- English name：The Grandmaster
- Broadcast time：January 8, 2013
- Starring：梁朝伟（Tony Leung Chiu-Wai）、章子怡（Zhang Ziyi）、张震（Chang Chen）、赵本山、小沈阳（Shen He）、宋慧乔（송혜교）、王庆祥、张晋（Max Zhang）、尚铁龙
- director：王家卫（Wong Kar-wai）
Introduction
Today,we are going to talk about a Hong Kong action drama film, The Grandmaster (一代宗师yīdài zōngshī). It is based on the life story of the Wing Chun grandmaster Yip Man.The film is directed and written by Wong Kar-wai and stars Tony Leung as Yip Man.It was released on 8 January 2013 in China.It was shown at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival (第三十六届柏林国际电影节dì-sānshíliù jiè bólín guójì diànyǐngjié) in February 2013.
Wong,alongside actors Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Zhang Ziyi,Chang Chen and Zhang Jin, will attend the premiere of the film – which depicts the life story of wing chun grandmaster Yip Man – at UA Cinema in Tsim Sha Tsui’s iSquare shopping mall.At a press preview in Beijing on Sunday,Leung and Zhang Ziyi bemoaned the difficulties three years of filming entailed.Zhang joked she would consider retiring from action films as she was getting old.
Leung,47,recounted suffering from multiple bone injuries and an inflamed trachea after a 30-day round-the-clock filming session.He said he could hardly believe it when Wong announced that the production was finally complete.
But something positive came out of all the kung fu practice for Taiwanese actor Chang, who plays a master of baji quan,a form of martial art that originated in Hebei province during the Qing dynasty (清朝Qīngcháo).He recently won a national martial arts competition on the mainland.
Plot
Ip Man (Tony Leung), a native of Foshan, Guangdong, is the head of Wing Chun. He was born in a wealthy family when he was young, and learned boxing from Chen Huashun, the successor of Wing Chun. His master’s admonition of “one belt, one breath” supported him through the chaotic times of war and dynasty change. His wife Zhang Yongcheng (Song Hye Kyo) is fierce and capable, and the two of them are in harmony.
In 1936, the martial arts world in Foshan was in turmoil. The master of Baguazhang, Gong Yutian (Wang Qingxiang), was old and promised to retire. However, his position as the president of the Chinese Warriors Association naturally attracted the attention and covetousness of martial arts masters. Including White Ape Ma San (Zhang Jin), Guandong Ghost Ding Lianshan (Zhao Benshan), Wing Chun Ip Man and other masters all focused their attention on the righteous Gong Yutian. There are north and south in boxing, but are there north and south in the country?
Only the most virtuous people are qualified to be the president, but this empty reputation has led countless confused people to get drunk and rush around, wasting their remaining lives. Born in troubled times, the love between men and women is buried deep in the heart, and is crushed into mud by the cold wheels.
Professional evaluation
Positive reviews
1、Throughout the Chinese film industry in 2013, The Grandmaster was an outstanding film. Wong Kar-wai used his signature slow kung fu to endure his old work. The Grandmaster is good to watch because it has flavor. It transcends time to take pictures of history. In the battles in the martial arts world, it presents the attachment and nostalgia for the past era. His films always like to talk about time, and The Grandmaster also has many scenes of taking group photos for the characters. Each small group photo is actually freezing history, to build a monument for an era and the people of that time. This is Wong Kar-wai’s sentiment. Because of this sentiment, he can spend several years to make various preliminary preparations, and also make the film remarkable in all aspects such as photography, editing, art, and performance. Such a movie sweeping the Academy Awards is a respect for the film itself.
2、Inheriting the spirit of Chinese martial arts is the creative concept that “The Grandmaster” has always adhered to. Wong Kar-wai directly incorporated this concept into the plot of the film and the art design of the set, including the image positioning of different stars, which is also based on the characteristics of different martial arts schools. The four major schools of traditional Chinese martial arts, Wing Chun, Bagua, Baji, and Xingyi, are all gathered under the “door” of “The Grandmaster”. The authentic spirit of Chinese martial arts is integrated with the commercial film expression mechanism.
3、The scenes such as Tony Leung’s battle in the rain and Zhang Ziyi’s duel with Zhang Jin on the platform, the visual effects, action design, and martial arts sound effects are all outstanding in Chinese films. (NetEase Entertainment Review) We see more elegance in the movie. Every fight is like a ritual. We feel the mutual respect between the two sides, which casts a sacred feeling on the fight. With the soundtrack of Cantonese folk songs, the romantic nostalgia is even more. “The Grandmaster” is a visual feast. The movie presents the audience with a nostalgic martial arts legend with the most gorgeous shots. (Indiewire, an American film website) The movie’s inner massage and determination, the creation of the environment and atmosphere, and the detailed display of the fighting scenes make this Republic of China martial arts film permeated with a cinematic poetic mood, which can be called poetic martial arts.
Negative reviews
1、The film has wonderful martial arts scenes, and the photography and art are also textbook-level, but the literary scenes are too weak, and the lines are more like chicken soup for the soul and the style of a bosom friend.
2、The rhythm is inconsistent, fast at the beginning and slow at the end, and the second half is drowsy. The performance style of Zhao Benshan and his apprentice is out of tune with the whole play, and Zhang Zhen’s role is out of touch with the overall story.
