lightness”) training, such as balance, agility, jumping while wearing weights, and even acrobatic training, etc., that needed to be trained when the body is young and at its most pliable; when their Qi (Chi; Life Energy) is at its purest and strongest, and before the Chi has begun to deteriorate through simple living (including having had “relations”). Far from being a childish thing, Tongzigong training was historically extremely difficult and painful for the children who endured it, and would probably be considered extreme abuse by most people today
Shaolin Martial Arts was the first Kung Fu movie that featured extended training sequences, with strategies designed to overcome a specific problem presented by each of the lead characters' opponents. The training sequences of Alexander Fu Sheng and Chi Kuan-Chun (the second duo to seek out training) clearly inspired the training sequences in Kill Bill Vol. 2, and were possibly an inspiration for the training scenes in the original Karate Kid (1984).
https://youtu.be/rIDcP4Rt7kk?si=jwQw935d0wF5IMRl
Jim
Director: Chang Cheh. Martial arts directors: Tong Kai & Lau Kar-Leung. Film studio: Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong).
*Full movie below* English-dubbed version.
I was surprised to find this full movie, in high quality, on YouTube. The sound on the video is a little low, but the movie also contains several quiet scenes as well. For decades, this has been my all-time favorite old-school Kung Fu movie.
This movie had an ensemble cast led by Alexander Fu Sheng and Chi Kuan-Chun as the main leading men. Gordon Liu (most familiar to Western audiences for his roles in Kill Bill volumes 1&2, as well as playing the lead in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, 1978) appears in his first movie role as a classmate of the leading men.
The two main fighting villains were portrayed by Wang Lung-Wei as the Qigong (Chi Kung; breath work) expert, who can "bounce" the force of his opponents' strikes back into them; and Leung Kar-Yan as the master of Tie Bu Shan (literally, "Iron Shirt"), a type of internal and external training that makes one immune to most blows. Both villains are presented as *nearly* invulnerable.
Note: This English-dubbed version translates the two main fighting villains’ “style” as “Virgin Kung Fu.” The actual name for it is Tongzigong (Tong Zi Gong, or “Children’s Kung Fu”). IRL, Tongzigong was a set of training methods that were intended to be taught from childhood, such as certain types of Qigong (Chi Kung; breath/energy work); extreme flexibility exercises, methods of body hardening and toughening (such as Tie Bu Shan/“Iron Shirt,” and Jin Zhong Zhao/“Golden Bell Cover”); Qinggong (“body lightness”) training, such as balance, agility, jumping while wearing weights, and even acrobatic training, etc., that needed to be trained when the body is young and at its most pliable; when their Qi (Chi; Life Energy) is at its purest and strongest, and before the Chi has begun to deteriorate through simple living (including having had “relations”). Far from being a childish thing, Tongzigong training was historically extremely difficult and painful for the children who endured it, and would probably be considered extreme abuse by most people today
Shaolin Martial Arts was the first Kung Fu movie that featured extended training sequences, with strategies designed to overcome a specific problem presented by each of the lead characters' opponents. The training sequences of Alexander Fu Sheng and Chi Kuan-Chun (the second duo to seek out training) clearly inspired the training sequences in Kill Bill Vol. 2, and were possibly an inspiration for the training scenes in the original Karate Kid (1984).
https://youtu.be/rIDcP4Rt7kk?si=jwQw935d0wF5IMRl
Jim