The Story of Wong Fei-hung, Part One: Wong Fei-hung's Whip that Smacks the Candle

Dir: Wu Pang
Scr: Ng Yat-siu
Orig Story: Chu Yu-chai
Prod Co: Yongyao
Cast: Kwan Tak-hing, Tso Tat-wah, Lee Lan, Sek Kin
1949 / B&W / DCP / Cantonese / Chi & Eng subtitles / 77min

This is the film that started it all. The Story of Wong Fei-hung, Part One is the inaugural chapter of the saga, starring Kwan Tak-hing as Master Wong Fei-hung and Tso Tat-wah as one of his favorite students, the hot-headed Leung Foon. Both actors had taken the same roles in the long-running series and grown with them throughout the years, in ways that greatly influenced the development of martial arts cinema. Here, the Master is very different from the monolithic hero the world has come to know – he's not above vanity and prone to impetuous fights. The action choreography also offers a glimpse of Hong Kong's patented kung fu magic to come.

The print we are showing is a digitally restored version with enhanced images and sound quality.