Mastering Virtue: The Cinematic Legend of a Martial Artist
The myth of Wong Fei-hung, a Guangdong boxer in late Qing/Early Republican China, has provided filmmakers with a rich vein of cinematic lore. Ever since its debut in 1949, the Wong Fei-hung film series has run to over 100 separate features. Before Bruce Lee took the world by storm with his martial prowess, it was Wong Fei-hung, first played by Kwan Tak-hing, who set the pace in Hong Kong action filmmaking.
Wong Fei-hung films, unlike the average chopsocky actioner, are not just about fists and kicks; they are informed by shades of Confucian morals, which set them apart from Cantonese movies of the 1950s and 60s. Today, many characters from the series are fondly remembered as famous icons of Hong Kong popular culture.
This first-of-its-kind monograph examines the cinema of Wong Fei-hung in terms of its historical background, artistic characteristics, and the workings of film genres. Also included are comments by Wong's disciples on Hung Fist, a martial art practised by the master, as seen in various filmic interpretations over the decades.
236 pages with English edition in CD-ROM. Published in March 2012. Priced at HK$125. Currently out of stock. (Co-edited by Po Fung and Lau Yam)
ISBN 978-962-8050-61-1
Contents
[Essays]
Wong Fei-hung and His Three Companions
Po Fung
Triumph of the Martial Spirit: The Rise and Fall of Guangdong–Hong Kong Combat Novels
Peter Wong Chung-ming
Revisiting Wong Fei-hung Movies Past 70 Years of Age
Lo Wai-luen
A Preliminary Study of the Mise-en-scene in the Late-1960s Wong Fei-hung Movies
Lau Yam
The Patriot Wong Fei-hung as Portrayed on Television
Ka Ming
From Sun Liang Chau to Wong Fei-hung: The Life and Career of Kwan Tak-hing
May Ng
Alter Ego of the Wuxia Hero: ‘Villain Kin'
Longtin
The Music of Wong Fei-hung Films in the 1950s and the Historical Music Culture Within
Yu Siu-wah
Destroy the Old to Establish the New: Wong Fei-hung Films of the 1970s
Matthew Cheng
Regional and Anti-foreign Sentiments of Kung Fu Genre as Reflected in Wong Fei-hung Movies
Wong Chi-fai
[Appendices]
About Chu Yu-chai
Lau Yam
Makers of the Wong Fei-hung Legend
Po Fung
Hung Fist Masters on Their Craft
Collated by Lau Yam
Photo of Wong Fei-hung?
Po Fung
Wong Fei-hung Films and Related Works
Compiled by Lau Yam